The Perfect Joy of St. Francis

[JReducation]

Hi JR,

Thank you for the information on your order. I would like to know more, is your rule and constitution online to reference? Are you completely autonomous or more like the Third Order Regular? I get confused on how the Franciscan tree branches out.

Thank you,
JM

We follow the Rule of the Friars Minor. We one of our founders was a Capuchin Friar Minor and the others were Secular Franciscans. We are considered an Association of the Faithful. You can’t be an order. The last order to be founded in the Catholic Church was the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Everyone else who followed is either a congregation, society of apstolic life, association of the faithful, or secular institute. The problem is that today, we tend to call every religious community an order.

Our constitutions are not online, but we do have a site. Franciscans of Life

The Third Order Regular is completely autonomous. I’m not sure what you mean. They are the Brothers of Penance. They have their own General Minsiter and government. They were originally part of the secular order, but quickly evolved into a separate fraternity within the first 10 years of their exitence. By about 1228, they were around and later they would be erected as a separate branch of Francis’ third order.

Remember, the term third order came because your order was the third that Francis founded. It’s not an appendage to any other order. It always had its own rule and government. It was always autonomous. It was the first secular order in the history of the Church. During its first decade, many men began to live in community. Some were priests, most were not. Eventually, the Church decided to give them their own government and General Minister. That’s when the order is split into two, the Regular Order and the Secular Order.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[jm0rr0w]

We follow the Rule of the Friars Minor. We one of our founders was a Capuchin Friar Minor and the others were Secular Franciscans. We are considered an Association of the Faithful. You can’t be an order. The last order to be founded in the Catholic Church was the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Everyone else who followed is either a congregation, society of apstolic life, association of the faithful, or secular institute. The problem is that today, we tend to call every religious community an order.

Our constitutions are not online, but we do have a site. Franciscans of Life

The Third Order Regular is completely autonomous. I’m not sure what you mean. They are the Brothers of Penance. They have their own General Minsiter and government. They were originally part of the secular order, but quickly evolved into a separate fraternity within the first 10 years of their exitence. By about 1228, they were around and later they would be erected as a separate branch of Francis’ third order.

Remember, the term third order came because your order was the third that Francis founded. It’s not an appendage to any other order. It always had its own rule and government. It was always autonomous. It was the first secular order in the history of the Church. During its first decade, many men began to live in community. Some were priests, most were not. Eventually, the Church decided to give them their own government and General Minister. That’s when the order is split into two, the Regular Order and the Secular Order.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Thank you for explaining the autonomy of the TOR. For some reason I thought the Regular Order and the Secular Order where tied together somehow. Perhaps I misunderstood the role that the TOR can assume as Spiritual Assistants to SFO fraternities and made some governance connection that isn’t there.

I apologize to everyone for getting off topic, but can you explain some of the differences between a congregation, society of apostolic life, association of the faithful, and secular institute? I have been lumping everything together as an order like you mentioned.

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Thank you for explaining the autonomy of the TOR. For some reason I thought the Regular Order and the Secular Order where tied together somehow. Perhaps I misunderstood the role that the TOR can assume as Spiritual Assistants to SFO fraternities and made some governance connection that isn’t there.

I apologize to everyone for getting off topic, but can you explain some of the differences between a congregation, society of apostolic life, association of the faithful, and secular institute? I have been lumping everything together as an order like you mentioned.

IIRC, the TOR were third order members that lived in community. Eventually they organized as an order. Again, this is from memory, so please ask Brother JR

 

[hazcompat]

Wow! I had never seen that icon of St. Clare. August 11 was the opening of the Jubilee Year. It’s 750 years since her death. Most Franciscans are doing something special during the year.

It’s funny that you say what you said about feeling bereft of virute. I have a statue of St. Flancis. He’s sitting. It’s on the shelf across from my cot. When I sit on my cot, I suddenly notice him sitting there looking at me and I feel guilty. I feel like the kid who stole a cookie. One day I actually turned him to face the wall for a little while.

You read the lives of saints and you ask yourself, “Why does it look so easy and yet I can’t do it.?” The fact is that we’re reading using a rearview mirror. They went through the same struggles as we do today. But we’re reading about the finished produce, while we’re still in progress.

When I remember that, then I don’t feel as badly and I turn St. Francis around again to face toward me. LOL

I’m neurotic. What can I say?

