The Franciscan Institute was "founded in 1939 by Fr. Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M., President of St. Bonaventure College, and led by its first Director, Fr. Philotheus Boehner, O.F.M., the Franciscan Institute stands as the preeminent center in North America of teaching, research and publication on the history, spirituality and intellectual life of the Franciscan movement. " [1]