The Secular
Franciscan Order
There are 2 Documents on this page:
1. SFO - Catch Our Spirit
2.
Brief history of the
Secular Franciscan Order
You can visit the
Secular Franciscan Website
for more information at:
www.nafra-sfo.org
[ With Permission ]
FRANCISCAN COMMUNICATIONS
1229 S. Santee St., Los Angeles, CA 90015
Text: Michael Weishaar, OFM
SFO - Catch Our Spirit
Sounds like the San
Francisco Airport, but-NO WAY!
However, it is a
place to take off. It's 30,000 people in the United States and almost a million people in
the world who follow Jesus Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Countless lay
people, married, single, divorced, and widowed, loved Francis of Assisi so much and
admired his simple, gospel way of life so much that they wanted to follow him. He wrote a
Rule of Life for them and called them the Brothers and Sisters of Penance. Later they were
known as the Third Order of St. Francis; and finally, today, they are the S.F.O.: Secular
Franciscan Order. So you see, it's not the San Francisco Airport, but it is a place to
fly!
Secular Franciscans
are dynamite lay people who realize that the Christian life is not simply living up to the
Ten Commandments, but living out the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, and being poor,
meek, merciful. In other words, it is to be peacemakers-followers of the way of St.
Francis, witnesses of the Gospel-the "Good News." They take no vows, but profess
to make the Gospel their rule of life in their daily activities.
St. Francis of
Assisi turned the world of his own day upside down, gently but firmly, when he wrote in
his Rule that anybody who follows him could not carry weapons of any kind. As a result the
constant wars between cities and city-states came to an end, and at long last people
realized that they were not enemies but sisters and brothers in the Lord. Instead of using
their energies for war, they channeled their efforts into peace, caring for the poor and
needy in any way at all, feeding, clothing, nursing the sick and dying, visiting
prisoners, performing the Corporal Works of Mercy.
It was as if a whole
society was leavened by the Holy Spirit and took it over for Jesus. Our Secular
Franciscans are about these same things today, each person promising to live out the
Christ-life to the fullest.
The Secular
Franciscans have a Rule of Life to follow-which is simply a translation of Gospel values
for everyday application. It highlights four areas which are honest concerns of any
Christian today:
"In their
family, they should cultivate the Franciscan spirit of peace, fidelity, and respect for
life, striving to make of it a sign of a world already renewed in Christ." (Rule of
SFO, par. 1 7.)
The rule of life
speaks of Family life and of respect for life-major concerns of all of us. We have seen
family life fragment with divorce, so often traceable to secular currents rampant in our
society. Selfishness, consumerism, materialism, hedonism run amuck in the world today. The
Secular Franciscan promises before God and the world that he or she will endeavor to give
herself or himself in service to others, to live simply according to the Gospel, to be a
person of penance, giving up that which is merely pleasurable for the sake of the kingdom.
Respect for life
means a strong stance against abortion; and in line with the "seamless garment"
doctrine, a respect for life in all forms; i.e. opposition to the death penalty and
opposition to the senseless killing in war.
"Let them
esteem work as a gift and as a sharing in the creation, redemption, and service of the
human community." (Rule of SFO, par. 16.)
Secular Franciscan
Fraternities and individuals do all in their power to work "to be worthy of their
hire." They also make every effort to help those less fortunate to obtain employment
and, therefore, to have a sense of dignity which work brings with it. They are imbued with
the sense that all have jobs to do to bring about the fulfillment of the Kingdom here on
earth to make a better world. Human labor is a blessing, both received and bestowed. By
working, a person shares in the creative power of the Father, renews the face of the earth
along with the Son, and brings the love of the Holy Spirit to the human community. Such an
attitude toward work can reshape one's own and others' values and actions regarding labor
and management, business and economics, a living wage and welfare, proper use of one's own
talents and the resources of others.
"Let them
individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of
their human lives and their courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public
life, they should make definite choices in harmony with their faith." (Rule of SFO,
par. 15.)
Secular Franciscans
all over the world are taking an active part in actually alleviating the hurts and
sufferings of the poor and needy in this our day. "Francis Houses" are springing
up all over the country to help those who are hurting in any way at all. These people MUST
be cared for NOW and we must endeavor to help them live with dignity. At the same time,
countless Seculars are involved with changing the system that produces such injustices.
Studying the issues, being active in politics, electing the right candidates, or getting
people out to vote for candidates who will bring about changes in the system are all
concerns of the Secular Franciscans.