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

So we can live each day as if our future perfection had already occurred no matter how stark the contrast, and see our neighbor as a sure work in progress as well. The icon is new and is on a wall in our church. Our pastor, an ofm-cap had it done by a local Vietnamese artist.

peace

 

[hazcompat]

The Franciscan of life site has a virus. my security software caught it but it took 15 minutes to neutralize

peace

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

The Franciscan of life site has a virus. my security software caught it but it took 15 minutes to neutralize

peace

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[JReducation]

The Franciscan of life site has a virus. my security software caught it but it took 15 minutes to neutralize

peace

Oh Wow! I have no idea how to fix that. We don’t manage the site. Someone else does. But I’ll let them know. Thanks for the heads up. You must have a very good protection system. I use AVG, but it doesn’t tell me anything when I go to that site.

There is another moment of perfect joy. We have a site with a head cold.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[rainbow1]

I pulled out my copy of this book today. I was going over a few pages near the end. I would like what impression others have of the love and care between Brother Leo and Brother Francis.

I don’t mean to imply that there was anything worldly or less than virtuous, just the opposite. If we look at Leo, we can learn a great deal about the role of saints in our lives. Leo loved the Lord, but he grew to love him more, not because he adulated over Francis. He grew in his love of the Lord, because he was humble enough to acknowledge great holiness when he saw it and he was very intent in observing and learning from such a holy man how to love Christ. The saint did not become an idol to Leo, but a model.

I watch the love that Leo had for Francis and how he cared for him in his last years and I’m impressed. Leo was a scholarly man. He has been a priest and a man of letters. That’s why he writes everything that we have from St. Francis. He was Francis’ scribe. It takes a lot of humility for a priest who is an educated man to become the nurse, secretary, servant and son of a layman who was not even an aristocrat. Francis was rich, but he was not nobility.

What was it that drove Leo?

Leo is one of our greatest resources on St. Francis. He was an eyewitness to much of what was written by Celano and Bonaventure who wrote the first biographies.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Br.Jay,
I have finished reading this fantastic book…it is amazing and heart-warming! As far as the relationship between St.Francis and Leo, I think that as Br.Francis was becoming the mirror of Jesus, Leo was becoming the mirror of St.Francis (and thus also of Jesus). It was such a beautiful relationship. How wonderful that Francis was able to allow Leo to nurture him so well…in some ways I bet that in itself was a penance for Francis since he was such a strong and independent person most of his life. I think that Francis was allowing Leo to do the same things for him as he did for so many people during his life. In other words, I think they were two sides of the same coin.
My favorite part of the book was when Francis saw Jesus come alive from the cross. I am sure I will read this part (and the entire book) many times over.
Blessings!

 

[JReducation]

Br.Jay,
I have finished reading this fantastic book…it is amazing and heart-warming! As far as the relationship between St.Francis and Leo, I think that as Br.Francis was becoming the mirror of Jesus, Leo was becoming the mirror of St.Francis (and thus also of Jesus). It was such a beautiful relationship. How wonderful that Francis was able to allow Leo to nurture him so well…in some ways I bet that in itself was a penance for Francis since he was such a strong and independent person most of his life. I think that Francis was allowing Leo to do the same things for him as he did for so many people during his life. In other words, I think they were two sides of the same coin.
My favorite part of the book was when Francis saw Jesus come alive from the cross. I am sure I will read this part (and the entire book) many times over.
Blessings!

Before I address your post, I’m so glad that I suggested this book. I can’t recall how this all started. But I remember on another thread that I mentioned this book and it has taken off.

The point that you make of how Leo becomes a Mirror of Francis as Francis becomes the Mirror of Perfection, is awesome. I never thought about it that way; but it makes sense. Francis became The Teacher and those who follow him learn what he knows about Christ.

What saddens me is that today’s Catholics, especially Traditionalist Catholics do not appreciate the contribution that this man made to Catholic Spirituality and how he shaped much of Catholic Spirituality, liturgy, ministry, ecclessiology, religious life, the apostolate of the laity, ecumenism and the Church’s understanding of the Cross.

Francis pulls from Paul and John. Like Paul, he teaches us how to conform to Christ in all things. Like John, he’s the mystic who teaches us how to pray and how to love.

