Order of Friars Minor

This article is about primarily the Observant branch of the Friars Minor, formed in 1897. For the other branches within the movement, see Franciscans.

Order of Friars Minor

Ordo Fratrum Minorum (Latin) [1]
Coat of arms of the Order of Friars Minor
Abbreviation	Post-nominal letters O.F.M.
Predecessor	Order of Observant Friars Minor
Merged into	On 4 October 1897, the Order of Discalced Friars Minor, Order of Observant Friars Minor, Order of Friars Minor Recollect, the Order of Reformed Friars Minor, et al., were merged into a single religious order named the Order of Friars Minor
Formation	24 February 1209;815 years ago (1209-02-24)
Founder	Saint Francis of Assisi
Founded at	Assisi, Italy
Type	Mendicant Order Institute of Consecrated Life - Men [1]
Legal status	Religious institute
Headquarters	General Curia Via di S. Maria Mediatrice, 2500165 Roma, Italia [1]
Membership	12,726 (8,771 priests) [1] (in 2020)
Minister General	Massimo Fusarelli
Motto	Latin: Pax et bonum English: Peace and the good
Ministry	Preaching, missionary, educational, parochial, charitable works
Parent organization	Catholic Church
Subsidiaries	Secular Franciscan Order (1221) Third Order of Saint Francis (1447)
Secessions	Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1209) Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (1520)
Website	ofm.org
Formerly called	Order of Observant Friars Minor

Francis of Assisi, founder of the Order of Friars Minor; oldest known portrait in existence of the saint, dating back to St. Francis' retreat to Subiaco (1223–1224)

The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; ^[2] postnominal abbreviation O.F.M.) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of the founder and of his main associates and followers, such as Clare of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, and Elizabeth of Hungary, among many others. The Order of Friars Minor is the largest of the contemporary First Orders within the Franciscan movement.

Francis began preaching around 1207 and traveled to Rome to seek approval of his order from Pope Innocent III in 1209. The original Rule of Saint Francis approved by the pope disallowed ownership of property, requiring members of the order to beg for food while preaching. The austerity was meant to emulate the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Franciscans traveled and preached in the streets, while boarding in church properties. The extreme poverty required of members was relaxed in the final revision of the Rule in 1223. The degree of observance required of members remained a major source of conflict within the order, resulting in numerous secessions. ^{[3] [4]}

The Order of Friars Minor, previously known as the Observant branch (postnominal abbreviation OFM Obs.), is one of the three Franciscan First Orders within the Catholic Church, the others being the Capuchins (postnominal abbreviation OFM Cap.) and Conventuals (postnominal abbreviation OFM Conv). The Order of Friars Minor, in its current form, is the result of an amalgamation of several smaller Franciscan orders (e.g. Alcantarines, Recollects, Reformanti, etc.), completed in 1897 by Pope Leo XIII. ^[5] The Capuchin and Conventual remain distinct religious institutes within the Catholic Church, observing the Rule of Saint Francis with different emphases. Franciscans are sometimes referred to as minorites or greyfriars because of their habit. In Poland and Lithuania they are known as Bernardines, after Bernardino of Siena, although the term elsewhere refers rather to Cistercians.

Name and demographics

See also: Franciscans and Franciscan spirituality in Protestantism

The "Order of Friars Minor" are commonly called simply the "Franciscans". This Order is a mendicant religious order of men that traces its origin to Francis of Assisi. ^[6] Their official Latin name is the Ordo Fratrum Minorum ^[7] Which is the name Francis gave his brotherhood. Having been born among the minorum (serfs, second class citizens), before his conversion, he aspired to move up the social ladder to the maiorum (nobles, first class citizens). After a life of conversion, the name of his brotherhood (Order of Second-Class Brothers) indicates his coming to an appreciation of his social condition on behalf of those who have no class or citizenship in society. ^[8]

The modern organization of the Friars Minor comprises several separate families or groups, each considered a religious order in its own right under its own Minister General and particular type of governance. They all live according to a body of regulations known as the Rule of St Francis. ^[6] These are:

