Orthodox Franciscan Spirituality

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James_Beecham

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I am interested in learning more about the Franciscan charism and spirituality, but it seems like a lot of modern Franciscan resources are very New Age and in some cases heretical. Are there any good Franciscan organizations, books, orders etc. that are not so hippie?
 
There are Franciscan Capuchins, Franciscans of the Immaculate, Franciscan Renewals, Franciscan Poor Friars, Franciscan Conventuals - which one were you referring to?
 
In terms of books, the best one volume I have ever seen is “Francis of Assisi: Omnibus of Sources”. I found it at a library, which is fortunate, since when I just checked online it is expensive, unless you find it at a discount source, or the library. It is a collection of everything written by him, and everything important written about him by people who knew him directly. For instance, it includes one biography by someone who knew him, and one by someone who interviewed many people who knew him, as well as other early sources.

Always best to start with the earliest sources. But for contemporary Franciscan sources, check out the community founded by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, the Friars of the Renewal.
Also, check out the Franciscan Fathers Third Order Regular, who teach at Franciscan University of Steubenville, which also check out. In terms of institutes of religious women, check out any Franciscan community affiliated with Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, their own websites and ministries will have links to info about Franciscanism.
 
The Franciscans, at least all of the ones I have ever heard of, are NOT New Age-y at all. In fact, they seem to be some of the most orthodox Catholic orders in existence. If you want a really nice particular order, look up the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, which are the male order founded by Mother Angelica from EWTN. They are awesome! 🙂

May God bless you all abundantly and forever! 🙂
 
Many people who use the term “New Age,” have no clue what it actually means.

I haven’t met any Franciscan orders which are involved with New Age.

Jim
 
James, you may want to check out the materials from the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Very solid. Their MaryMediatrix website is part of their apostolate, which is media outreach, and they have an online bookstore as well.
 
I have witnessed some Orders dabbling with New Age but not any Franciscan ones.
 
Thanks everyone! It puts my mind at ease knowing that St. Anthony Messenger is not typical.
 
James_Beecham said:
Thanks everyone! It puts my mind at ease knowing that St. Anthony Messenger is not typical.
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You’ve given us a name but no reason to think they are heretical in any way? Can you give us a few specifics to work with?
 
friardchips said:
You’ve given us a name but no reason to think they are heretical in any way? Can you give us a few specifics to work with?
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It is not exactly heretical, but not reliably orthodox either. St. Anthony Messenger, and related publications, tend to follow heavily trends in the secular media. They don’t exactly deny Catholic doctrine, but tend to put it in context that it is not important, or currently less relevant, or that times have changed, and we need to emphasize this other thing instead; which happens to be what CNN is trending this month.

They do happen to agree with the Church on many things but are influenced more by the secular culture as to what is important. They do not seek an Imprimatur on some of their publications, if they know they likely would not get one. So they are somewhere in the grey area near heresy, but never actually cross the line. I would say they are an “imprudent” source of Franciscan wisdom. The problem is not so much what they print, but what they omit.
 
commenter said:
It is not exactly heretical, but not reliably orthodox either. St. Anthony Messenger, and related publications, tend to follow heavily trends in the secular media. They don’t exactly deny Catholic doctrine, but tend to put it in context that it is not important, or currently less relevant, or that times have changed, and we need to emphasize this other thing instead; which happens to be what CNN is trending this month.

They do happen to agree with the Church on many things but are influenced more by the secular culture as to what is important. They do not seek an Imprimatur on some of their publications, if they know they likely would not get one. So they are somewhere in the grey area near heresy, but never actually cross the line. I would say they are an “imprudent” source of Franciscan wisdom. The problem is not so much what they print, but what they omit.
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But this does not prove anything but your opinion of them, and is rather inflammatory and you did not provide any proof whatsoever concerning what you say. The accusation of being “near heresy” is quite serious and you have offered no evidence of it. You just can’t accuse people of things without providing objective proof. That is calumny.

I have just pulled down 6 books from my library from recognized Catholic Authors such as Fr Benedict Groschel and Pope Benedict XVI and Patrick Madrid and a copy of Bishop Barron’s Catholicism and not one of them had an Imprimatur. I found one in a book on a guide to the Catechism. It is not required unless it is a catechism, a prayer book, a Catholic textbook, and a few other categories. There are plenty of good Catholic books out there by orthodox Catholics which do not have an Imprimatur. Not having one does not mean there is anything wrong with the book or the author’s views, unless the book has been declared objectionable and denied it, and even having one only says the book is OK to be printed from the Bishop’s point of view, not that the Bishop agrees with what is in the book. So their not seeking or obtaining an Imprimatur for their publications does not mean anything, unless the publication falls under certain categories defined by the Church.

People need to be careful when publicly making derogatory statements about people and things on the forums.
 
I can see where commenter is coming from. St Anthony Messenger features articles, for example, by Fr Richard Rohr OFM. Here’s a sampling of tweets from Fr. Rohr’s Twitter page:

Aug 14
“That deepest and richest part [of myself] in which I repose, is what I call ‘God.’” -Etty Hillesum
(bracketed words part of original tweet)

Sep 7
“Buddhism can help Christians to be mystical Christians.” --Paul Knitter

Sep 14
Hinduism draws upon inspirations, we might now say, from the collective unconscious or the Eternal One Spirit.

Sep 15
Whoever God Is, he or she does not need our protection or perfect understanding.

Sep 21
Karma, rightly understood, creates responsible and self-actualized people instead of fear-based people.

Sep 21
Unitive Consciousness is a beautiful concept for all of us, no matter the spiritual path.

Oct 5
For Jung, the God archetype is the whole-making function of the soul: “Become who you are. Become all that you are.”

Oct 3
“Poetry doesn’t claim to be a perfect description as dogma foolishly does.”

Oct 8
A Cosmic Myth like the Gospel gives you a sense of belonging, meaning, and personal participation in it.

Sep 29
Myths are stories or images that are not always true in particular but entirely true in general.
 
CB_Catholic said:
But this does not prove anything but your opinion of them, and is rather inflammatory and you did not provide any proof whatsoever concerning what you say. The accusation of being “near heresy” is quite serious and you have offered no evidence of it. You just can’t accuse people of things without providing objective proof. That is calumny.

People need to be careful when publicly making derogatory statements about people and things on the forums.
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I said they were not heretical, but I withdraw any inference they were near heresy. It is fair to express my opinion they are too much attached to trends in the secular media.
In reference to the thread topic, I would say they are an imprudent source of Franciscan information; not because they lie, but because of what they omit.

CatholicCulture.org evaluates Catholic websites. It has a lot of credibility because it applauds, and criticizes, sites that are very different from each other, finding strengths and weaknesses; fair. From that review:

"AmericanCatholic.org, home of the online editions of St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Update, Millennium Monthly, Youth Update, Scripture From Scratch and other Catholic features, is a service of St. Anthony Messenger Press and Franciscan Communications, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.

While one can find good material on this attractive site, it must be carefully sifted. St. Anthony Messenger magazine has through the years consistently undermined the authentic teachings of the Church. This website is a continuation of that process."

The review includes documentation. Like the reviewers, yes, I have found some good material on the website, and magazine. But a great deal is misleading. The person without a lot of background, like the original poster, might not realize an article is omitting crucial facts, or that the magazine has a certain agenda.
 
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