He is the mastermind behind things like the TLM as we know it today. Trent and Pope Pius V tweaked it and added Gregorian Chant, OK. Francis had banned it. Though his followers never adopted Gregorian Chant, even after Trent. They continued to use popular music, which over the centuries became what we call today, Oldies But Goodies of Christian music. They were not old back then.

He introduced the living Stations of the Cross, the Christmas creche, the veneration of the Cross on Good Fridays, first Saturdays and even certain prayers.

Francis introduced the Church to ecumenism. This is not a new idea. The word is new, not the idea. The Franciscans have been invovled in ecumenism with Muslims and Jews since 1221.

He declericalized religious life. Priests had to step down and become one with the laity and with the religious brothers. Now we have people who want to bring it back. Human beings, who understands them?

He founded the world’s first secular order, with its own rule, government, properties, mission, apostolate and canonical place in the Church. They are actually an order of Pontifical Right. Francis was a big believer in the power of the laity to serve the Church as long as it obeyed the Church, specifically the local bishop.

He also promoted the place of women in the Church and the importance of autonomy. He refused to govern Clare and her sisters, believing that women should never be submissive to males. This was contrary to the Will of God and contrary to the scripture. He was very clear that many had misinterpreted the scripture in order to control women. He understood Paul and Peter and their teaching on the relationship between husband and wife. It was not a submissive relationship. But it was an eschatalogical relationship.

He took religious life out of the cloister and put religious on the streets. This gave birth to future apostolic congregations. Religious of his day were either monks, canons attached to cathedrals or penitents. Francis combined the contemplative life of the monks, the pastoral life of the canons, and the ascetical life of the penitents into one wya of life.

He popularized Christian doctrine. One of the reasons that his order grew much faster and bigger than the Dominicans was that the Franciscans were the teachers and preachers to the common man. They spoke in very simple language, using very creative means. The Dominicans were more scholastic.

He set the parameters for dealing with a sinful clergy. You were to obey in all things, but sin. He made it very simple.

He taught that regardless of mistakes, the Church remains the Church and has the primary place of autority in society. No civil authority can trump the authority of the Church. He taught Catholics to be Christian first patriots second. He went as far as having people excommunicated for pleadging allegiance to civil governments and flags, if this allegiance created a chasm between the individual and ecclesial authorities.

You’re not going to find a more traditional Catholic in today’s world.

Fraternally,

Br. JR,OSF

 

[rainbow1]

I have been thinking today how oftentimes in life, people experience naturally a form of poverty towards the end of life…not necessarily just about money, but also as far as not being able to do the things they used to, not being able to walk, not being able to eat, etc…
I am struck after reading this book at how passionate Francis was about keeping the concept of poverty written in his rule. He went above and beyond to say that he did not only want a detachment from things, he wanted a true poverty. I am thinking that this is truly what seems to happen to a large percentage of people towards the end of life, and although it is difficult, there seems to be a natural beauty affiliated with it. When Francis was no longer able to walk, his brothers carried him, when he couldn’t eat, his friends, like Br.Jacopa brought special foods to him. It seems to somehow make a life more “full spectrum”. More community focused. The “poor” provide the situation for those with more to give. I understand that poverty provides the poor the ability to be focused on God more without distractions, but I also am thinking that it provides the opportunity for God’s love to flow to the poor through others.
Blessings!

 

[TrueLight]

I have been thinking today how oftentimes in life, people experience naturally a form of poverty towards the end of life…not necessarily just about money, but also as far as not being able to do the things they used to, not being able to walk, not being able to eat, etc…
I am struck after reading this book at how passionate Francis was about keeping the concept of poverty written in his rule. He went above and beyond to say that he did not only want a detachment from things, he wanted a true poverty. I am thinking that this is truly what seems to happen to a large percentage of people towards the end of life, and although it is difficult, there seems to be a natural beauty affiliated with it. When Francis was no longer able to walk, his brothers carried him, when he couldn’t eat, his friends, like Br.Jacopa brought special foods to him. It seems to somehow make a life more “full spectrum”. More community focused. The “poor” provide the situation for those with more to give. I understand that poverty provides the poor the ability to be focused on God more without distractions, but I also am thinking that it provides the opportunity for God’s love to flow to the poor through others.
Blessings!

Unfortunately, in these days, the old are despised and a lot of the time, you don’t have the family sacrificing their time to care for their aged folks.

