Brief History of the Secular Franciscan Order
Who or
What are Secular Franciscans?
The Secular
Franciscan Order is not an
organization like the Knights of Columbus, the Confraternity, or the
St.
Vincent De Paul Society. In
fact it is
not an apostolate it is a Franciscan Order approved by the Church.
The Secular
Franciscans Order (SFO) is a
Way of Life for men and women, married or single, and secular clergy
who are
called to take an active part in the mission of Christ to bring
"the good
news of salvation" to the world.
Francis
was the founder of three orders.
FRANCIS, the saint
known and loved the
world over, "discovered" Jesus. He found Him in the Gospel, saw Him
in the poor and suffering. Francis made up his mind to identify himself
with
his crucified Lord. Saint Francis attained this marvelous ideal by
making the
holy Gospel, in every detail, the rule and standard of his life.
Others wanted to
live as Francis lived,
men and women, married and single. Eventually, his followers were
gathered into
three distinct Orders of the Church. The First Order was for men
(brothers and
priests, called friars); the Second Order was for cloistered nuns (Poor
Clares); and the Third Order was for lay men and women, married or
single, and
the secular clergy.
Francis made the
Gospel, with Christ
Crucified at its center, the supreme norm of life for all his
followers. He
gave each of the three Orders a written rule, which were summaries of
the
Gospel and guidelines to its perfect observance.
But there is a
difference between them.
The first two are religious orders. Their members take the vows of
poverty,
chastity, and obedience, and leave their homes to live in communities.
The
third is a secular order, whose members make promises of commitment and
remain
in their own homes. Yet they are motivated and formed by the same
spirit of
Saint Francis to fulfill the ideals and responsibilities of their state
of life
within the faith-community of the Church.
Francis formed his
third order because of
circumstances that he had not foreseen. As he preached penance in one
place
after another, devout lay persons who were bound by family
responsibilities
begged to be taught a more perfect way of life. He showed them how they
must
lead the Gospel life at home and at their work, and spread the Gospel
teaching
by word and example among their neighbors, in imitation of the poor and
suffering Christ.
These lay people were known as "Brothers and Sisters of Penance." They zealously practiced the lessons Francis had taught them concerning prayer, humility, peacemaking, self-denial, fidelity to the duties of their state, and above all charity. Like Francis himself, they cared for lepers and outcasts with the greatest compassion. They guided themselves always by the holy Gospel, which they pondered and prayed over constantly.
These
groups, called fraternities, included Christians from every walk of
life: clergy and laity, women and men, married and single, poor and
rich, old and young, illeterate and learned. So
many joined
these fraternities that they wrought wonders in eradicating the great
moral and social evils of the day, especially greed and hatred.
Pope Honorius III, in 1221, approved the Brothers and Sisters
of
Penance as a secular order in the Cathlic Church.
The Third
Order Today
This same order,
now called the Secular
Franciscan Order, is still very much alive today, as it strives to
renew itself
according to the mind of the Church following the Second Vatican
Council.
Although membership has declined during the renewal, it is actually
much
stronger internally, and still numbers in the millions worldwide.
Secular
Franciscans, in local
fraternities, continue to assemble each month as true spiritual
families in
order to share their commitment to the apostolic life of the Gospel.
The Order
forms them through prayer and study to be active in the work of their
parishes
and in every other area of the Christian apostolate possible to them.
Signs You
MAY Have a Call
Some signs that you
may be called to the
SFO include:
If
you are interested in the
Secular Franciscan Order, please phone 1-800-FRANCIS, for more
information.
Or reference the WELCOME page for contact information.