Disappointed in local Secular Franciscan chapter

[albertziggy]

Hi I am new to the Catholic Answers.

I guess one of the challenges for some Secular Franciscans is to get rid of this tendency of trying to be desperately different from the first and second orders. As an inquirer, I would encounter some youthful professed Secular Franciscans who are so quick to point out what ‘should and should not be for seculars’. For instance, I just inquired about the ‘Franciscan coat of arms’, the immediate reaction I got was, ‘Hey, that’s for the friars and not for us!’ Duh!

At another instance, I asked about private vows and I was told that once you make private vows you will have to leave the order because (under a new rule (???) you will become a part of different secular institute, and that the Secular Franciscan Order is for those who profess promises. Oh since when?? Was there any change in the Constitution?

It is just disappointing. In an earlier post, it was stated that during the time of St. Francis, people could not tell who was a friar and who was a secular because they looked similar.

I wish someone could enlighten me on this.

 

[Marauder]

At another instance, I asked about private vows and I was told that once you make private vows you will have to leave the order because (under a new rule (???) you will become a part of different secular institute, and that the Secular Franciscan Order is for those who profess promises. Oh since when?? Was there any change in the Constitution?

It sounds like you are dealing with people that haven’t think they know a lot about SFO but haven’t really looked into all the aspects of SFO. A member of SFO is allowed to make vows if they want but they are only required to make promises. Maybe they were confused and thought you meant that you wanted to make vows to an Order other then SFO and in that case they may be right because you cannot be a member of two different Orders. JR probably knows more about this then me but I believe that if you made vows to OFM or something like that, you would no longer be a member of SFO.

It is just disappointing. In an earlier post, it was stated that during the time of St. Francis, people could not tell who was a friar and who was a secular because they looked similar.

Another place that JR may know more about this then me, but it is my understanding at one point the equivalent of today’s SFO were allowed to wear robes and such as their habit. Eventually that changed and now the “habit” is just the Tau cross.

 

[JReducation]

Hi I am new to the Catholic Answers.

I guess one of the challenges for some Secular Franciscans is to get rid of this tendency of trying to be desperately different from the first and second orders.

The Brothers and Sisters of Penance are very different from the Friars Minor and the Sisters of St. Clare (Poor Clares). They were ordered to be different, by the Holy See, just as Franciscan sisters were ordered to be different from Franciscan nuns. The Secular Franciscan vocation is to live the Gospel in the manner of St. Francis, in the secular world by bringing Gospel values to the secular environment where they live and work. They introduce those Gospel values in the manner that St. Francis did: prayer, obedience, brotherhood and poverty.

As an inquirer, I would encounter some youthful professed Secular Franciscans who are so quick to point out what ‘should and should not be for seculars’. For instance, I just inquired about the ‘Franciscan coat of arms’, the immediate reaction I got was, ‘Hey, that’s for the friars and not for us!’ Duh!

That is completely incorrect. The coat of arms is the sign of the entire Franciscan Family. It is the official sign worn by Secular Franciscans. Those who wish, may wear the Tau without the two crossed arms. But the Tau with the cross arms of Christ and Francis are the official coat of arms of the family, not just the friars. It is the official habit of the SFO, TOR, and OSF, as well as the friars and the nuns.

At another instance, I asked about private vows and I was told that once you make private vows you will have to leave the order because (under a new rule (???) you will become a part of different secular institute, and that the Secular Franciscan Order is for those who profess promises. Oh since when?? Was there any change in the Constitution?

Yes, the rule has changed. Pope Paul VI did not like the way that the rule was written and he rewrote it in 1978, several months before he died. He took the vows out of the Profession of the Secular Franciscans.

However, he did not take out the value and significance of the Secular Francisan profession. The Secular Franciscan promises to live the Gospel according to the manner of St. Francis and as described in the Rule of Pope Paul VI, until death. The profession must be made during the mass. Why? The Minister of the fraternity is the canonically elected successor of St. Francis. he or she receives the profession in the name of St. Francis. The priest who presides at the mass witnesses to the promise in the name of the Church, just as he witnesses wedding vows. The congregation in attendance at the mass is the body of Christ to whom the promise is made.

The three elements found in the profession of the friars and the nuns are also found in the profession of Secular Franciscans: 1) the successor of St. Francis; 2) the priest or bishop who represents the Church and receives the promise in the name of the Church; and 3) the congregation who is part of the Mystical Body in which this commitment is going to be lived.

Now, if a person wants to vow to live by the evangelical counsels of celibate chastity, poverty and obedience, he or she may do so within the same liturgy as long as three conditions are met. 1) The person must be capable of living the counsels. 2) The Minister of the fraternity must approve. 3) The individual’s spiritual director must approve. The vows are said publicly, but they are private. They are private because they are not received by the Church. They are between the individual and God. The Church and the Order are the witnesses.