Being old in the U.S. can truly be a penance not only because of the lost of some physical or mental ability but because of the loss of family as well.

 

[JReducation]

I have been thinking today how oftentimes in life, people experience naturally a form of poverty towards the end of life…not necessarily just about money, but also as far as not being able to do the things they used to, not being able to walk, not being able to eat, etc…
I am struck after reading this book at how passionate Francis was about keeping the concept of poverty written in his rule. He went above and beyond to say that he did not only want a detachment from things, he wanted a true poverty. I am thinking that this is truly what seems to happen to a large percentage of people towards the end of life, and although it is difficult, there seems to be a natural beauty affiliated with it. When Francis was no longer able to walk, his brothers carried him, when he couldn’t eat, his friends, like Br.Jacopa brought special foods to him. It seems to somehow make a life more “full spectrum”. More community focused. The “poor” provide the situation for those with more to give. I understand that poverty provides the poor the ability to be focused on God more without distractions, but I also am thinking that it provides the opportunity for God’s love to flow to the poor through others.
Blessings!

Unfortunately, in these days, the old are despised and a lot of the time, you don’t have the family sacrificing their time to care for their aged folks.

Being old in the U.S. can truly be a penance not only because of the lost of some physical or mental ability but because of the loss of family as well.

For a while, I would say about 150 to 200 years, the Franciscans deviated and became like secular priests. They took on parishes. They ordained more men to satisfy the needs of parishees, creating a imbalance in the fraternity. They suddenly had money, because they lived and worked among the middle classes. They ran schools for middle class and upper. They adopted the Mass of Pius V, abandoning their own form, which was simple and austere. They humiliated many men who came to them. If you were intelligent, you were pushed to be ordained. If you were less gifted, you were not ordained, but you were assigned to cook. clean, do laundry, feed and care for the ordained. You could not speak an ordained friar unless he spoke first, eat at the same table, pray in the same chapel, recreate in the same community room or go to school. In other words, men entering did not have a choice. They gave in to the lay demands for parishes.

Today, you see that permission has been given to many of us to regroup into smaller fraternities so that we can have intimate community life, with equality for all. Men can study and ot be priests. Priests can be cooks, janitors administrators, teachers, heads of homeless shelters, serve in soup kitchens. They are being pulled out of middle class parishes and Franciscan run parishes by being closed by the hundreds around the world, as well as Franciscan run parrochial schools.

There is a greater focus and attention being paid to the elderly who are ignored, materially poor and have no access to family and friends.

A very famous hospital in NY, that was operated by Franciscan sisters has been closed, because most of its patients were middle class and they sisters could not afford to treat the poor and elderly for free. There was no good reason to keep it open. Other Catholic organizations provide healthcare for the middle class.

Sisters and friars are focussing again on things like adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, community life, the unborn child, the immigrant poor (legal or not), the man and woman who are on the street in danger of all kinds of evils, running houses and places of prayer where people can go for confession, retreats, and good Catholic teaching, evangelizing through the internet, TV, radio and media. In the USA we’re sending hundreds of men to the developing nations to start houses of formation, novitiates and to erect the order among the poor. Only a skeletal group is being kept here in those areas where there are poor and unfortunate people whom others forget.

We’re very involved in advocacy work for those who need housing, healthcare, and who need to be protected from the Culture of Death. Living and dying with dignity was modeled for us by Francis. He embraced the passion of Christ. Suffering was not something to be avoided, but a natural part of life.

Of course, we’re getting slammed for doing this.

I was at a parish once where the laity did not want non-ordained brothers. They wanted priests. There was one priest. He celebrated the masses and heard confessions. The other brothers ran the parish, did spiritual direction, taught theology, did retreats, sacramental preparation, I taught RCIA. A non-clerical brother was the superior and the parish priest was his vicar (second). This caused such a problem that the bishop threatened the parishioners with a penalty. We stayed two years and the bishop closed the parish. Now they want their parish back.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[TrueLight]

A very famous hospital in NY, that was operated by Franciscan sisters has been closed, because most of its patients were middle class and they sisters could not afford to treat the poor and elderly for free. There was no good reason to keep it open. Other Catholic organizations provide healthcare for the middle class.

I didn’t know that hospital was run by Franciscan sisters.

Then again, what did I know about Franciscans. I didn’t know you or St Francis.

 

[JReducation]

I didn’t know that hospital was run by Franciscan sisters.