The Order of Friars Minor

The Order of Friars Minor, known as the "Observants", most commonly simply called Franciscan friars, ^[6] official name: "Friars Minor" (OFM). ^[9] According to the 2013 Annuario Pontificio, the OFM has 2,212 communities; 14,123 members; 9,735 priests ^[10]

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin

The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin or simply Capuchins, ^[6] official name: "Friars Minor Capuchin" (OFM Cap). ^[9] it has 1,633 communities; 10,786 members; 7,057 priests ^[10]

Conventual Franciscans

The Conventual Franciscans or Minorites, ^[6] official name: "Friars Minor Conventual" (OFM Conv). ^[9] It has 667 communities; 4,289 members; 2,921 priests ^[10]

History

See also: Franciscans § History

Beginnings

A sermon on Mt 10:9 which Francis heard in 1209 made such an impression on him that he decided to fully devote himself to a life of apostolic poverty. Clad in a rough garment, barefoot, and, after the Evangelical precept, without staff or scrip, he began to preach repentance. ^[11]

The mendicant orders had long been exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop, and enjoyed (as distinguished from the secular clergy) unrestricted freedom to preach and hear confessions in the churches connected with their monasteries. This had led to endless friction and open quarrels between the two divisions of the clergy. This question was definitively settled by the Council of Trent. ^[5]

Franciscan convent at Lopud in Croatia

Separate congregations

Amid numerous dissensions in the 14th century, a number of separate observances sprang up, almost like sects (to say nothing of the heretical parties of the Beghards and Fraticelli), some of which developed within the order on both hermit and cenobitic principles. They all operated generally under the authority of the Minister General of the Order, a member of the Observant branch, but were allowed their distinct practices. They included:

• The Clareni or Clarenini, an association of hermits established on the river Clareno in the march of Ancona by Angelo da Clareno after the suppression of the Franciscan Celestines by Boniface VIII. Like several other smaller congregations, it was obliged in 1568 under Pope Pius V to unite with the general body of Observantists.
• The quasi-Observantist brothers living under the rule of the Conventual ministers (Martinianists or "Observantes sub ministris"), such as the Colletans--formed under the guidance of Colette of Corbie and led by Boniface de Ceva in their reform attempts principally in France and Germany;
• The reformed congregation founded in 1426 by the Spaniard Philip de Berbegal and distinguished by the special importance they attached to the little hood (cappuciola);
• The Neutri, a group of reformers originating about 1463 in Italy, who tried to take a middle ground between the Conventuals and Observantists, but refused to obey the heads of either, until they were compelled by the pope to affiliate with the regular Observantists, or with those of the Common Life;
• The Caperolani, a congregation founded about 1470 in North Italy by Pietro Caperolo, but dissolved on the death of its founder in 1481;
• The Amadist friars, established by Amadeus of Portugal in 1472, the same year that he was selected to serve as the confessor to the pope. The Holy See entrusted him with the Church of San Pietro in Minotorio to serve as the motherhouse of his growing reform movement. They existed until 1568, when they were merged into the Observant branch of the Order.

Franciscan Church from 15th century in Przeworsk, Poland

Rule on property

A difference of opinion developed in the community concerning the interpretation of the rule regarding property. The Observants held to a strict interpretation that the friars may not hold any property either individually nor communally. The literal and unconditional observance of this was rendered impracticable by the great expansion of the order, its pursuit of learning, and the accumulated property of the large cloisters in the towns. Regulations were drafted by which all alms donated were held by custodians appointed by the Holy See, who would make distributions upon request. It was John XXII who had introduced Conventualism in the sense of community of goods, income, and property as in other religious orders, in contradiction to Observantism or the strict observance of the rule. Pope Martin V, in the Brief Ad statum of 23 August 1430, allowed the Conventuals to hold property like all other orders. ^[5]

Attempted union between branches

Projects for a union between the two main branches of the order were put forth not only by the Council of Constance but by several popes, without any positive result. By direction of Pope Martin V, John of Capistrano drew up statutes which were to serve as a basis for reunion, and they were actually accepted by a general chapter at Assisi in 1430; but the majority of the Conventual houses refused to agree to them, and they remained without effect.

