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Please join us for Francis Week 2024 as the university celebrates the life of St. Francis of Assisi with a focus on the theme “Sustainability: It’s complicated.” Events run through Saturday, Oct. 5.

The theme draws attention to Pope Francis’s continued call to respond to the climate crisis, said Fr. Stephen Mimnaugh, O.F.M., vice president for Mission Integration. 

One year ago on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis issued his letter addressed “To all people of good will” calling attention to the urgency of environmental and social devastation resulting from the climate crisis. In 2015, the Pope first called people to act in his letter Laudato Si’ using words from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creation.” 

Pope Francis did not mince words: “With the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.”

Fr. Stephen said this year’s Francis Week presents St. Bonaventure with an opportunity to examine what we are doing and what we still must do to be better stewards of our common home.

The ������������ community is invited to participate in a sustainability survey as part of Francis Week. The survey asks respondents a series of questions about their understanding and feelings toward climate change and sustainability issues. It takes approximately 5 to 15 minutes to complete. It is conducted by the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities, of which St. Bonaventure is a member. The link is .

Schedule of events:

Wednesday, Sept. 25

• 8-10:30 a.m.: Stop by University Ministries for Lady Jacoba cookies and hot cocoa.

Thursday, Sept. 26

• 6 p.m.: , Richter Center

Friday, Sept. 27

• 7:30 p.m.: “From Bebop to Broadway” performance featuring Olean native Calabria Foti and trombone virtuoso Bob McChesney in the Quick Center. Five dollars from each ticket sale goes to the Endowment for Warming House Sustainability.

Saturday, Sept. 28

• 11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Sustainability table at Family Weekend Festival, featuring Beat the Brothers cornhole game

• 4 p.m.: Family Weekend Mass, University Chapel, Doyle Hall

Monday, Sept. 30

• 12:30-1:30 p.m.: “Hunger & Resilience” exhibition walk-through, Quick Center; free lunch for the first 50 people.

• All day: Opt-outside scavenger hunt begins. All are welcome to hunt for the hidden medallion somewhere on the ������������ campus. Only students have the opportunity to win a Bose Soundkick Speaker (2 will be given away). Look on the Notice Board, Bonnies Connect app and social media for clues each day until the medallion is found.

Tuesday, Oct. 1

• 5 p.m.: “Sustainability in the Food Cycle: It’s Complicated” screening and discussion with the filmmaker, Tom Murphy, in the Quick Center; hot appetizers to follow.

Wednesday, Oct. 2

• 12:30-1:30 p.m. Sustainability table in Hickey Dining Hall and University Ministries, featuring Beat the Brothers cornhole game.

Thursday, Oct. 3

• 7 p.m.: Transitus, University Chapel; the ritual celebrates the university’s Franciscan identity with Scripture and the heritage of the early stories surrounding St. Francis.

Friday, Oct. 4, Feast of St. Francis

• 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Pet blessing, University Ministries

• 4 p.m.: Feast Day Mass, University Chapel, followed by a special dinner in Hickey at 5 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5

• All day: and . Click on the link above or stop in UMin to learn more and sign up.

Mass will be held weekdays in the Great Room of University Ministries at noon.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).