Then again, what did I know about Franciscans. I didn’t know you or St Francis.

Gosh, the things you learn when you hang out with a few Franciscans.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[rainbow1]

For a while, I would say about 150 to 200 years, the Franciscans deviated and became like secular priests. They took on parishes. They ordained more men to satisfy the needs of parishees, creating a imbalance in the fraternity. They suddenly had money, because they lived and worked among the middle classes. They ran schools for middle class and upper. They adopted the Mass of Pius V, abandoning their own form, which was simple and austere. They humiliated many men who came to them. If you were intelligent, you were pushed to be ordained. If you were less gifted, you were not ordained, but you were assigned to cook. clean, do laundry, feed and care for the ordained. You could not speak an ordained friar unless he spoke first, eat at the same table, pray in the same chapel, recreate in the same community room or go to school. In other words, men entering did not have a choice. They gave in to the lay demands for parishes.

Today, you see that permission has been given to many of us to regroup into smaller fraternities so that we can have intimate community life, with equality for all. Men can study and ot be priests. Priests can be cooks, janitors administrators, teachers, heads of homeless shelters, serve in soup kitchens. They are being pulled out of middle class parishes and Franciscan run parishes by being closed by the hundreds around the world, as well as Franciscan run parrochial schools.

There is a greater focus and attention being paid to the elderly who are ignored, materially poor and have no access to family and friends.

A very famous hospital in NY, that was operated by Franciscan sisters has been closed, because most of its patients were middle class and they sisters could not afford to treat the poor and elderly for free. There was no good reason to keep it open. Other Catholic organizations provide healthcare for the middle class.

Sisters and friars are focussing again on things like adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, community life, the unborn child, the immigrant poor (legal or not), the man and woman who are on the street in danger of all kinds of evils, running houses and places of prayer where people can go for confession, retreats, and good Catholic teaching, evangelizing through the internet, TV, radio and media. In the USA we’re sending hundreds of men to the developing nations to start houses of formation, novitiates and to erect the order among the poor. Only a skeletal group is being kept here in those areas where there are poor and unfortunate people whom others forget.

We’re very involved in advocacy work for those who need housing, healthcare, and who need to be protected from the Culture of Death. Living and dying with dignity was modeled for us by Francis. He embraced the passion of Christ. Suffering was not something to be avoided, but a natural part of life.

Of course, we’re getting slammed for doing this.

I was at a parish once where the laity did not want non-ordained brothers. They wanted priests. There was one priest. He celebrated the masses and heard confessions. The other brothers ran the parish, did spiritual direction, taught theology, did retreats, sacramental preparation, I taught RCIA. A non-clerical brother was the superior and the parish priest was his vicar (second). This caused such a problem that the bishop threatened the parishioners with a penalty. We stayed two years and the bishop closed the parish. Now they want their parish back.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Can you only imagine what would have happened if a Franciscan sister was put in the position of the superior? lol
It makes total sense to me why brothers have set things up like this with even a brother as a superior. I am wondering why the laity was so concerned? I was wondering why our churches were set up the way they are, and now I know they don’t have to be…so interesting…

 

[JReducation]

Can you only imagine what would have happened if a Franciscan sister was put in the position of the superior? lol
It makes total sense to me why brothers have set things up like this with even a brother as a superior. I am wondering why the laity was so concerned? I was wondering why our churches were set up the way they are, and now I know they don’t have to be…so interesting…

The infrastructure of the different religious families depends on two factors: the founder and Church Law.

Current Church law says that priests must always govern every aspect of Catholic life. Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church is very clerical. However, the Church does make allowances for those religious families whose founders had a different paradigm in mind. The Benedictine Family and the Franciscan Family are the two largest families with clerics and non-clerics where both are considered brothers.

They are not brothers in the fraternal sense. Every religious family has that. The Jesuits are brothers to each other, but they are not religious brothers. They are Clerks Regular also known as regular priests. People often call them order priests or religious priests, which is silly. Every priest should be religious and every human being should lived an orderly life. The canonical terms are very precise. A clerk is a cleric. Regular is one who follows a regula (rule) of life In English we translate it as regular priest as opposed to a secular priest who does not follow any rule of life, but makes up his own as he goes along.