Equally unsuccessful were the attempts of the Franciscan Pope Sixtus IV, who bestowed a vast number of privileges on both original mendicant orders, but by this very fact lost the favor of the Observants and failed in his plans for reunion. Julius II succeeded in doing away with some of the smaller branches, but left the division of the two great parties untouched. This division was finally legalized by Leo X, after a general chapter held in Rome in 1517, in connection with the reform movement of the Fifth Lateran Council, had once more declared the impossibility of reunion. Leo X summoned on 11 July 1516 a general chapter to meet at Rome on the feast of Pentecost 31 May 1517. This chapter suppressed all the reformed congregations and annexed them to the Observants; it then declared the Observants an independent order, and separated them completely from the Conventuals. ^[5] The less strict principles of the Conventuals, permitting the possession of real estate and the enjoyment of fixed revenues, were recognized as tolerable, while the Observants, in contrast to this usus moderatus, were held strictly to their own usus arctus or pauper.

Unification

All of the groups that followed the Franciscan Rule literally were united to the Observants, and the right to elect the Minister General of the Order, together with the seal of the order, was given to the group united under the Observants. This grouping, since it adhered more closely to the rule of the founder, was allowed to claim a certain superiority over the Conventuals. The Observant general (elected now for six years, not for life) inherited the title of "Minister-General of the Whole Order of St. Francis" and was granted the right to confirm the choice of a head for the Conventuals, who was known as "Master-General of the Friars Minor Conventual"—although this privilege never became practically operative.

In 1875, the Kulturkampf expelled the majority of the German Franciscans, most of whom settled in North America. ^[5]

The habit and the French name Cordeliers

The habit has been gradually changed in colour and certain other details. Its colour, which was at first grey or a medium brown, is now a dark brown. The dress, which consists of a loose-sleeved gown, is confined by a white cord, from which is hung, since the fifteenth century, the Seraphic Rosary with its seven decades. Sandals are substituted for shoes. Around the neck and over the shoulders hangs the cowl. ^[5]

The habit of referring to the Francisans as Cordeliers in France is said to date back to the Seventh Crusade, when Louis IX asked who the particularly zealous monks pursuing Saracens were, and was told they were "de cordes liés". Upon the crusaders return to France, the name became part of the language. ^[12]

Notable friars

Saints and Beati

Francis of Assisi, the Seraphic Father

Berard of Carbio and his four companions, the Seraphic Protomartyrs

Antony of Padua and the Miracle of the Mule

Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor

Triumph of Bernardino of Siena in The Aracoeli in Rome

Arranged according to date of celebration which is marked in brackets.

Canonized

• Francis of Assisi, d. 3 October 1226. Seraphic Patriarch or Seraphic Father, mystic, missionary, and founder:
  • (4 October - principal Feast)
  • (17 September - commemoration of the Stigmata); ^[13]
• Charles of Sezze, d. 1670 (6 Jan.); ^[14]
• Tommaso da Cori, d. 1729 (11 Jan.) ^[14]
• Berard of Carbio, d. 1220, martyred with four companions, Peter, Otho, Accursius, and Adjutus, The Seraphic Protomartyrs (16 Jan.); ^[15]
• 26 Martyrs of Japan, including the Franciscan missionaries Philip of Jesus, Francisco Blanco, and Gonzalo Garcia, d. 1597, martyred at Nagasaki (5 Feb.); ^[16]
• John Joseph of the Cross, d. 1734 (5 March); ^[17]
• Benedict the Moor, d. 1589 (3 April); ^[18]
• Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancourt, d. 1667 (25 April);
• Frei Galvão, d. 1822, first Brazilian-born saint (11 May); ^[19]
• Peter Regalda, d 1456 (13 May); ^[20]
• Paschal Baylon, d. 1592 (17 May); ^[21]
• Theophilus of Corte, d. 1740 (19 May);
• Bernardino of Siena, d. 1444 (20 May); ^[22]
• Anthony of Padua, d. 1231 (13 June); ^[23]
• Nicholas Pieck, Godfried Coart, and Anthony of Weert and 8 of the other Martyrs of Gorkum, d. 1572, (9 July); ^[24]
• Bonaventure, d. 1274, early Franciscan scholar and Doctor of the Church known as the Seraphic Doctor (15 July); ^[25]
• Szymon of Lipnica, d. 1482 (18 July); ^[5]
• Francis Solanus, d. 1610, Apostle of South America (24 July); ^[26]
• Louis of Toulouse, d. 1297, Bishop of Toulouse (19 Aug.); ^[27]
• Junipero Serra, d. 1784, Apostle of California (28 Aug.); ^[28]
• Pacificus of San Severino, d. 1721 (25 Sept.); ^[29]
• Peter of Alcantara., d. 1562 (19 Oct.); ^[30]
• John of Capistrano, d. 1456 (23 Oct.); ^[31]
• Didacus of Alcalá (Diego), d. 1463 (12 Nov.); ^[32]
• Nicholas Tavelic, d. 1391 (14 Nov.);
• Leonard of Port Maurice, d. 1751 (26 Nov.); ^[33]
• James of the Marches (Monteprandone), d. 1476 (28 Nov.); ^[34]
• Humilis of Bisignano, d. 1637 (5 Dec.). ^[35]

