FAN is led by active volunteers across the country, supported by a small staff. As of August 2013, its board members consisted of the national minister of the Secular Franciscans, three Franciscan sisters, five Franciscan Friars (from different orders: Friars Minor, Friars Minor Conventual, Friars Minor Capuchins, Third Order Regular, and Atonement Friars), and four lay people.
History
The Franciscan Action Network was formed in 2007 in BaltimoreMaryland by a group of more than 150 Franciscans who gathered from across the United States. It has grown to include membership of over 50 Franciscan groups. While Catholics make up a majority of FAN, its membership also includes Episcopal, Lutheran, and Ecumenical Franciscan groups.
In 2012, the FAN initiated the Franciscan Earth Corps (FEC), a ministry aimed at encouraging young adults to participate in FAN advocacy activities. FEC provides training and resources in sustainable living projects, spiritual reflection, retreat, community building, and advocacy work.[4] In 2013, there are Franciscan Earth Corps chapters in ten cities, mostly located in the Eastern and Midwestern United States.
Fr. Sam Fuller, OFM Cap., leading a march on climate change in Hartford, CT.
Immigration reform
Following the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, who called Franciscans to be migrating people of prayer,[5] FAN directs a significant part of its efforts to promoting immigration reform,[6] advocating for a clearly defined pathway to US citizenship which prioritizes family unity. To this end, FAN collaborates with the Justice for Immigrants Campaign of the USCCB and the Interfaith Immigration Coalition.
The FAN has stood in resistance to the possibility of a registry of all Muslims living in the United States. They have also opposed the travel ban against several Middle Eastern countries as proposed by President Trump and his administration.[7]
FAN Members hold vigil during the Supreme Court hearings on Arizona's immigration law SB 1070.
Climate change
In accord with their understanding of the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of those who promote ecology, FAN works with other Franciscans to bring public officials into conversation about action to mitigate climate change.[8][9] FAN members participate in public protests on this issue.[10] This advocacy has led to criticism from other Catholic groups.[11]
Human trafficking
FAN works with the USCCB's Anti-Trafficking Services Program and is a member of the Coalition of Catholic Organizations against Human Trafficking. FAN also collaborated with Franciscans International and the Franciscan Federation in a project to review the issue of human trafficking in the 2013 United Nations review of the United States.[12]