But the Benedictines and Franciscans were not founded just to be fraternal to each other. They were founded to be canonical religious brothers. Every male in the Benedictine and Franciscan family is a canonical religious brother. Some of those brothers are priests.

With the women, it’s a little different. Francis and Benedict never conceived the idea of a sister. They did not found communities of sisters. They founded communities of nuns. Scholastica and Clare were nuns, not sisters. Both, Benedict and Francis were respecters of women. They gave their daughters autonomy to govern themselves. No other founder did this. Women’s communities were always governed by men.

In Francis’ family there are three orders, First, Second and Third. However, they are called as such because this is the chronological order of the foundations. The first order began as a lay movement of penitent men for whom Francis wrote a rule and Pope Innocent approved it. The second order began as a monastery for women with its own rule of life, which Clare governed without interference from the friars. She gave her rule to other women to open more monasteries, but she did not govern them. Each house has its own government. I’ll come back to that in a second.

Finally, Francis founded a third order for secular men and women. Some were married and some were deacons, priests and bishops. He wrote a rule for them too and gave them autonomy to govern themselves. From there, many of these men and women grouped themselves into houses with their own government and their own apostolic work. These groups were called Franciscan Congregations or simply Order of St. Francis (OSF). These men or women made vows and lived like the friars; therefore, the Church recognized them as religious instead of seculars. The Franciscan Third Order came to have many obediences, meaning different groups obedient to different superiors, but all of them obedient to Francis and his rule. The largest of all the Franciscan obediences is the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO), which is the original third order that Francis founded. It has 500,000 brothers and sisters: married, single, deacons, priests, and bishops, but all secular. They don’t make vows or live in religious houses. The other half of that third order is made up of over 100 congregations of religious. They all follow the same rule. The difference is in the vows and the living arrangement.

 

[JReducation]

Going back to the friars and the nuns, Francis is really the first Democrat. The friars, be they first order friars or third order friars are equals, unlike other orders that have the Fathers and the Brothers. These are all brothers and some brothers are also priests. The women are also equals. They are equal to each other and equal to the men. For this reason, a central superior does not govern Poor Clare houses. Clare and Francis believed that women should not be submitted to the power of others. They should determine their own way.

Let me show you something from Clare’s rule regarding the habit.

**Let the Abbess, with discernment, provide them with clothing according to the diversity of persons, places, seasons and cold climates, as it shall seem expedient to her by necessity. **

Today, when many people holler and rant about nuns not wearing habits, they need to look back to 1221 when Clare wrote those words. Their clothing was to be according to the diversity of persons, meaning that each one was different and the abbess had to consider those differences. She also had to factor in places, which mean culture. The nuns dressed according to the local culture, not according to some uniform rule. They factored in seasons and climates, so that they did not dress the same around the world. There was a great respect for these women, their culture, their taste and even their geography. In other words, these women had identities. That’s why there is a different dress code from one Poor Clare house to another, from a very classical habit to no habit.

In Francis vision of religious life, he was way ahead of Vatican II, even though he died in 1226. It’s very hard to pin him down to what we imagine to be traditional religious life, because that which we call traditional religious life was imposed on the Franciscans by the laity and the bishops beginning in the late 1700s, almost 500 years after the Franciscans had been founded. It was maintained until the 1960s when the Council told religious to return to their roots. Franciscan men became equals again. Franciscan nuns recovered their autonomy from men and from superiors, answering only to the superior of the house, not to a general superior and Franciscan sisters recovered their secular appearance and work, while maintaining their canonical status as religious, but dressing as secular women and working as secular women, because they originally came out of the Secular Franciscan Order. Somewhere along the line, they got caught up in this “nunny” way of dress and doing things, which Francis never imagined. The original sisters didn’t make vows and many were married.

I believe that Francis made some significant contributions to the Church and that if they are examined by the laity, it may help ease some of the discomfort that many Traditionalists feel. They would find out that many things are not novelties, but they were supposed to be that way and were changed by novelties that crept in and deviated religious life. Today, like water, religious life is trying to find its natural course again.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[rainbow1]

The infrastructure of the different religious families depends on two factors: the founder and Church Law.

Current Church law says that priests must always govern every aspect of Catholic life. Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church is very clerical. However, the Church does make allowances for those religious families whose founders had a different paradigm in mind. The Benedictine Family and the Franciscan Family are the two largest families with clerics and non-clerics where both are considered brothers.