Beatified

Brother Giles before the Pope, Murillo

Francis of Assisi and Brother Leo in Meditation, El Greco

Blessed John Duns Scotus, van Ghent

The Nagasaki Martyrs

• Gabriele Allegra, d. 1976 (26 Jan);
• Odoric of Pordenone, d. 1331 (3 Feb.); ^[14]
• Angelo Tancredi, d. 1258, one of the companions of St Francis of Assisi (13 Feb.);
• The Blessed Martyrs of Prague, d. 1611 (15 Feb.);
• Tommaso da Cori, d. 1720 (28 Feb.); ^[36]
• Johannes Laurentius Weiss and companions, d. 1716, martyred in Gondar, Ethiopia (4 March);
• Salvator of Horta, d. 1567 (18 March); ^[5]
• John of Parma, d. 1289 (20 March); ^[37]
• Thomas of Tolentino, d. 1321, martyred in Further India (9 April); ^[5]
• Angelo Carletti di Chivasso, d. 1495 (12 April); ^[38]
• Andrés Hibernón Real, d. 1602 (18 April);
• Conrad of Ascoli, d. 1290, (19 April); ^[39]
• Giles of Assisi, d. 1262, early companion of Francis of Assisi (23 April);
• Agnellus of Pisa, d. 1236, (8 May); ^[40]
• Francis of Fabriano, d. 1322 (14 May); ^[41]
• John Forest, d. 1538, martyred at Smithfield in London (22 May); ^[42]
• Juan de Prado, d. 1631, martyred in Marrakesh (24 May);
• Pacificus of Ceredano, d. 1482 (5 June); ^[43]
• Bernard of Quintavalle, d. 1241, the first follower of St Francis of Assisi (10 July);
• Frédéric Janssoone, d. 1916 (5 Aug.);
• John of La Verna, d. c.1325 (9 Aug.); ^[44]
• Amadeus of Portugal, d. 1482 (12 Aug.);
• Albert Berdini of Sarteano, d. 1450, The King of Preachers, (15 Aug.);
• Luis Sotelo & Ludovicus Sasada, d. 1624, martyred in Ōmura, Nagasaki (25 Aug.);
• John of Perugia and Peter of Sassoferrato, d. 1231, martyred at Valencia in Spain (3 Sept.); ^[5]
• Gentile of Matelica, d. 1340, martyred at Tabriz in Persia (7 Sept); ^[45]
• Apollinaris Franco with thirty-nine companions of the First and Third Orders, d. 1617–32, martyred in Japan (12 Sept); ^[5]
• Bernardine of Feltre, d. 1494 (28 Sept.); ^[46]
• John Duns Scotus, d. 1308, philosopher and theologian of the High Middle Ages (8 Nov);
• Brother Leo, d. 1258, one of the favorite companions of St Francis of Assisi (15 Nov.);
• Conrad of Offida, d. 1306 (19 Dec.); ^[47]
• Nicolás Factor, d. 1583 (23 Dec.).