This is the difference that was introduced by Paul VI and by the Constitutions approved by John Paul II in 2000. Vows are not mentioned in either the rule or the constitution, other than to say that Secular Franciscans do not make vows. But they are not forbidden either. You cannot make vows or promises in any other religious family if you are a Secular Franciscan. You can’t even join the Secular Franciscans if you belong to the friars or the nuns.

It is just disappointing. In an earlier post, it was stated that during the time of St. Francis, people could not tell who was a friar and who was a secular because they looked similar. I wish someone could enlighten me on this.

Actually there was a difference in the way that the friars and the seculars dressed. What Francis abolished was the difference between priests and lay brothers in the order. To this day, there is no difference in their vows, the way that they dress, their rights, their duties, their ministries, their education and even their titles. Inside the community they are all called Brother or Friar. Some superiors insist that everyone use the title Brother or Friar outside the religious house as well. They wear the same habit and the same clerical collar when not in habit. A lay brother may be the superior of a house full of priests and a priest may be the superior of a house full of lay brothers. The present Vicar General of the Order is a lay brother. He is the second in command of the entire order of Friars.

The Secular Franciscan habit was gray or brown, without a hood, and a white cord. The friars had a hood and could be of any colour.

The Secular Franciscan habit was changed by Paul VI to the Tau with very simple dress. His intention was to liberate the Secular Franciscans to work in every area of society without being confused with the regular Franciscans.

to be continued

 

[JReducation]

But the Church has declared that the profession, rule and constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order are equivalent to those of the friars and the nuns. The three orders have different rules and constitutions, because they live in different environments and found by Francis as independent fraternities. But none of the orders is subservient to the other.

In 1978 Pope Paul VI liberated the Secular Franciscan Order from the Franciscan Friars. They were originally autonomous. Eventually, some became heretics. So their autonomy was taken away and for about 500 years they were attached to the Friars. Paul VI, in response to Vatican II’s call that every order return to the foundations of its charism, liberated the Secular Franciscan Order. It was never the intention of Francis to have this order or the Poor Clares attached to or dependent on or submitted to the friars.

In other families, such as Carmelites and Dominicans, the Secular Orders are attached to the friars. But they were founded that way.

The Secular Franciscans have their own Superior General called the General Minister, their own General Council. They have National Ministers, Regional Ministers, and local Ministers, just like any other religious order. The Friars and the Poor Clares do not have jurisdiction over them. They are to be treated as equal Superiors as those of the friars and the nuns. They are to be loved and obeyed in the same manner.

The friars have in their constitution an article that says that they must make themselves available to serve as Spiritual Assistants to the Secular Franciscans. The Spiritual Assistant is a Spiritual Director. It need not be a friar or even a Franciscan. It can be a cleric, a religious sister or brother, or another lay person who is certified in the direction of souls. The Spiritual Assistant is a member of the council. But he or she has one vote on the council, like all the other members. No more and no less. He or she cannot bind the council or the brothers and sisters to his will. The only person who can do that is the Minister. The Minister does retain all the authority that St. Francis had and handed down to his successors, not more and no less.

Hope this helps.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[albertziggy]

Thank you, Sir, for enlightening me on the subject. With its rich history, the Secular Franciscan Order has a lot to offer in renewing the Church. I guess the ‘extreme’ need of some members of the order (from my earlier post) to differentiate the Secular Order from the First and Second Order comes from this feeling of inferiority. Of course, that is not the way.

By the way, is it ok to call ANY male Secular Franciscan as ‘Secular Franciscan Brother’ (and for a female member a ‘Secular Franciscan Sister’), or is it reserved for those who took private vows? I just want to get this thing right.

Thanks and God bless you!

albertziggy

 

[JReducation]

Thank you, Sir, for enlightening me on the subject. With its rich history, the Secular Franciscan Order has a lot to offer in renewing the Church. I guess the ‘extreme’ need of some members of the order (from my earlier post) to differentiate the Secular Order from the First and Second Order comes from this feeling of inferiority. Of course, that is not the way.

By the way, is it ok to call ANY male Secular Franciscan as ‘Secular Franciscan Brother’ (and for a female member a ‘Secular Franciscan Sister’), or is it reserved for those who took private vows? I just want to get this thing right.

Thanks and God bless you!

albertziggy

First, you are most welcome to the information. Our holy father Francis and the Church have given us a great privilege in allowing us to be the first secular religious order in the Church. No one had ever thought of this before St. Francis. He was the first to realize that secular men and women could be called to the religious life with some minor accommodations. This leads to answering your question.