They are not brothers in the fraternal sense. Every religious family has that. The Jesuits are brothers to each other, but they are not religious brothers. They are Clerks Regular also known as regular priests. People often call them order priests or religious priests, which is silly. Every priest should be religious and every human being should lived an orderly life. The canonical terms are very precise. A clerk is a cleric. Regular is one who follows a regula (rule) of life In English we translate it as regular priest as opposed to a secular priest who does not follow any rule of life, but makes up his own as he goes along.

But the Benedictines and Franciscans were not founded just to be fraternal to each other. They were founded to be canonical religious brothers. Every male in the Benedictine and Franciscan family is a canonical religious brother. Some of those brothers are priests.

With the women, it’s a little different. Francis and Benedict never conceived the idea of a sister. They did not found communities of sisters. They founded communities of nuns. Scholastica and Clare were nuns, not sisters. Both, Benedict and Francis were respecters of women. They gave their daughters autonomy to govern themselves. No other founder did this. Women’s communities were always governed by men.

In Francis’ family there are three orders, First, Second and Third. However, they are called as such because this is the chronological order of the foundations. The first order began as a lay movement of penitent men for whom Francis wrote a rule and Pope Innocent approved it. The second order began as a monastery for women with its own rule of life, which Clare governed without interference from the friars. She gave her rule to other women to open more monasteries, but she did not govern them. Each house has its own government. I’ll come back to that in a second.

Finally, Francis founded a third order for secular men and women. Some were married and some were deacons, priests and bishops. He wrote a rule for them too and gave them autonomy to govern themselves. From there, many of these men and women grouped themselves into houses with their own government and their own apostolic work. These groups were called Franciscan Congregations or simply Order of St. Francis (OSF). These men or women made vows and lived like the friars; therefore, the Church recognized them as religious instead of seculars. The Franciscan Third Order came to have many obediences, meaning different groups obedient to different superiors, but all of them obedient to Francis and his rule. The largest of all the Franciscan obediences is the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO), which is the original third order that Francis founded. It has 500,000 brothers and sisters: married, single, deacons, priests, and bishops, but all secular. They don’t make vows or live in religious houses. The other half of that third order is made up of over 100 congregations of religious. They all follow the same rule. The difference is in the vows and the living arrangement.

Thank you Br.Jay…I am getting a little confused…where I live there are apparently two groups (maybe more) of Third order Franciscans…one type which are religious and the other type are not. Both groups accept married, single, etc peoples , and in both groups they live independently… the religious group get buried with the Poor Clare nuns who have a local monastery…am I mistaken? Getting confused here as to what the differences are…

 

[JReducation]

Thank you Br.Jay…I am getting a little confused…where I live there are apparently two groups (maybe more) of Third order Franciscans…one type which are religious and the other type are not. Both groups accept married, single, etc peoples , and in both groups they live independently… the religious group get buried with the Poor Clare nuns who have a local monastery…am I mistaken? Getting confused here as to what the differences are…

Let’s break it down this way. St. Francis founded a family that consists of three orders. He founded them at three different times and gave each their own rule of life (statutes) and their own government.

Here they are in chronological order:

First Order

– Brothers (many of the brothers are priests as well as brotther)
– Only males
– Make vows of obedience, poverty and chastity (live in community or are attached to a community, if they live alone)
– Usually called Friar from the Latin word for brother (Frater)

Second Order

– Nuns
– Only females
– Always cloistered
– Have no outside apostolate
– Each house is autonomous
– They have no central government
– They all follow the same rule
– Original rule was written by St. Francis, but St. Clare rewrote it and added to it

Third Order

– Secular men and women
– Included married people, single people, and secular clergymen
– These do not make vows
– They make a solemn promise to obey the Rule
– Francis wrote a rule just for them
– They are autonomous with their own superiors and government

– About 50 years after Francis founded them, some of those who were single made vows of celibacy, moved into communities, and followed the same daily schedule as the friars of the frist order
– They adopted different apostolic works among the poor
– They were given permission to make vows of obedience, poverty and chastity
– The Holy See separated them from the other members of the Third Order
– They came to be known as the Third Order Regular (TOR)

– Other seculars grouped into communities that made vows
– Today there are over 100 such Franciscan communities under different names

– The religious live together and the seculars live independently
– The religious must make vows and the seculars do not have to do so. They can make a solemn promise to follow the rule. The rule does not require celibacy. The religious are celibate, because of the vow, not because of the rule. Celibacy is not mentioned in the third order rule.

