Secular Franciscans, as the name implies, live their lives in the world rather than in religious communities. They may be single or married, women or men, in all walks of life. They live the Gospel in a Franciscan manner according to their own Rule which they profess after a period of initial formation. Profession as a Secular Franciscan is a lifelong commitment. Formation and profession of the Secular Franciscan takes place within a local community called a fraternity. Life in fraternity is an essential aspect of the Secular Franciscan vocation. The fraternity is a community of love, the privileged place for the sisters and brothers to develop their sense of Church and the Franciscan call. Although a self-governing Order, each Secular Franciscan fraternity receives guidance in spiritual matters from a spiritual assistant, usually a friar from one of the other Franciscan Orders. These relationships are particularly strong between Secular Franciscans and the Franciscan friars with whom they share common roots in the Franciscan penitential tradition.
We welcome those who would like to learn more about the Secular Franciscans. Join us for our monthly gatherings on the first Sunday of each month, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Parish education building. For more information please email us at :Click to send an email message
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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE FRATERNITY
In 1987, the Order of Conventual Franciscans arrived at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC. Soon after, the Parish Bulletin and Diocese of Charlotte newspaper announced a gathering for those interested in becoming Secular Franciscans. Our group was assigned to the Immaculate Conception Province from Rensselaer, NY, distant from most fraternities. Formation classes began under Fr. Richard Bellow, OFM Conv., Pastor at St. John Neumann. As classes progressed, Fr. Richard learned of Jenny Malatesta, SFO, who took over as Formation Director. We followed a “little blue book” manual and were informed missing more than two gatherings meant dismissal from formation, emphasizing commitment—a key tenet of Secular Franciscans.
During our formation, we learned about St. Francis of Assisi and from one another. The path to a Secular Franciscan Way of Life involves a Rite of Admission to the Franciscan Order, which took place for about 20 of us on September 25, 1988. Additional formation continued until our Profession Retreat and discernment of our vocation. In preparation for our Profession and formation of our Fraternity, we needed to choose a name. Fr. Richard suggested St. Maximilian Kolbe, a more recent saint and Conventual Franciscan, canonized on October 1, 1982.
On October 29, 1989, sixteen individuals completed their training and joined the Secular Franciscan Order at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC. The founding members were Lana Aumer, Josephine Hill, Jennye Taylor Johnson, Carmen Kamper, Rachel Marx, Dan McAuliffe, Kathleen McAuliffe, Beverly McDevitt, Andrea Miller, Dan Miller, Germaine Mutascio, Ann Nickerson, Mary Pollich, Dennis Thiel, Helen Viviano, and Carol Volkmar. They made their promises to the Secular Franciscan Minister of the Immaculate Conception Province with Fr. Adam Keltos, OFM Conv. Celebrating Mass as the Provincial Spiritual Assistant. This event officially established the St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity.
After our Profession, Fr. Richard Bellow announced he would appoint the first Council for one year, after which we would elect our own. The Council members appointed were: Mary Pollich – Minister; Lana Aumer – Vice Minister; Andrea Miller – Secretary; Dennis Thiel – Treasurer; and Jennye Taylor Johnson – Formation Director. Fr. Richard also served as the Spiritual Assistant. In 1994, the National Secular Franciscan Order (NAFRA) shifted from being under a Province to being divided into Regions for easier access for local Fraternities.
Over the past 35 years, we have had several Spiritual Assistants, including Fr. Richard Bellow (two separate terms), Fr. Carmelo Malacari, OFM Conv., Fr. Bob Yurgel, OFM Cap., Fr. Jude Duffy, OFM Cap., Br. Doug Soik, OFM Cap., and currently, Fr. Steve Hoyt (former OFM Cap.).
Many have joined our Fraternity to follow God’s call. During their time with us, some have made commitments, while others have left to explore different paths, some for personal reasons, and a few have even left the Catholic faith. However, we have all learned to care for one another.