Because we are a true religious order, our proper title is Brother or Sister. When the Secular Franciscans make profession, they may say I Brother or I Sister promise to live the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the manner of St. Francis. Unfortunately, in Europe and the USA there is a tendency to over secularize the order. It’s one of the devastating influences of our culture from which we are trying to recover.

As you can see by the words of profession, whether you mention poverty, chastity or obedience, doesn’t make a difference. The moment you say that you promise to live the Gospel as St. Francis did, you commit yourself to living the evangelical counsels.

The difference between this version of the profession and the one that I made is as follows: I vow and promise to observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to you Brother, to our holy father Francis, and to holy mother Church, without property, and in celibate chastity all the days of my life.

The difference was the specific submission to the Minister, St. Francis and the Church, without property and celibate chastity. But everyone is called to obey the Christ and the Church. Everyone is called to live detached from material things, and even married people must observe chastity in their relationship with each other and their relationship with others. The difference is in the context in which one lives the counsels, not in the counsels themselves.

May the Lord be your guide as you search for his way and may you always remember that he promised to be there so that you may never be afraid again.

Fraternally,

Brother JR

 

[AveSantaMaria]

Maybe the Franciscan orders that have lost their way have done so because they lost their original devotion to Our Blessed Mother.

One of the first things that St. Francis of Assisi did after leaving his father was to physically rebuild Christ’s church. He first began to repair St. Damian’s. He then began to repair St. Peter’s. Finally, he rebuilt **St. Mary of the Portinucula, forsaken and in ruins. ** He rebuilt it as he had done the others, and seems to have thought of spending his life there as a hermit, in peace and seclusion. Here on the feast of St. Matthias, in 1209, the way of life he was to follow was revealed to him. ewtn.com/library/mary/francis.htm

All the great Franciscans have been exceptionally devoted to Mary it seems - St. Francis of Assisi in having his revelation revealed to him only after he finished rebuilding St. Mary’s, having a great temptation to spend the rest of his life at St. Mary’s and later being an advocate of the Immaculate Conception. St. Padre Pio, who said, “The Rosary is The WEAPON”, said as many as 90 rosaries a day in a special form for which he received ecclesiastical permission. Father Thomas Euteneur, President of Human Life International, cites this in The Rosary Batters the Gates of Hell hli.org/sl_2008-10-03.html St. Maximilian Kolbe changed his name to Maria to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary. He spent his entire life spreading his version St. Louis Mary de Montfort devotion to Jesus through Mary. He called it Slaves of the Immaculata. Even in the Auschwitz Concentration camp, he encouraged people with thoughts of Jesus and Mary and Heaven

consecration.com miyouth.org

 

[AveSantaMaria]

St. Francis of Assisi said he had found a new bride: Our Lady Poverty. Who is in more poverty than a slave? Who has more obedience than a slave? Who has more companionship than a slave who will never leave her master? Who has more humility than a slave?

Online Adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament louisville-catholic.net/WebCameras/AdorationChapel/tabid/825/Default.aspx
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationmontfort.html
**Secret of the Rosary ** montfort.org.uk/Writings/Rosary.html
Reflections on True Devotion to Mary by His Holiness Pope John Paul II http://www.michaeljournal.org/montfort.htm
The Love of Eternal Wisdom
ewtn.com/library/Montfort/lew.htm

Divine Mercy Chaplet ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm
Rosary Confraternity Enrollment rosary-center.org/nconform.htm (As Pope Leo XIII said in his encyclical on the Confraternity, *“Whenever a person fulfills his obligation of reciting the Rosary according to the rule of the Confraternity, he includes in his intentions all its members and they render him the same service many times over.” * Each member includes deceased fellow members as well; and thus he knows that in turn he will be included in the prayers of hundreds of thousands both now and hereafter.
Cathechism of the Catholic Church vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm
Litany of Humility ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/humility.htm
**Cathechis of the Popes on Mary, Mother of God, ** catechesisofthepopes.wikispaces.com/Mary

Extremely important!
Mystical City of God themostholyrosary.com/mystical-city.htm

 

[AveSantaMaria]

St. Bonaventure on our Blessed Mother

“She keeps the saints in their fulness.” St. Bonaventure

Saint Bonaventure also remarks that "those wounds, which were scattered over the body of our Lord, were all united in the single heart of Mary.
“NO, O most suffering of all mothers,” replies Saint Bonaventure, “no more bitter grief than thine can be found; for no son more dear than thine can be found.” Ah, “there never was a more amiable son in the world than Jesus,” says Richard of Saint Lawrence; “nor has there ever been a mother who more tenderly loved her son than Mary! But since there never has been in the world a love like unto Mary’s love, how can any sorrow be found like unto Mary’s sorrow?”