The Third Order of St. Francis has sisters, but no nuns. They have friars as well (regulars). Many of the friars are also priests. In other words, they are both: priest and brother. Some are brother, but not priests, just like the first order.

If a peson is a Franciscan and is married, he is a Secular Franciscan. If he is a Franciscan and is a diocesan priest, he is also a Secular Franciscan.

If he or she is Franciscan, is celibate and lives in community he is a Regular Franciscan, simply called religious.

The religious usually wear a habit, but not always. The seculars never wear a habit, except when they die.

Francis and Clare were not very strict on habits. Their instructions on habits is very vague. Many Traditionalists have a major problem with this, because they don’t understand that to Francis and Clare, the habit was to be determined by the wishes of the local superior and the individual religious. In other words, Francis and Clare left it up to the religious to vote on it. The superior enforced whatever the community decided. For that reason, some Franciscans wear a habit all the time, some never wear a habit and some wear a habit for certain functions and not for others. Each community votes on this. It has been this way since 1209.

Usually, the voted on a form of dress that was customary in their region and practical for their climate and work. The Franciscan habit can be changed at any time or completelly discarded. Francis and Clare did not bind the community to a habit. Originally, the nuns did not wear a veil. The veil came later. They would cut their hair very short, but did not cover their heads. They wore a short cape called a mantle. This had a hood. When they went outside, they wore this mantle. They had a veil handy for mass. Eventually, the veil became a staple. Today, the rule is to do whatever is closest to the original custom of 1209.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[JReducation]

I have seen some Traditionalists refer to Franciscans as Novus Ordo-ers, whatever that means and some left wing Catholics refer to them as conformists. Both labels are unfair and probably due to a lack of understanding.

Franciscans are probably among the most traditional religious families, because they stick to their founder, their customs, their rules and the vision and mission given to them by Francis, Clare and the Church.

One of the reasons why the Franciscan Order deviated between the late 1700s and the late 1960s was because Francis commanded all of his sons and daughters to obey the pope and the bishops without questioning them. Unless you were commanded to commit a real sin, you did what you were told, even if it was the wrong thing to do.

In Francis’ theology, the goal is to conform to Christ’s obedience and to his poverty. Christ submitted to the authority of Pilate and let go of everything in order to obey the Will of the Father. If it was good enough for Christ, then it must be good enough for the Franciscan.

People got used to the image of the Franciscan that they knew between the 18th century and the 20th century. They never saw the Franciscan from the 13th century and the 18th century. Most Catholics know very little about the first 500 years of Franciscan Tradition. Therefore, when Vatican II ordered the Franciscans to return to the 13th century, the changes seemed very radical to people on the left and the right.

To the Traditionalist, the Franciscan became an NO. In fact, the Franciscan simply did what Francis commanded; follow the lead of the bishops and the pope. To the liberals, the Franciscan became non-progressive. In fact, they were progressing, but they were moving forward at the speed that Francis and Clare dictated.

Those Franciscans, secular and religious, who fail to comply with the rule and with the Church are neither Traditional nor progressive. They’re moving, but God only knows in what direction.

Finally, the one thing that a Franciscan may never do is to disobey canonical authority. This means that you obey whoever is in authority today. Francis made this very clear. He wanted his sons and daughters to avoid all conflicts with current authorities. He mandated that they avoid arguments, conflicts, disagreements, expressing any opinion on any issue without the consent of the Church and avoid ever disagreeing with the Church. When legitimate authority commands, you obey. If legitimate authority is wrong, you still obey and you offer the sacrifice as a penance. He also dispenses from obedience when the command is a sin. The question on the table is always, “Is this a sin?” If not, you comply. You don’t have to like it. The greatest virtue of all is poverty. The greatest expression of poverty is when you don’t own your own intelligence, opinion or self. Therefore, you are always nothing compared to those in authority.

Francis respected the dignity of persons, but he expected his sons and daughters to do as Christ did and voluntarily let go of their own dignity and suffer indignation out of love. No one can reduce you to nothing. You must do so freely and out of love, not fear or lack of self-respect. The Franciscan says to himself or herself, “I’m a no body,” as the psalm says, “I’m a worm, not a man,” (Ps 22:6).

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF