July 15: Serra Club of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting
 at 12:30 PM
TOPIC:
The Secular Franciscan Order
 
SPEAKER: Luke LeTourneau, OFS
Co-Founder and Chief Fellowship Officer
Live Vertical 
Springfield, PA

Luke returns to us as a three-time guest speaker, this time to introduce us to the Secular Franciscan Order. We specifically invited Luke for our July meeting in honor of the July 1 feast day, today, of our patron, Franciscan St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784; born Miguel José). The Secular Franciscans are part of the Franciscan family formed by Catholic men and women who seek to observe the Gospel by following the example of St. Francis of Assisi.

Luke will share his own vocation path and the process he took to become a Secular Franciscan.

The Secular Franciscan Order was the third (first — Order of Friars Minor; second — The Poor Clares) of three families founded by St. Francis of Assisi more than 800 years ago, between 1209 and 1215. The order consists of primarily lay men and women, married and single, as well as priests and religious, located throughout the world.

Many will recognize Luke as co-founder with mission partner Rob Longo of Live Vertical, a remarkable organization devoted to evangelization and missionary discipleship in Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Allentown and throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Before the birth of Live Vertical (and its predecessor Stewardship: A Mission of Faith), Luke spent 19 years working within supply chain operations for a global company and focusing on leadership development.

Luke and his wife, Mary, are the parents of eight children, live in Springfield, Delaware County, and are members St. Francis of Assisi Parish there. He completed a two-year formation process leading to his public profession with the Secular Franciscans (Order Franciscanus Saecularis) in 2021.