One of the twenty-six rules of our Secular Franciscan Order encourages us to engage in active service. Over the years, we have participated in various activities, including making sandwiches for the homeless, preparing bag lunches at the Hal Marshall Center, cooking meals at the Salvation Army’s Center for Hope, and helping with Room in the Inn at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Advent Lutheran Church. We have also participated in the H2O project with NAFRA, assisted a mother and her children affected by AIDS through RAIN, and shared meals with AIDS patients at the House of Mercy, among other efforts.
In the earlier years, the Fraternity made a significant decision to tithe from our Common Fund, designating 10% specifically to assist those in need. This initiative initially focused on serving only the African Missions, where we successfully provided the essential funds needed for a church to be re-roofed and offered assistance in a variety of other impactful ways. Our key contact, Fr. Daniel, OFM, played a vital role in this mission, and during one of his visits to the United States, he took the time to visit our Fraternity, allowing us to strengthen our connection to the work being done overseas. At one point, our tithing percentage was remarkably increased to 20% of our Common Fund, which enabled us to expand our charitable efforts significantly to support the poor and marginalized not only abroad but also within our own communities here at home. This description provides just a brief glimpse into the rich history of our beautiful St. Maximilian Kolbe Fraternity. We remain committed to creating more history as we continually open our hearts and minds to God's guidance in discerning the best ways to serve our brothers and sisters as well as our shared earth.
On October 29, 2024, our Fraternity had the special opportunity to celebrate an impressive milestone of 35 years as a community dedicated to our shared mission and values as Secular Franciscans.
Written by jennye taylor johnson, ofs on June 13, 2022 Edited by Frances Acosta 2024
Secular Franciscans, as denoted by their designation, conduct their lives in the societal sphere rather than within religious assemblies. They may either be unmarried or wedded, of either sex, and originate from varied socioeconomic backgrounds. They adhere to the Gospel in a Franciscan manner, predicated on their distinct Rule, to which they commit following a period of introductory training. The vocation of being a Secular Franciscan is a lifelong dedication. The progression of training and Profession as a Secular Franciscan takes place within a local assembly referred to as a fraternity. The fraternity life signifies a fundamental component of the Secular Franciscan vocation. The fraternity functions as a community of love, offering a unique setting for its members to augment their comprehension of the Church and the Franciscan mission. Despite their autonomy as an Order, every Secular Franciscan fraternity is accorded spiritual guidance by a spiritual assistant, usually a friar from one of the other Franciscan Orders. The ties between Secular Franciscans and the Franciscan friars are particularly firm, given their shared roots in the Franciscan penitential tradition.
St. Francis of Assisi was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernadone around 1181 a.m. In his youth, Francis was known for his drinking and partying. He was captured and imprisoned during a battle between the cities of Perugia and Assisi. Once released, he had an encounter with the Lord when he heard the Jesus say, “Rebuild my church.” He abandoned his life of luxury and turned all his attention to service to the Lord. Through his example, he inspired men and women to join him — thus the Franciscan family began. He died on October 4, 1226 at the age of 45. Francis is considered the founder of all Franciscan orders and the patron saint of ecologists and merchants.
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s Story From Franciscan Media.org
“I don’t know what’s going to become of you!” How many parents have said that? Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s reaction was, “I prayed very hard to Our Lady to tell me what would happen to me. She appeared, holding in her hands two crowns, one white, one red. She asked if I would like to have them—one was for purity, the other for martyrdom. I said, ‘I choose both.’ She smiled and disappeared.” After that he was not the same.
He entered the minor seminary of the Conventual Franciscans in Lvív–then Poland, now Ukraine– near his birthplace, and at 16 became a novice. Though Maximilian later achieved doctorates in philosophy and theology, he was deeply interested in science, even drawing plans for rocket ships.
Ordained at 24, Maximilian saw religious indifference as the deadliest poison of the day. His mission was to combat it. He had already founded the Militia of the Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil with the witness of the good life, prayer, work, and suffering. He dreamed of and then founded Knight of the Immaculata, a religious magazine under Mary’s protection to preach the Good News to all nations. For the work of publication he established a “City of the Immaculata”—Niepokalanow—which housed 700 of his Franciscan brothers. He later founded another one in Nagasaki, Japan. Both the Militia and the magazine ultimately reached the one-million mark in members and subscribers. His love of God was daily filtered through devotion to Mary.
In 1939, the Nazi panzers overran Poland with deadly speed. Niepokalanow was severely bombed. Kolbe and his friars were arrested, then released in less than three months, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
In 1941, Fr. Kolbe was arrested again. The Nazis’ purpose was to liquidate the select ones, the leaders. The end came quickly, three months later in Auschwitz, after terrible beatings and humiliations.
A prisoner had escaped. The commandant announced that 10 men would die. He relished walking along the ranks. “This one. That one.”
As they were being marched away to the starvation bunkers, Number 16670 dared to step from the line.
“I would like to take that man’s place. He has a wife and children.”
“Who are you?”
“A priest.”
No name, no mention of fame. Silence. The commandant, dumbfounded, perhaps with a fleeting thought of history, kicked Sergeant Francis Gajowniczek out of line and ordered Fr. Kolbe to go with the nine. In the “block of death” they were ordered to strip naked, and their slow starvation began in darkness. But there was no screaming—the prisoners sang. By the eve of the Assumption, four were left alive. The jailer came to finish Kolbe off as he sat in a corner praying. He lifted his fleshless arm to receive the bite of the hypodermic needle. It was filled with carbolic acid. They burned his body with all the others. Fr. Kolbe was beatified in 1971 and canonized in 1982.
The process of becoming a professed Secular Franciscan is a journey that involves three separate stages and culminates in a lifelong commitment to live the Gospel following the example of St. Francis of Assisi. This process unfolds in regularly scheduled formation sessions during which the material is discussed.
The first stage, Orientation, provides time for dialogue and developing relationships in fraternity. During the Orientation phase, one is introduced to the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare and share in the Franciscan prayer life. Seekers will be given general information about the Secular Franciscan Order. Orientation is a time to discern if the Spirit is calling you to a Secular Franciscan vocation. The period of Orientation is a minimum of three months.
The second stage, Inquiry, is the first formal period of initiation. It is a time of in-depth study of the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare. The Inquiry phase is focused on learning about the Franciscan charism and Franciscan history. You will deepen your understanding of what it means to be secular and Franciscan, and continue to discern if the Spirit calls you to the Secular Franciscan way of life. The period of Inquiry is a minimum of six months. If a vocation is discerned, the Inquirer is received into the Order.
The third stage, Candidacy, is the final formal period of initiation. It is a time of preparing for permanent commitment by immersion into fraternity life. Central to this stage of formation is Article 4 of The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, which states, “The rule and life of the Secular Franciscan is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following Saint Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life with God and people.” The period of Candidacy is a minimum of eighteen months and culminates in a permanent commitment to the gospel life. After profession of the Rule and permanent commitment to the gospel way of life, the newly professed member joins the rest of the fraternity in “ongoing” formation.
The fourth stage, Commitment …
To be a Secular Franciscan one has to be a Catholic of good standing, single or married (your spouse agreeing). A diocesan priest can also become a Secular Franciscan, indeed a pope can be a Secular Franciscan. A practicing Catholic is one who attends Mass on Sundays weekly. Being a Secular Franciscan is a deeper commitment to your Catholic faith as a single or married person to live a Gospel-orientated life. You must be at least 18 years of age. Conditions for admission are: to profess the Catholic faith, to live in communion with the Church, to be of good moral standing, and to show clear signs of a vocation.
Secular Franciscans are just like everyone else in the way that they carry out their lives and duties. The difference is they do it with a conscious effort to embody the Gospel values, especially within their family and work life. They are typically active in their local parish, serving in various roles like lectors, Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers who often give Communion to the sick, sacristans, Parish Council members, and volunteers at St Vincent de Paul and other charities. When possible, they express their devotion to St Francis and his spirituality by helping out in soup kitchens, volunteering at hospitals, and working towards justice, peace, and preserving nature.
No, only Religious in the Church take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Secular Franciscans make a public profession to live the OFS Rule, usually during a Mass. This profession is a lifetime commitment.
Is there a Franciscan inside you?
On the first Saturday of every month
From 11:30 am-2pm