Franciscains

What Franciscains does

Franciscains (legal name: Province des frères mineurs de France et Belgique) is the French-Belgian provincial jurisdiction of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), the Catholic religious order founded by Saint Francis of Assise in 1209. The Province operates as a non-profit ecclesiastical entity headquartered in Strasbourg, with a centralized convent in Paris (7 rue Marie-Rose) and a constellation of fraternities, retreat houses, and pilgrimage sanctuaries across France, Belgium, and a Moroccan mission outpost. Its core "products" are spiritual and pastoral in nature: the 800-year-old La Cordelle hermitage at Vézelay (under comprehensive renovation), the Grottes de Saint-Antoine pilgrimage sanctuary in Brive (~60,000 annual visitors), Notre-Dame de Reinacker in Alsace (~6,000 visitors, Église Verte eco-certified), the Clarté-Dieu retreat center in Orsay, the Festival Brother Sun youth festival, and the Caravans of Peace itinerant pilgrimage program converging on Vézelay in 2026. The Province also runs the Secrétariat à l'évangélisation missionnaire, which coordinates 24 development projects across 9 countries (Madagascar, Togo, Vietnam, Haiti, Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Congo, Latvia, Colombia, Croatia), and the Fondation François d'Assise (founded 2012, hosted by Fondation Caritas France) for tax-deductible donations.

The business model is donation-driven rather than commercial. Revenue flows through the association Franciscains Solidarité et Services (governed by the 1908 law in Alsace-Moselle) via check, bank transfer, and legacy bequests. Retreat participation requests voluntary contributions (€90–150 for retreats including lodging and meals), and event registrations for the Festival Brother Sun are processed through the HelloAsso platform. The Province has no commercial pricing, no product revenue, no licensing, and no investment activity. Cost drivers include the maintenance of heritage buildings, formation of brothers, and cross-subsidized mission support. Recent strategic activity has centered on the 800th anniversary (2026) of Saint Francis's death — a major jubilee programming year — alongside the accelerated closure of the Orsay fraternity (June 2022, transferred to the lay MFCD association) and the December 2022 establishment of the CECF victim-listening cell in response to historical abuse cases (1960–2000). The Provincial Minister is Fr. Michel Laloux; youth and vocation pastoral care is led by Baudouin Duchange; and the Secretariat for missionary evangelization is led by Fr. Vlatko Maric.

Name

Franciscains

Legal name

Province des frères mineurs de France et Belgique

Website

https://franciscains.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Franciscains (Province des frères mineurs de France et Belgique) is the French-Belgian province of the Catholic Order of Friars Minor, operating pilgrimage sanctuaries, retreat centers, and youth programs across France, Belgium, and Moroccan missions, funded by donations and charitable contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Spiritual Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Catholic religious order
• Spiritual retreat services
• Religious pilgrimage programs
• Youth ministry
• Franciscan formation

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The association Franciscains Solidarité et Services (governed by the 1908 law for Alsace) receives donations, including tax-deductible contributions, to support the mission of the Franciscan brothers. Donors can give via check, bank transfer, or legacy bequests.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Franciscains (Province des frères mineurs de France et Belgique) operates a network of Catholic sanctuaries, retreat centers, and pilgrimage sites, and runs youth formation programs, itinerant pilgrimages (Caravanes de la Paix), a youth festival (Festival Brother Sun), heritage restoration workcamps (Chantier Bénévole), missionary support coordination (Secrétariat à l'évangélisation missionnaire), a quarterly spiritual publication (Revue En Frères), vocational formation programs, and a victim support cell (Cellule d'écoute). All offerings are spiritual ministries supported by donations rather than commercial products.

Product overview

The Franciscans of France-Belgique are a Catholic religious province whose website serves as an informational and community platform rather than a commercial product. Their primary offerings are spiritual, pastoral, and humanitarian services: La Cordelle (an 800-year-old hermitage in Vézelay under restoration), the Festival Brother Sun (youth spiritual festival), Caravanes de la Paix (youth pilgrimages), Chantier Bénévole (heritage restoration workcamps), pilgrimage sanctuaries (Grottes de Saint-Antoine in Brive, Notre-Dame de Reinacker in Alsace, Clarté-Dieu in Orsay), mission support services through the Secrétariat à l'évangélisation missionnaire, the quarterly publication Revue En Frères, youth formation programs, and victim support services. These offerings are not commercial products but spiritual ministries supported by the association Franciscains Solidarité et Services (law 1908).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Frères Mineurs: The official name of the Order of Friars Minor in French, referring to the brothers of the Province of France-Belgium

