What Is a Franciscan? Everything You Need to Know About t...

The Franciscans were founded in 1209 by Saint Francis of Assisi and approved a year later by Pope Innocent III. The rule and way of life of the Friars Minor is to “observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” A Franciscan is a religious who follows Christ in the manner of Saint Francis of Assisi to strive for holiness through the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Like the Dominicans, Franciscans belong to the mendicant orders. They may or may not be priests. Present on all five continents, Franciscans are organized into Provinces, each of which is autonomous.

What is a Franciscan friar?

A Franciscan friar is a religious who has decided to follow Christ in the manner of Saint Francis of Assisi. To do so, he joins one of the three Franciscan families: the Order of Friars Minor, the Capuchin Friars Minor, or the Conventual Friars Minor. A Franciscan lives a communal life with other friars within the same friary, or sometimes in a hermitage. A Franciscan’s life is divided between contemplative life, communal life, and mission (apostolic life). A Franciscan friar belongs to a Province and may be assigned to different convents within the Province throughout his life, or even be seconded to another Province, with the agreement of both provincials. A Franciscan is therefore a man who is mobile for the sake of the mission. A Franciscan, like most religious, takes three vows: those of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Generally, more than half of Franciscans are priests, while the rest are lay brothers.

What are the main male Franciscan branches?

As we saw earlier, the Franciscans consist of three main branches: the Order of Friars Minor, the Capuchins, and the Conventuals.

The Order of Friars Minor (O.F.M.)

The Franciscan Friars Minor are not monks, although there is a certain emphasis on prayer and the hermitic life. They are both contemplative and apostolic. All members are called brothers, even though they may be priests. Franciscans are called to live a life of poverty, simplicity, humility, justice, peace, and joy, and to marvel at God, at people, and at all of creation. They belong to a Province that may encompass one or more countries (in 2023, for example, the Province of France is grouped with Belgium). A Province, led by a provincial, comprises houses called convents, where several brothers live together under a superior known as a guardian.

As in religious life, the stages often begin with a time of discovery, followed by the postulancy, the novitiate, temporary vows, and finally perpetual vows.

The Capuchins

The Capuchins are religious of the Order of St. Francis of Assisi, like the Franciscan Friars and the Conventuals.

They live out the Gospel according to Franciscan spirituality. They also live in communities. Prayer and contemplation are important aspects of their lives, along with their missionary commitments. They are present on all five continents with several provinces, such as the Province of France.

Chapter I, Article II of their Constitution states: “That we may fulfill our gospel calling in the Church and the world fruitfully, let us faithfully strive to lead an apostolic life that embraces contemplation and activity, imitating Jesus Who spent His life unceasingly in prayer and in the work of salvation. (…) In this way our entire life of prayer will be imbued with an apostolic spirit while all our apostolic activity will be fashioned by the spirit of prayer.” (No. 13).

The Friars Minor Conventual are recognizable by their black hooded tunic. However, they may also be seen wearing a traditional gray habit in “warm” countries.

They operate an international university, the Saint Bonaventure Faculty of Theology, in Rome. As of 2023, in France, they have a presence in Cholet, Lourdes, Narbonne, and Tarbes. They emphasize prayer, the joy of poverty, praise as a way of life, and brotherhood, and they place the Holy Spirit at the center of their lives. Cardinal François Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio, is a member of this order.

The Other Franciscan Branches

In addition to the Franciscan Friars Minor, the Capuchins, and the Conventuals—which are the main male branches—the Franciscan family also includes:

• Female religious communities:  the Contemplative Poor Clares, the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, the Franciscan Sisters of the Propagation of the Faith, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, etc.
• New Franciscan communities: such as the Franciscans of the Bronx (Community of Franciscan Brothers of Renewal) or the Franciscans of Emmanuel based in Montreal and Cameroon.
• Secular Franciscan fraternities, which enable laypeople to live out the Franciscan spirituality and to come together for times of prayer, sharing of life, formation, and deepening of the Franciscan spirituality.

Charisms and Spirituality of the Franciscans

The charisms of a Franciscan are primarily contemplation, fraternal life, and mission. He follows Christ in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi in humility—specifically referred to as “minority.”

