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Strategy October 18, 2018

Friars’ Branded Items Support Mission to Serve the Needy

By  Sara Lavenduski

An order of Catholic friars has designed a merchandise line to help them continue their mission to serve the poor. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFRs), a religious community with locations in the US, Europe and Central America, are known for their commitment to their vow of poverty as followers of St. Francis of Assisi, and their deeply meditative prayer life.

They’re also recognized for the musical talents. In fact, one member of the community, Brother Isaiah, has spent the last year working on an album of contemplative music called Poco a Poco (“little by little”), a Spanish phrase popular among CFRs to encourage people to take life one day at a time. It was just released on Tunes, Spotify, Google Play and Amazon.

Brother Isaiah, a member of the CFRs, spent the past year creating Poco a Poco, an album of contemplative music; photo credit: Ascension Press

To accompany sales of the album, the friars have also worked with creative agency Meaningful Market to develop a line of related merchandise, now offered by Ascension Press. A portion of the proceeds of each sale goes to furthering the friars’ mission of serving and working with the poor. Among the items are T-shirts, a baseball cap, a snapback cap, stickers and an album reflection journal.

Photo credits: Ascension Press

Brother Isaiah has also collaborated with Ascension Press to release a music video for the album’s song “Struggler”:

It’s another example of how humanitarian-focused merchandise can be used not only for marketing, but also, and most importantly, for making a difference in people’s lives. Items have also recently been sold for disaster relief, school shooting victims and disabled military veterans.