“Many have proven invicibly, from the sentiments of the Fathers - among others: St. Augustine, St. Ephrem, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Germanus of Constantinople, St. John Damascene, St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Thomas, and St. Bonaventure - that devotion to Our Most Blessed Virgin is necessary for salvation, and that it is an infalliable mark of reprobation to have no esteem or love for the Holy Virgin while, on the other hand, it is an infalliable mark of predestination to be entirely and truly devoted to her.” St. Louis Mary de Montfort

“He who neglects the service of the Blessed Virgin will die in his sins. He who does not invoke thee, O Lady, will never get to Heaven. Not only will those from whom Mary turns her countenance not be saved, but there will be no hope of their salvation. No one can be saved without the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” St. Bonaventure

“Mary, the most faithful mediatrix of our salvation.” St. Bonaventure

“As the moon, standing between the sun and the earth, transmits to the earth whatever light it receives from the sun, so Mary stands between God and human beings and pours His grace upon us.” St. Bonaventure

Mary is called “the Gate of Heaven because no one can enter that blessed Kingdom without passing through her.” St. Bonaventure
St. Bonaventure makes a beautiful comment on these words: Whoever yearn to possess the grace of the Holy Spirit, let them seek for the Bud in the Shoot (that is, for Jesus in Mary). For by the Shoot, we find the Bud, and by the Bud, the Holy Spirit,… And if you long to have this Bud, bend down the Shoot of the Bud by prayer."

“Whenever the Most Blessed Virgin goes to God to intercede for us, she commands all the angels and Saints to accompany her because she is their Queen, and to unite their prayers to hers.” St. Bonaventure

“We believe that Mary opens the abyss of God’s mercy to whomsoever she wills, when she wills, and as she wills; so that there is no sinner, however great, who is lost if Mary protects him.” St. Bonaventure

“God will not save us without the intercession of Mary.” St. Bonaventure

Saint Bonaventure, contemplating Mary on that night, says: “Thou didst spend it without sleep, and whilst others slept thou dids’t remain watching.”

"Nay, better still may we say with Saint Bonaventure, “there was but one altar–that of the cross of the Son, on which, together with this Divine Lamb, the victim, the Mother was also sacrificed;” therefore the Saint asks this Mother, “O Lady, where art thou? Near the cross? Nay, rather, thou are on the cross, crucified, sacrificing thyself with thy Son.”

“O, how many swords,” says Saint Bonaventure, “pierced the poor Mother’s soul” when she received the body of her Son from the cross! Let us only consider the anguish it would cause any mother to receive into her arms the body of her lifeless son."

Prayer of St. Bonaventure
Lady, who by thy sweetness dost ravish the hearts of men, hast thou not ravished mine? O ravisher of hearts, when wilt thou restore me mine? Rule and govern it like thine own; preserve it in the Blood of the Lamb, and place it in thy Son’s side. Then shall I obtain what I desire, and possess what I hope for; for thou art our hope.

 

[AveSantaMaria]

St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de Roche on the Most Holy Rosary

The following are the 15 promises of Mary to Christians who recite the rosary:
(given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.
3. The rosary will be a powerful armor against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. Those who recommend themselves to me by recition of the Rosary shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conqured by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided eath; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recit the rosary shall have during their life and at their death, the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
10. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the rosary.
12. All those who propogate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my rosary is a great sign of predestination.

 

[AveSantaMaria]

Mystical City of God is an extremely powerful and important work by a Spanish Franciscan nun, Venerable Mary of Agreda. More information here: dailycatholic.org/issue/05Jun/jun10tim.htm

Mystical City of God themostholyrosary.com/mystical-city.htm

 

[AveSantaMaria]

**Mother Teresa, Missionary of Charity, seems to have combined a devotion to Our Lady with the charisms of at least three of the orders: Franciscans, Dominicans, and Carmelites. **

She prayed the peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Dominicans are a rosary praying group, devoted mostly to preaching and spreading the Rosary, Mother Teresa also devoted herself to spreading the Rosary. Mother Teresa receive a personal vision from our Blessed Mother asking her to spread devotion to the Rosary. Mother Teresa quote, “Stay very close to Our Lady. If you do this, you can do great things for God and the good of people.”

Some excerpts from Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady by Father Joseph Langford, MC, cofounder with her of her community of priests, the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, based in Tijuana, Mexico.

A key element in Mother Teresa’s inner life was the person and presence of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. The remarkable spiritual bond between Mother Teresa and Our Lady, noted by all who lived with her, was not a sidelight, nor a peripheral devotion in her inner world, but an integral part of her spirituality and mission. And it was even more: Our Lady became a core element in Mother Teresa’s own self-awareness. Our Lady - her mystery, her grace, and her role - came to define Mother Teresa. Our Lady was the unseen foundation for all that Mother Teresa would accomplish in the Church and in the world. And as we shall see, the brilliant light that came to Mother Teresa wrapped in darkness was uncovered for her by Our Lady. It was Our Lady who taught her to see in the darkness, Our Lady who had seen through it first, and at its worst, as her Son struggled for his last breath. It was Our Lady whose faith bolstered and directed Mother Teresa’s faith, and brought her to stand and not waver, despite the darkness, at the cross planted in her own soul. And because Mother Teresa’s long night made of this cross such familiar ground, she was able to recognize and stand in unfazed service at the crosses of the poor scattered across the globe, on Calvaries that bear no name, but where he who bears “the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9 – RSV) is ever waiting to embrace and save and raise up."

 

[AveSantaMaria]

A Lifetime in the Shadow of Our Lady
The Vision of 1947
In September of 1946, on a train ride to her yearly retreat in the hill station of Darjeeling, Mother Teresa experienced a grace that would change her life forever. She encountered the infinite yearning, the “thirst” of God for his children. This was the beginning of her great work. Mother Teresa was shown, and she herself experienced, that the God of heaven and earth thirsts, yearns, and longs for the human race. Not only does he accept us as we are, but he thirsts for us precisely, and especially, in all our weakness, poverty, and sin. Many have understood, in the wake of that vision, that Mother Teresa was serving her crucified Lord in serving the sick, the poor, the dying, and the outcast. But few have known that the idea and initiative of the whole of it belonged to Our Lady.

It was in 1947, at the end of a year and a half of extraordinary and almost daily revelations in which Jesus showed Mother Teresa what he desired from her, that she was shown a vision in three parts, symbolizing and summarizing all that she had been told since boarding the train for Darjeeling. This vision was of great importance for her future mission and that of her Missionaries of Charity, and it deserves our close attention.

In the first scene of the vision, Mother Teresa was shown the painful plight of the poor, and the yet greater inner poverty that was hidden beneath their material poverty. She was shown a large crowd of the poor of every kind, young and old. They were all reaching out to her as she stood in their midst, calling out for her to save them, to bring them to the one Savior – to Jesus.

In the second scene, Mother Teresa saw again the same crowd of the poor. This time she could make out the great sorrow and suffering in their faces. Our Lady was there in the midst of them, and Mother Teresa was kneeling at her side. Mother Teresa was turned toward the suffering children and so could not see Our Lady’s face, but she heard her say: "Take care of them - they are mine. - Bring them to Jesus - carry Jesus to them. - Fear not. Teach them to say the Rosary - the family Rosary and all will be well. - Fear not - Jesus and I will be with you and your children.

In the third and final scene, Mother Teresa was shown the same crowd yet again. This time they were covered in darkness. There, in the midst of an anguished crowd that seemed unaware of his presence, was Jesus on the Cross. Our Lady was before him “at a little distance.” Mother Teresa saw herself there as well, not as an adult but “as a little child” standing directly in front of Our Lady as they both faced the Cross. Our Lady’s left hand was on Mother Teresa’s left shoulder, supporting her, and her right hand was holding Mother Teresa’s right arm, outstretched toward the crucified Jesus. Jesus then said to her: I have asked you. They have asked you, and she, My Mother, has asked you. Will you refuse to do this for me - to take care of them, to bring them to me?

These visions encapsulated Mother Teresa’s call, in her inner life as well as in her external work, for the rest of her life. Three elements in particular would come to characterize her life’s mission: the plight of the poorest of the poor, the ongoing Passion of Jesus crucified in his Mystical Body, and the presence and role of Our Lady at the foot of the Cross. Let’s take a moment to look at each of them.

Google book excerpts: books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=7a0e6jDZ_3YC&dq=mother+teresa+rosary+in+the+shadow+of+our+lady&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=uil7bTXbyX&sig=BhrIeJW_cgqONgfFFcdl5lhud6Q&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result

 

[AveSantaMaria]

Mother Teresa’s birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She renamed herself after St. Therese of Liseux. She was a former British citizen of Albanian descent. Yet, she became one of the greatest missionaries that the world has ever known, winning a Noble Peace Prize in 1979, India’s highest honor the Bharat Ratna (“Jewel of India”) in 1980, and being popularly voted the greatet Indian since the country’s independence in 1947 (excluding Gandhi from consideration) by Indian magazine Outlook in 2002. It may be a wonderful and inspiring coincidence, which is the same definition that some have of a miracle, that Therese’s missionary desire did not die with her at 24 but lived on in Mother Teresa. Even Mother Teresa’s book on Words of Love is remarkably similar to the autobiography of St. Therese of Liseux: The Story of a Soul gutenberg.org/etext/16772 What an interesting coincidence/miracle that St. Therese of Liseux, the patron saint of missionaries, who wanted to be a missionary herself but was too sick and contented herself with praying for missionary priests and died of tuberculosis at 24 should be inspiration for the name Mother Theresa. The patron saint of missionaries in the Catholic Church is the namesake of the Catholic Church and world’s most renowed missionary.

So, St. Therese of Liseux had a mother who died at 4, a father hospitalized for insanity at the age of 16, and lived her life as a Carmelite nun. She focused on Heaven while on earth, in fact she is quoted to have said, “I will spend my Heaven doing good on Earth.” She struggled with thoughts of suicide as well and said she would have committed suicide if not for her faith. Now she died in 1897. At her deathbed she is reported to have said, "I have reached the point of not being able to suffer any more; because all suffering is sweet to me. Is it true that she is spending her Heaven doing very very much good on earth? A quiet life lived in humility with powerful after-earthly life effects. :wow:

 

[AveSantaMaria]

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Online Adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament louisville-catholic.net/WebCameras/AdorationChapel/tabid/825/Default.aspx
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationmontfort.html
**Secret of the Rosary ** montfort.org.uk/Writings/Rosary.html
Preparation for 33 day consecration to the Blessed Virgin saintlouisdemontfort.com/consecration.cfm
Reflections on True Devotion to Mary by His Holiness Pope John Paul II http://www.michaeljournal.org/montfort.htm
**The Glories of Mary, ** by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, one of the 33 Doctors of the Catholic Church, explains Hail Holy Queen http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/glories.htm
On the Dolors of Mary by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, one of the 33 Doctors of the Catholic Church, explains the sufferings of Our Lady http://writer.zoho.com/public/immaculate/Seven-dolors
Marialis Cultus (Apostolic Exhortation for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of His Holiness, February 2, 1974 by His Holiness Pope Paul VI ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P6MARIAL.HTM
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus en.wikisource.org/wiki/Devotion_to_the_Sacred_Heart_of_Jesus#FIRST_POINT._.E2.80.94_The_ardent_desire_Jesus_Christ_feels_to_be_with_us.
Divine Mercy Chaplet ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm
Rosary Confraternity Enrollment rosary-center.org/nconform.htm (As Pope Leo XIII said in his encyclical on the Confraternity, *“Whenever a person fulfills his obligation of reciting the Rosary according to the rule of the Confraternity, he includes in his intentions all its members and they render him the same service many times over.” * Each member includes deceased fellow members as well; and thus he knows that in turn he will be included in the prayers of hundreds of thousands both now and hereafter.
Cathechism of the Catholic Church vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm
Litany of Humility ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/humility.htm
**Cathechis of the Popes on Mary, Mother of God, ** catechesisofthepopes.wikispaces.com/Mary
Mystical City of God themostholyrosary.com/mystical-city.htm
In Defense of The City of God Mystica Civitate Dei: dailycatholic.org/issue/05Jun/jun10tim.htm - to summarize the research of three priests on the official decision of the Holy Roman Catholic Church regarding The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Jesus of Agreda and to ascertain thereby whether it is permitted for anyone of any authority whatsoever to forbid the reading of this extraordinary book.

 

[AveSantaMaria]

I wonder what we would find St. Francis of Assisi doing in today’s world. With such a strong focus on charity, maybe he would be serving the “lepers” of our society today, the disabled (now about 93% of children with Down Syndrome are aborted in our society), the elderly, the same-sex attracted men dying from self-hate and STDs in San Francisco, the men who have sex with men and sex workers who are the primary and predominant spreaders of HIV/AIDS in Africa and Latin America, the unwed mothers, and/or the prisoners with their stigma and impoverished in our inner cities.

What would he be doing about abortion and gay marriage and racism/economic and spiritual poverty in today’s world? Would he be preaching or talking about it to the leaders of our society or would he simply be serving the suffering Christ-like who are most intimately connected with this issue? How does “Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words” become incarnated in today’s world?

Which is one reason why the political issue with Reverend Rick Warren may be so interesting. This man’s whole life is about service. His book is called: The Purpose Driven Life. He lives on only 90% of his income. He is devoted to immensely helping Rwanda to rebuild and involves his congregation in the efforts. time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1093746,00.html Isn’t he living the life of St. Francis of Assisi in a most visible manner?

Sometimes I look at San Francisco and wonder if it is by chance that the city has that name. Such immense spiritual poverty in that city! Perhaps it really needs a Marian influence, turning water into wine and anointing the head of Christ in the sick and suffering with oil and perfume to give dignity to the people there. Such great stigma in our society, particularly in our Church, associated with same-sex attractions. Yet, the Catholic Church is supposed to include them in our love, leading them to chastity and even has a Courage Apostolate, to love them as unconditionally as sinful man can and help them leave the confines of same-sex identity to a more complete identity in Christ. couragerc.net/

Particularly, when one considers that Michelangelo painter of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and sculptor of the Pieta may have had same-sex attractions. He lived with a “monk-like chastity.” He wrote 300 letters/poems to a much younger male friend, and only had a spiritualized/idealized friendship with a woman in late life.

The Pieta


I also wonder if Christ knew about St. Francis of Assisi beforehand when he said:
Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, " ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’"
The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brother or sisters of father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. Matthew 19:16-30

One rich man who needed a miracle to convince him to give up all he had for the sake of Christ’s name and go serve Christ through serving Our Lady Poverty coming up And what does Our Lady Poverty mean? Is it just a figurative expression of speech or is it a real name of our Blessed Mother, just as Our Lady of Sorrows is her name in Kibeho, Rwanda and Our Lady of the Rosary is her name in Fatima, Portugal and Our Lady of Guadalupe is her name in Guadalupe, Mexcio.

 

[JReducation]

Santa Maria,

We’re not speaking about Franciscan orders having lost their way. We’re speaking of isolated fraternities.

The Franciscan Family still observes the rule and constitutions of St. Francis. For those who don’t know, there are only three Franciscan Orders:

1. The Friars Minor: they divided into three branches because of the size. Those branches are the Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv), Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) and Friars Minor Observant (OFM)
2. The Poor Clares: each monastery is autonomous
3. The Brothers and Sisters of Penance: they were divided into three branches because of size. Secular Franciscans (OSF), Third Order Regular (TOR), Order of St. Francis (OSF)

There are only three rules and each branch has its own constitutions.

The problems that we’re discussing here are not problems of any entire order. They are problems of the local fraternity.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[Cara_Serrano]

To any Franciscan:
Does membership in a Franciscan Third Order require a vocation or is it just lay people who volunteer to help the Franciscans and pray with them?

 

[JReducation]

To any Franciscan:
Does membership in a Franciscan Third Order require a vocation or is it just lay people who volunteer to help the Franciscans and pray with them?

Cara, first let us clear up the name. There is no longer a Third Order in the Franciscan family. There are three orders. As I posted above, they each have a proper name. The three orders were founded within several years of each other, from 1209 to 1221. See my post to Santa Maria for the names of the three orders and how they are organized.

What was once erroneously called the Third Order by most people is really the Brothers and Sisters of Penance. The one branch is known as the Secular Franciscan Order.

One must have a vocation to follow the Gospel in the same manner that Francis did. It takes several years of formation to become a Secular Franciscan. The formation period is the same length and the same number of steps as it takes to be a friar or a nun in the Franciscan family.

There is a period when you come to see. That period is several months. Then there is a period of postulancy called Inquiry. That is a period of no less than six months and no longer than one year for the individual to become familiar with the externals of Franciscan life.

Having completed that period, the postulant or inquierer, may move on to the next stage in formation if the Minister (Superior) of the fraternity approves. A vote is taken by the community’s council and the final voice is that of the Minister. If approved and you want to go on, you begin the period of novitiate also known in the USA as Candidacy. That period is no less than 12 months and no more than two years. During that period the Formation Director guides you through the history of the Order, the theology of St. Francis, his life and mission, the rule of the Order, the Constitutions, and the pertinent Church documents that every religious must know, including Church law and liturgy.

Once the novitiate or candidacy is completed, the individual asks to make profession in the order, if you feel that Christ is calling you to live as St. Francis in the secular world. The council votes. You may be admitted to perpetual profession or to temporary profession. Temporary profession is for three years and no longer than six. Perpetual profession follows. Perpetual profession is for life. A person may not leave the order without just cause and without permission of the Order.

Once you make perpetual profession, either at the end of the candidacy period or after a temporary profession, you make a solemn promise in liturgy to Observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the same manner as St. Francis until death.

The priest who celebrates the mass receives your promise in the name of the Church. The Minister receives your promise in the name of the Franciscan family. Legal documents are drawn up and filed.

For the remainder of your life you will be bound to live the Catholic faith in the manner that Francis lived it, regardless of what others do or how they do it. Not because it is better than others, but because this is what you have promised to do in response to Christ’s call. You will also be bound to a fraternity of Secular Franciscan Brothers and Sisters. Some are married,others are single, some are single and celibate, others are deacons, priests, and bishops.

According to the General Chapter of the Order you are bound to participate in the gatherings of the community, to pray with the community when the opportunity is there, to develop a deep life of prayer and Eucharistic devotion as St. Francis had, to simplify your lifestyle as St. Francis and Clare did, to serve in Franciscan ministries or other ministries within the Church, always representing the Franciscan family.

You may or may not work along with friars, depending on where you are. The friars are a separate order and they do their own thing. The Poor Clares are also a separate order. We do not depend on them, nor they on us.

