A Different Kind of Prophet

The Franciscan Action Network is quietly forming a prophetic witness rooted in contemplative community, downward mobility, and love-centered action.

In a world saturated with noise, reaction, and division, what does a prophet look like?

The Franciscan Action Network (FAN) does not position itself as the prophetic voice but rather as a “school for prophetic action.” “We’re always asking the question: How are we called to take loving action in the world?” says FAN Executive Director Michele Dunne.

This love-centered vision sits at the heart of FAN’s work and its growing network of Franciscan Justice Circles. These circles consist of members of formal religious orders, everyday churchgoers, and anyone drawn to the healing, peace-focused, and justice-oriented values of the Franciscan way. St. Francis of Assisi’s remark at the end of his life guides FAN’s Justice Circle network: “I’ve done what was mine to do; may Christ show you what is yours.” The most integrative way to find what is ours to do, FAN leaders and participants believe, arises within contemplation and community.

FAN’s Justice Circles span the United States. Each has its own unique aim, depending on what is stirring in prayer, spiritual growth, and conversation within that particular community. One Justice Circle writes letters to the editor for its local newspaper. A Washington, D.C.-based Justice Circle recently held a prayer vigil in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters. Another organizes intergenerational eco-spirituality walks along the Milwaukee River.

Dunne discusses the dance of contemplation and action in the D.C. Justice Circle to which she belongs: “We recently listened to a podcast episode together where nonviolence teacher John Dear talked about Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. People were so inspired that we decided to take on a Beatitude a month, study it together, and discuss how it can inform what is ours to do as a Justice Circle.” She mentions that many Justice Circles around the country are reading Fr. Richard Rohr’s book The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage.

FAN’s focus on prayer, contemplation, and community helps Justice Circles move beyond outrage and reaction toward what is theirs to do: an activism anchored in prophetic wisdom. “A prophet ideally is delivering a message that is unadulterated by the ego,” Dunne reflects. “It’s easier, I think, when one is acting alone, for the ego to drive the action. But when you’re in a community that prioritizes mutuality — listening to other voices, listening to other people’s wisdom — it helps put the ego back in its place.”

A core value of FAN and its Justice Circles is the Franciscan notion of “downward mobility,” the idea that followers of Christ should move downward in society toward the suffering and the margins. This movement toward the margins is embodied by the humble God of the Incarnation and by countless prophets and saints, including Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi. Francis, once determined to advance in society and become a knight, was transformed by the reality of the Incarnation. He reoriented his life around accompanying lepers and the poor. Clare, born into nobility, left behind her privilege in Assisi to literally run downward in a midnight escape toward the Franciscan mission based in the lower outskirts of the city among the poor.

Dunne’s own journey reflects this trajectory. For years, she focused on advancement in Washington, D.C., establishing herself as a respected voice for diplomacy in the Middle East. Upward mobility was the name of the game. Her conscience prevented her from further climbing when she peeked behind the curtain and saw how the United States’ financial and political incentives clouded ethical policymaking in that region. What was ours to do as a country? It had to go deeper than profit, she felt.

Though a cradle Catholic, she wasn’t familiar with the Franciscan way. The period of emptiness following disillusionment with her career made space for something new. She found herself delving into Franciscanism, volunteering for FAN, and was gripped by a new vision for her life — God’s vision for her life: downward mobility. In 2021, she was named the organization’s executive director.

“With its anchoring in poverty, humility, and simplicity, Franciscanism was the antidote to a lot of things that had gone wrong in my life,” Dunne says. “Once upward mobility failed, I learned something I never would have understood before, which was the beauty of downward mobility. At FAN, we’re trying to build an intergenerational Franciscan movement for justice, peace, creation, and human dignity. Anyone who identifies with any part of that is welcome in our Justice Circles.”

Reflect with Us  
The Franciscan Action Network reminds us that prophetic action is often formed slowly though prayer, listening, and community, rather than from reacting to outrage alone. What kind of action feels most life-giving and grounded for you right now? This week, consider one small act of loving presence, like a conversation, prayer walk, a letter, or moment of solidarity, and notice what shifts within you as you practice acting from compassion rather than reaction.

Share your reflection with us. 

We Conspire is a series from the Center for Action and Contemplation featuring wisdom and stories from the growing Christian contemplative movement. Sign up for the monthly email series and receive a free invitation to practice each month.