The Franciscans

So, you have taken a moment to look at the Franciscan Order! In the words of our Holy Father Francis of Assisi, “May the LORD give you His peace!”

As Franciscans, our lives focus on three great loves: the Incarnation of Jesus, which reveals the goodness of all creation; the Passion of Jesus, wherein we discover the immense love and compassion of God; and the Eucharist, by which we are united with the whole Body of Christ.

A Little About the Order: “Called to rebuild the Church...”

For Francis, this meant embracing the very footsteps of Christ and living a life of service to the community of God’s children. It meant embracing the image of Christ in the world and rebuilding His church one soul at a time. For Francis, this call was a call to action.

We Franciscans are personally called by God to live the Franciscan way of life--going from Gospel to life, and life to Gospel, as Francis says in the Rule. With the Holy Virgin Mary as our mother and model, we strive to follow the example of Francis of Assisi. As pilgrims, we travel this earth, walking through life together, strengthened by the Eucharist, praising our God in the Liturgy of the Hours, and allowing Him daily to transform us by our penance. In emptying ourselves for others, in humble sharing of the gifts that we have received from our Father, we bring the peace of Christ among men.

My life--my vocation--is a consecrated secular. St. John Paul II called consecrated seculars "a prophetic presence" in the world, "light and salt, the sign and stimulus that distinguish the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount." In addition, Blessed Paul VI characterized consecrated seculars as "the advance wing of the Church" and "spiritual mountaineers."

In Vita Consecrata, St. John Paul II writes, "Secular Institutes, through their own specific blending of presence in the world and consecration, seek to make present in society the newness and power of Christ's kingdom, striving to transfigure the world from within by the power of the Beatitudes. In this way, while they belong completely to God and are thus fully consecrated to his service, their activity in the ordinary life of the world contributes, by the power of the Spirit, to shedding the light of the Gospel on temporal realities. Secular Institutes, each in accordance with its specific nature, thus help to ensure that the Church is an effective presence in society. "

I will be the first to admit--life under the banner of the Cross is by no means easy, but how fulfilling it is! As St. Paul writes in his Epistle to the Galatians, Chapter 3, verse 7: "Realize then that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham." Even with my many flaws, I can honestly say that God is relentless in the pursuit of my--and your--soul!

I encourage you to seek out God's holy and perfect will. Do as I did--take a leap of faith! Just where is God calling YOU?