Contemplation

Franciscans practice prayer and contemplation in all their forms: contemplation of nature and creation, of people, and so on. The hermitage is a means for them to live out this contemplation by withdrawing into solitude in a place, whether for a few days or for a much longer period.

Fraternal Life

Fraternal life is at the heart of Franciscan life. Each brother normally lives in community, with some exceptions. The brothers are called to share the joys and sorrows of their own lives and of the world, to carry out their mission, to forgive one another, and so on.

The Mission

The brothers are called to live out the mission—that is, the apostolic life. Following in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Gospel of Christ, their ministry involves a preferential option for the poor.

Minority means, in particular, living one’s relationships without considering oneself superior to others, for example by practicing service and fraternity, in the image of Christ the Servant. Pope Francis reminded the Franciscans in an address that they “must not claim ‘rights,’ but must love their brothers and sisters with respect, understanding, and mercy.” 

Ministries and Apostolates of the Franciscans

Whether they are Franciscan Friars Minor, Capuchins, or Conventuals, the following are examples of the apostolates to which they are called:

• Hospital and prison chaplaincy
• Support for the homeless
• Leading groups
• Support for Secular Franciscan Fraternities
• Spiritual guidance
• Preaching retreats
• Research and teaching
• Parishes (within their monasteries)
• The Holy Land: The Holy See has entrusted them with the care of the Holy Places since 1342. Approximately 400 friars belong to the Custody of the Holy Land.

How does one become a Franciscan?

A man who feels called to the Franciscan religious life can, of course, contact the Franciscans. He will need to discern whether to contact the Franciscan Friars Minor, the Conventual Franciscans, or the Capuchin Friars Minor. Initially, the activities offered by the youth ministry allow one to learn more about the Franciscan charism and to meet a friar.

Next comes the stage where someone interested in Franciscan life can be a “visitor.”  This stage allows him to continue living his normal life (studies or work) while visiting fraternities and meeting friars. After this initial stage, the candidate for Franciscan life can become a postulant. This is the postulancy stage, during which the candidate lives for one year in a Franciscan fraternity.

After the postulancy, there is the novitiate, followed by temporary profession, which generally lasts three to six years. If the calling is confirmed, temporary profession leads to solemn profession—that is, a lifelong commitment.

What can the Franciscans offer us?

The Franciscans can offer us various things, such as simplicity, the importance of contemplation, and the constant pursuit of peace and joy.

Simplicity

Through their simple way of life, Franciscans can teach us to live with moderation. Possessing material goods is not bad in itself—it is necessary to have them—but our attachment to them must be reasonable, especially since the Word of God tells us that on the day of our earthly death, “to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

Contemplation

For the Franciscans, contemplation is not only synonymous with prayer but also with contemplating all of Creation. Do we take the time to marvel at all of Creation—nature, people, and so on? Rooted in the hermitage tradition—this ability to withdraw to secluded places like the countryside in search of solitude—the Franciscans can also remind us of the importance of taking time to seek out and contemplate Christ everywhere and in every place.

The Search for Peace and Joy

“Peace and joy!” is an expression often used by the Friars Minor. These three words can simply remind us that this is what we are called to do in our lives: to find peace and joy in all circumstances, and that one person has shown us how to attain it: Christ himself. It is therefore through our faithfulness to God and to Christ that we can more easily attain peace and joy. To this end, let us remain faithful to our baptismal promises.

Franciscan Saints to Discover

In addition to Saint Francis of Assisi, let’s discover other Franciscan saints, such as:

• Saint Angela of Foligno, a tertiary member of the Third Order
• Saint Anthony of Padua
• Saint Bernardine of Siena, a Franciscan of the Order of Friars Minor Observant
• Saint Bonaventure, a Franciscan Friar Minor
• Saint John of Capistrano
• Saint Joseph of Cupertino

Peace and Joy with Hozana and the Franciscans!

With Hozana and the Franciscans, let us live in peace and joy with Christ.

Let us follow the example of the Franciscans by first grounding ourselves in contemplation. To this end, we offer several resources, such as a short meditation on the Gospel of the day, the daily Mass readings, or suggestions for daily prayer.