Just as Francis of
Assisi was instrumental in bringing an end to war in his day, Franciscans today are
working for peace in many different ways. Secular Franciscans actively take part in the
Lenten Desert Experience protesting nuclear testing at the test-site in Nevada. They
realize that we are hurtling down the road to destruction with the continued insane
build-up of weaponry. They preach that today more than ever WAR IS OBSOLETE! They believe
that we must sit down at the peace table to try to negotiate with our brothers and
sisters, long-considered enemies.
"More over they
should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which bear the imprint of the Most
High, and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the
Franciscan concept of universal kinship." (Rule of SFO, par. 18.)
Francis saw all of
creation, the sun and moon, the weather and water, fire and earth, forgiving people and
death itself as symbols of the union between God and his people. Hence, all creation has a
sacred quality and enjoys a oneness with humanity in the history of salvation. Following
the example of Francis, the Secular Franciscans express a profound respect for all
creation and use it for its intended God-given purpose. Furthermore, they work to ennoble
nature and technology and build a community conscience toward using natural resources.
This ministry toward creation will stem the selfish tide of abuse and waste and
exploitation in this world.
We are joy-filled
followers of St. Francis. We would love to have you:
CATCH
THE SPIRIT!
JOIN US IN THE SECULAR FRANCISCANS!
CALL
1-800-FRANCIS
Brief history of the
Secular Franciscan Order
Who or What are
Secular Franciscans?
The Secular Franciscan Order is not an
organization like the Knights of Columbus, the Confraternity, or the
St. Vincent De Paul Society. In fact it is not an apostolate it is a
Franciscan Order approved by the Church.
The Secular Franciscans Order is a Way of Life
for men and women, married or single, and secular clergy who are
called to take an active part in the mission of Christ to bring "the
good news of salvation" to the world.
Francis was the
founder of three orders.
FRANCIS, the saint known and loved the world
over, "discovered" Jesus. He found Him in the Gospel, saw Him in the
poor and suffering. Francis made up his mind to identify himself with
his crucified Lord. Saint Francis attained this marvelous ideal by
making the holy Gospel, in every detail, the rule and standard of his
life.
Others wanted to live as Francis lived, men and
women, married and single. Eventually, his followers were gathered
into three distinct Orders of the Church. The First Order was for men
(brothers and priests, called friars); the Second Order was for
cloistered nuns (Poor Clares); and the Third Order was for lay men and
women, married or single, and the secular clergy. Francis made the
Gospel, with Christ Crucified at its center, the supreme norm of life
for all his followers. He gave each of the three Orders a written
rule, which were summaries of the Gospel and guidelines to its perfect
observance. But there is a difference between them. The first two are
religious orders. Their members take the vows of poverty, chastity,
and obedience, and leave their homes to live in communities. The third
is a secular order, whose members make promises of commitment and
remain in their own homes. Yet they are motivated and formed by the
same spirit of Saint Francis to fulfill the ideals and
responsibilities of their state of life within the faith-community of
the Church.
Francis formed his third order because of
circumstances that he had not foreseen. As he preached penance in one
place after another, devout lay persons who were bound by family
responsibilities begged to be taught a more perfect way of life. He
showed them how they must lead the Gospel life at home and at their
work, and spread the Gospel teaching by word and example among their
neighbors, in imitation of the poor and suffering Christ. These lay
people were known as "Brothers and Sisters of Penance." They zealously
practiced the lessons Francis had taught them concerning prayer,
humility, peacemaking, self-denial, fidelity to the duties of their
state, and above all charity. From this Order the
Friars of the Third Order Regular/T.O.R. a religious order for
priests, brothers and sisters emerged in the 15 th century.
The
lay Order continued as the Third Order of St. Francis, Secular. In 1978, its name was
changed to the Secular Franciscan Order (S. F 0.)
Like Francis himself, they cared for lepers and
outcasts with the greatest compassion. They guided themselves always
by the holy Gospel, which they pondered and prayed over constantly.
These groups, called fraternities, included
Christians from every walk of life: clergy and laity, men and women,
married and single, poor and rich, old and young, illiterate and
learned. So many joined these fraternities that they wrought wonders
in eradicating the great moral and social evils of the day, especially
greed and hatred. Pope Honorius III, in 1221, approved the Brothers
and Sisters of Penance as a secular order in the Catholic Church.
The Secular Franciscan
Order Today
This same order, now called the Secular
Franciscan Order, is still very much alive today, as it strives to
renew itself according to the mind of the Church following the Second
Vatican Council. Although membership has declined during the renewal,
it is actually much stronger internally, and still numbers in the
millions worldwide.
Secular Franciscans, in local fraternities,
continue to assemble each month as true spiritual families in order to
share their commitment to the apostolic life of the Gospel. The Order
forms them through prayer and study to be active in the work of their
parishes and in every other area of the Christian apostolate possible
to them.
For more information call:
1-800-FRANCIS
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