We are not attached to them or submissive to them. None of the Franciscan Orders are submissive to each other or attached to each other. But there is a great deal of fraternal cooperation and love between the Franciscan family and we attempt to do things together, such as retreats, study, social functions, liturgical functions, conferences and of course attend the chapter.

If you have read this far, I guess by now you can see that it is clearly a vocation, not a relationship of volunteering to help.

If you are interested in helping the friars in their ministry, but not interested in becoming a Franciscan, you can join CapCorps. CapCorps is a group of lay volunteers that work with the friars in mission within the USA and abroad. They function very much like the Peace Corps, except that they have a community life and prayer. Their commitment is for a year at a time and there are no promises, no Rule or Constitutions and no Superiors and Councils, etc.

If you need more info, please feel free to contact me. May God bless you on your search.

Fraternally,

JR

 

[Cara_Serrano]

Cara, first let us clear up the name. There is no longer a Third Order in the Franciscan family. There are three orders. As I posted above, they each have a proper name. The three orders were founded within several years of each other, from 1209 to 1221. See my post to Santa Maria for the names of the three orders and how they are organized.

What was once erroneously called the Third Order by most people is really the Brothers and Sisters of Penance. The one branch is known as the Secular Franciscan Order.

One must have a vocation to follow the Gospel in the same manner that Francis did. It takes several years of formation to become a Secular Franciscan. The formation period is the same length and the same number of steps as it takes to be a friar or a nun in the Franciscan family.

There is a period when you come to see. That period is several months. Then there is a period of postulancy called Inquiry. That is a period of no less than six months and no longer than one year for the individual to become familiar with the externals of Franciscan life.

Having completed that period, the postulant or inquierer, may move on to the next stage in formation if the Minister (Superior) of the fraternity approves. A vote is taken by the community’s council and the final voice is that of the Minister. If approved and you want to go on, you begin the period of novitiate also known in the USA as Candidacy. That period is no less than 12 months and no more than two years. During that period the Formation Director guides you through the history of the Order, the theology of St. Francis, his life and mission, the rule of the Order, the Constitutions, and the pertinent Church documents that every religious must know, including Church law and liturgy.

Once the novitiate or candidacy is completed, the individual asks to make profession in the order, if you feel that Christ is calling you to live as St. Francis in the secular world. The council votes. You may be admitted to perpetual profession or to temporary profession. Temporary profession is for three years and no longer than six. Perpetual profession follows. Perpetual profession is for life. A person may not leave the order without just cause and without permission of the Order.

Once you make perpetual profession, either at the end of the candidacy period or after a temporary profession, you make a solemn promise in liturgy to Observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the same manner as St. Francis until death.

The priest who celebrates the mass receives your promise in the name of the Church. The Minister receives your promise in the name of the Franciscan family. Legal documents are drawn up and filed.

For the remainder of your life you will be bound to live the Catholic faith in the manner that Francis lived it, regardless of what others do or how they do it. Not because it is better than others, but because this is what you have promised to do in response to Christ’s call. You will also be bound to a fraternity of Secular Franciscan Brothers and Sisters. Some are married,others are single, some are single and celibate, others are deacons, priests, and bishops.

According to the General Chapter of the Order you are bound to participate in the gatherings of the community, to pray with the community when the opportunity is there, to develop a deep life of prayer and Eucharistic devotion as St. Francis had, to simplify your lifestyle as St. Francis and Clare did, to serve in Franciscan ministries or other ministries within the Church, always representing the Franciscan family.

You may or may not work along with friars, depending on where you are. The friars are a separate order and they do their own thing. The Poor Clares are also a separate order. We do not depend on them, nor they on us.

We are not attached to them or submissive to them. None of the Franciscan Orders are submissive to each other or attached to each other. But there is a great deal of fraternal cooperation and love between the Franciscan family and we attempt to do things together, such as retreats, study, social functions, liturgical functions, conferences and of course attend the chapter.

If you have read this far, I guess by now you can see that it is clearly a vocation, not a relationship of volunteering to help.

If you are interested in helping the friars in their ministry, but not interested in becoming a Franciscan, you can join CapCorps. CapCorps is a group of lay volunteers that work with the friars in mission within the USA and abroad. They function very much like the Peace Corps, except that they have a community life and prayer. Their commitment is for a year at a time and there are no promises, no Rule or Constitutions and no Superiors and Councils, etc.

If you need more info, please feel free to contact me. May God bless you on your search.

Fraternally,

JR

Thank you for all the great information. Sorry I got the name wrong. I’m going to share this with my neighbor who calls himself a Third Order Franciscan.
I don’t have a vocation to the Franciscans, (I was poor once and I didn’t like it!) but I help a visiting Capuchin in my diocese who is a great priest. I recognize in him some of the best qualities of St Francis. Maybe some of his Franciscan spirit will rub off on me and make me a better Catholic.