Products and services

• La Cordelle Hermitage An 800-year-old Franciscan hermitage in Vézelay, France, currently undergoing comprehensive restoration. Operates as a place of fraternity, contemplative prayer, and welcoming presence for visitors of all backgrounds.
• Festival Brother Sun Four-day youth festival for ages 18-35 held at Reinacker sanctuary in Alsace, combining fraternity, contemplative experiences, ecological engagement, and Franciscan spirituality through testimonies, workshops, concerts, and shared prayer.
• Caravanes de la Paix (Peace Caravans) Walking, cycling, and service-based pilgrimages along Franciscan routes across the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, culminating at La Cordelle in Vézelay. Participants experience Franciscan mendicancy and fraternity during the 800th-anniversary jubilee year.
• Chantier Bénévole (Volunteer Restoration Workcamp) Week-long volunteer workcamp (ages 18-35) at La Cordelle, Vézelay, where participants learn traditional stone masonry techniques while sharing prayer life with the friars and contributing to the 800-year-old hermitage's restoration.
• Grottes de Saint-Antoine Pilgrimage Sanctuary Franciscan sanctuary in Brive-la-Gaillarde celebrating the 800th anniversary of Saint Anthony of Padua's stay (1226), hosting approximately 60,000 pilgrims annually with a jubilee year of special events from June 2026 to June 2027.
• Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Reinacker Eco-certified (Église Verte) sanctuary in Alsace operated by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assise, welcoming approximately 6,000 visitors annually for retreats, pilgrimages, and cultural events in an ecological and intercultural setting.
• Maison d'accueil de la Clarté-Dieu Welcoming house in Orsay (diocèse d'Évry–Corbeil) operated by the Franciscan lay association MFCD for nearly 60 years, offering spiritual retreats, Word-based ressourcement, formations, ecumenical and interfaith encounters, and serving the Christian community of greater Paris.
• Secrétariat à l'évangélisation missionnaire Provincial service coordinating missionary solidarity, supporting formation and development projects across Franciscan provinces worldwide through three legal structures: a mission procure (Strasbourg), an ASBL (Brussels), and the Fondation François d'Assise.
• Revue En Frères Quarterly Franciscan review publication of the Province of France-Belgique covering Franciscan life, spirituality, current events, and the jubilee commemorations; distributed in PDF format.
• Formation et Pastorale des jeunes (Youth Formation and Pastoral Care) Provincial programs for young people aged 18-35, including vocational discernment, Franciscan formation, retreats in Morocco, encounters with the Taizé community, and various spiritual pathways.
• Cellule d'écoute (CECF Victim Support Cell) Listening and support cell established in December 2022 within the Couvent Saint-François in Paris to receive victims and witnesses of abuse, characterize facts, document cases, and advise the Provincial on possible restorative and judicial proceedings.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fondation François d'AssisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Founded in 2012 and hosted by Fondation Caritas France, this foundation supports education and poverty alleviation projects in mission countries and France. It is one of three legal structures coordinated by the Secrétariat à l'évangélisation missionnaire to support Franciscan global mission work.
• MZF (Missionzentrale der Franziskaner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman NGO founded in 1969 that supports approximately 500 development projects annually worldwide. MZF conducts project follow-up and evaluation for the Franciscan Secrétariat, providing expertise in development aid coordination.
• Crédit Agricole Champagne-BourgogneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation 'Agir' of Crédit Agricole Champagne-Bourgogne visited La Cordelle in November 2025 to present a support check for renovation works. One of several local economic partners supporting the 800-year-old hermitage restoration project.
• SchieverminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor regional employer in Avallon area that met with the La Cordelle team in June 2025, supporting the local renovation project as part of the cordelle's territorial engagement strategy.
• Banque PopulaireminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal banking partner supporting the La Cordelle renovation project as part of regional economic engagement for the 800-year-old hermitage restoration.
• ThéosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner engaged in supporting the La Cordelle renovation project and territorial development around Vézelay.
• Fondation le CèdreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation partner supporting the La Cordelle renovation project as part of the fundraising effort for the 800-year-old Franciscan hermitage.
• Chemin d'AssiseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation promoting the Franciscan path that has partnered with the La Cordelle project, supporting regional development and pilgrimage culture.
• Les Parvis de BourgogneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional cultural association in Burgundy that partners with the La Cordelle project for territorial development around Vézelay.
• Communauté de communes, Département, Région, Inrap, Direction régionale des affaires culturellesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic institutional partners engaged in the La Cordelle renovation project, including regional councils, cultural heritage authorities, and archaeological services.
• Sœurs de Saint-François d'AssisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational congregation of Franciscan sisters that co-hosts the Festival Brother Sun at Reinacker sanctuary and operates the Maison de la Visitation in Morocco. The union of several communities in 2005 created this international congregation.
• Sœurs clarisses de CormontreuilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClarisse nuns who host retreats at their monastery near Reims, including programs with Franciscan Fr. José Kohler on Franciscan spirituality and Maurice Zundel. Provide individual rooms, oratory, garden, and participation in their liturgy.
• Corref (Conférence des religieux et religieuses en France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational conference of religious orders in France that coordinates training on abuse prevention, facilitates mutual support among congregations, and developed the 93 recommendations and good practice guide for protecting persons and preventing abuse.
• CRR (Commission de Reconnaissance et de Réparation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommission established following the CIASE report to accompany victims of sexual violence committed by religious. The Franciscains actively collaborate with CRR and refer victims to their services.
• Fondation Caritas FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Catholic charitable foundation that hosts the Fondation François d'Assise, allowing donors to receive tax receipts for supporting Franciscan mission and development projects.
• Sœurs de Saint François d'Assise (Morocco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity of sisters operating the Maison de la Visitation in Tazert, Morocco, hosting interreligious retreats and continuing the Franciscan mission tradition in North Africa since 2018.
• Compagnie de Jésus (Jesuits)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJesuit order that shared training expertise on abuse prevention with the Franciscains. Fr. Thierry Dobbelstein, Jesuit in charge of the 'Accueil et écoute' cell for French-speaking Western European Jesuits since 2015, contributed to Franciscan formation sessions at Orsay.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Order of Preachers (Dominicans): Catholic mendicant order with parallel preaching, formation and retreat apostolates. Comparable in operating model (vowed brothers, preaching, study houses, retreat houses) to the Franciscains' provincial structure.
• Society of Jesus (Jesuits): Major Catholic male religious order engaged in formation, retreats, education and missions worldwide. Already a documented partner of the Franciscains for abuse-prevention training, indicating close programmatic and operational overlap.
• Order of Carmelites (OCD): Catholic contemplative order running retreat houses and formation programs. Comparable to Franciscan retreat programming at Clarté-Dieu and Reinacker in serving spiritual-retreat seekers in France.
• Salesians of Don Bosco: Catholic religious congregation with a strong youth-formation, retreat and vocation-promotion focus. Highly comparable to the Franciscains' Festival Brother Sun, Caravanes de la Paix and 18–35 formation programs.
• Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (Capuchins): The Capuchin branch of the Franciscan First Order. Operates the same model of vowed fraternity life, parish and retreat ministry, and international mission work as the Franciscains, sharing the same 1209 Franciscan charism and Rule.
• Order of Saint Benedict (Benedictines): Traditional monastic order running retreat houses and hospitality ministries across Europe. Closely comparable to the Franciscains' sanctuary and retreat-center operations at La Cordelle, Brive and Reinacker.
• Poor Clares / Clarisses: Female contemplative branch of the Franciscan family. The Clarisses of Cormontreuil already co-host retreats with the Franciscains, making them a direct operational peer in retreat and contemplative programming.

Emerging players

• Communauté de l'Emmanuel: French Catholic community with vocation, retreat and youth ministry. Operates retreat houses and formation programs in France that compete for the same young-adult discernment audience the Franciscains target with Brother Sun and Caravanes de la Paix.
• Chemin Neuf: Catholic community with a strong vocation, retreat and youth focus. Operates retreat centres and formation programs in France that overlap with the Franciscains' youth and retreat offerings.
• Community of Taizé: Ecumenical monastic community focused on youth gatherings, prayer and retreats. Already referenced in Franciscan formation pathways as an encounter partner, with overlapping audience of 18–35 spiritual seekers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqpwEElnO0kf_pFH6HafTfw
• Facebookfacebook.com/franciscainsfrancebelgique
• Instagraminstagram.com/franciscains.france
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franciscains

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Franciscains