How traditional are Franciscan friars/priests?

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I’ve been thinking about becoming a priest or a monk for a while but I still can’t pick the order I would like. I’m largely interested in the Franciscans but I hear that they are rather liberal, while I am more traditional/conservative. So I’m just curious as to how conservative the Franciscans are, if they are liberal everywhere in the world (as in not just in the U.S), and what things to look for to find more traditional groups.

Thanks!
 
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Depends on the branch of the Franciscans. Fr. Benedict Groshcel was a Franciscan and nobody would describe him as “liberal”. Others Franciscans are more “liberal”.
 
Liberal vs conservative is a really poor measure of where you should live out your vocation. Consider other things like whether you fit with the members of the community, whether they have an apostolate that draws you, etc. People and communities change. What may be conservative today may be liberal tomorrow. Every community is made up of people with world views that differ in one way or any other. If you can’t tolerate that kind of diversity you will have a tough time in community.
 
Glennon_P said:
Depends on the branch of the Franciscans. Fr. Benedict Groshcel was a Franciscan and nobody would describe him as “liberal”. Others Franciscans are more “liberal”.
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Indeed. And he founded the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Are they liberal? Conservative? Who knows?
 
I’m not judging entirely on that, I just don’t want to be stuck in a monastery with monks who are more liberal. I think finding an order/monastery that holds values similar to my own is very important.
 
My SD is a monk. He has mentioned that his brothers are of a wide array of political views and even liturgical preferences. What binds them is their rule and commitment to community life. I think you will find something similar in most monastic communities.

You’ll simply have to visit the community of your choice to figure out whether or not it is a good fit. You will have ample time to discern whether you like it there and they will also discern if you fit with their community.

Remember God is in control. If he directs you to a community with more “liberalism” than you are comfortable with, you can be sure that it is for a purpose.
 
If the Latin Mass is important to you, here are 3 to consider:

Marian Friars Minor
Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate
Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word (EWTN)

The last two are a mix of OF and EF I believe.
 
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It really depends - there are many different franciscan communities, and many different regions. It varies from one community to the next and region to region. That being said there are orders which seem to be almost totally liberalised - think Jesuits The only franciscan community I have first hand knowledge of is the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. They are generally fairly orthodox, usually somewhat charismatic but can be a little wacky and have a lot of interesting characters. I don’t think they celebrate the Latin Mass at all, nor would they be into liturgical music particularly. I’ve heard the TOR Franciscans are good, quite charismatic if that’s your thing.
PS - Franciscans aren’t “monks” they’re friars - that is they aren’t enclosed in a monastery but live in community and engage in apostolates/ministries. Best thing to do is visit various communities you feel an attraction to! 🙂
 
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If the OP is asking for Franciscans, I think it’s because he is called to Franciscan Spirituality.

I know they are not bad-intentioned, but the posts that recommend Orders with different Spiritualities when the OP is dissatisfied somewhat miss the point, in my opinion. And that happens usually in the Vocations’ threads.
 
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You think? I’d love that to be true but I just don’t see it. All I see from the Jesuits is social justice and worse. Could you point me to an orthodox Jesuit province/community?
PS I don’t ask to argue or prove you wrong,I’m genuinely interested as I’m discerning priesthood and have always felt an attraction to the Jesuits but my perception of them as being very liberal has put me off. Thanks.
 
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Some Franciscan religious are traditional, some are not.
I worked for 35 years at a Franciscan institution, and dissent was a problem, and it was not a province to join. But I was aware that there were groups that were more loyal to the faith, and worth joining. Just be careful who you join and then you could be happy there.
It may be difficult to evaluate a Franciscan order or province at long distance. You should go there and look around. One thing to see-what happens at mass. Politely try to see what their views are. Is no one joining?
 
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I don’t know too much about Provinces in particular, but there are individual Jesuits in prominent public positions, which haven’t been silenced by the Order or anything. The classical examples to mention here in CAF are Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Fr. Robert Spitzer.

Then there are prelates like Pope Francis and the Prefect of the CDF, Ladaria Ferrer, which don’t pertain to the Order anymore per the Constitutions’ rules but received a Jesuit formation, and are by definition theologically orthodox.

Then there are the “unknown” or quiet Jesuits, who dedicate themselves to science, beneficence or others apostolates and don’t usually say out loud their opinion, but, when you hear them in Vocational Spots and things like that, you find out they aren’t “heretical” at all.

So, in conclussion, in all the Provinces there is a mix between liberal Jesuits who wave the LGBT flag or something like that, and orthodox/moderate Jesuits who don’t do anything wrong but aren’t as loud as their peers.

Sorry for the off-topic.
 
It depends on the individual friar. I know a lot of friars across several Franciscan orders, men and women. Some individuals lean “liberal” some lean “conservative”. Every friar I know is faithful to the magisterium and loves God with with everything they have.
 
The liberal /conservative and subsequent labels, dare toss them away.
What is left in your mind now?What is left in your heart now?
Be honest with yourself.
No need to post the answer.
 
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AlbMagno said:
If the OP is asking for Franciscans, I think it’s because he is called to Franciscan Spirituality.

I know they are not bad-intentioned, but the posts that recommend Orders with different Spiritualities when the OP is dissatisfied somewhat miss the point, in my opinion. And that happens usually in the Vocations’ threads.
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Offering up other avenues to broaden ones horizon for someone seeking their vocation seems perfectly fine to me.
 
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