Friars declared Venerable or Servant of God

• Juniper of Assisi, d. 1258 (29 Jan.);
• Sylvester of Assisi, d. 1240 (6 March);
• Antonio Margil, d. 1726 (8 Aug.);
• Francesco Gonzaga, d. 1620;
• Thomas of Celano, d. 1265.

Missionaries

In China, Mongolia, India, and the Far East

• Stephen of Bohemia (d. 1247)
• William of Rubruck (d. unknown, late 13th cent)
• John of Montecorvino (d. 1328)
• James of Ireland (d. 1330)
• Juan de Plasencia (d. 1590)
• Martín Ignacio de Loyola (d. 1606)
• Melchor Oyanguren de Santa Inés (d. 1747)
• Mei Zhanchun, martyr (d. 1923)
• Salesius Lemmens (d. 1942)
• Cyrillus Jarre (d. 1952)

In North Africa and the Middle East

Francis of Assisi and Illuminatus of Arce before the sultan. Fresco by Giotto.

• Illuminatus of Arce (d. c.1260-66)
• Angelo of Tolentino (d. unknown, after 1289)
• Mark of Montelupone (d. unknown, after 1292)
• Pietro da Macerata (d. 1307)
• Angelo da Clareno (d. 1337)
• Francesco Suriano (d. unknown, after 1512)
• Elzear Horn (d. 1744)
• Frediano Giannini (d. 1939)
• Alberto Gori (d. 1970)
• Jean Mohamed Ben Abdeljlil (d. 1979)
• Francesco Patton (born 1963)

In North America

Denis Jamay in 1615

• Denis Jamet (d. 1625)
• Nicolas Viel (d. 1625)
• Joseph Le Caron (d. 1632)
• Gabriel Sagard (d. 1636)
• Jean Dolbeau (d. 1652)
• Zenobius Membre (d. c.1687)
• Chrestien Le Clercq (d. unclear, after 1691)
• Louis Hennepin (d. 1704)
• José María de Zalvidea (d. 1846)
• John Dalton (d. 1869)
• Pamfilo of Magliano (d. 1876)
• Anselm Weber (d. 1921)
• Anton Docher (d. 1928)

In South and Central America

See also: List of missionaries to New Spain § Franciscans

Francis Solanus, Apostle of South America, with a native of Tucuman

Junipero Serra, Apostle of California

Fermín de Lasuén, founder of Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz in California

• Juan de Tecto (d. 1526)
• Juan Juárez (d. 1528)
• Martín de Valencia, leader of the Twelve Apostles of Mexico (d. 1534)
• Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo (d. unclear, c.1540)
• Francisco de Soto (d. 1563)
• Toribio de Benavente (d. 1565)
• Pedro de Aguado (d. unclear, c.1589-1608)
• Alonso de San Buenaventura (d. 1594)
• Francisco Pareja (d. 1628)
• Martín de Arvide, martyr (d. 1630 or 32, 27 Feb)
• Alonso de Benavides (d. 1635)
• Juan Coronel (d. 1651)
• Tomás Manso (d. 1659)
• Alonso de Posada (d. unknown, late 17th early 18th century)
• Francisco de Ayeta (d. unclear, c.1689-1690)
• Antonio de Olivares (d. 1722)
• Isidro de Espinosa (d. 1755)
• Luis Jayme (d. 1775)
• Juan Crespí, companion of Junipero Serra (d. 1782)
• Francisco Palóu, founder of San Francisco (d. 1789)
• Juan de Santa Gertrudis (d. 1799)
• Fermín de Lasuén, founder of Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz in California (d. 1803)
• José Francisco de Paula Señan (d. 1823)
• Francisco García Diego y Moreno (d. 1846)
• José González Rubio (d. 1875)
• Odorico D'Andrea (d. 1990)
• Mariano Gagnon (d. 2017)

In Sub-Saharan Africa

• Giacomo Bini (d. 2014)
• Tadeusz Kusy (d. 2024)

In the South Pacific

• Patrick Geoghegan (d. 1864)
• Laurence Sheil (d. 1872)
• Ottavio Barsanti (d. 1884)
• Charles Horan (d. 1900)

Prelates

Bishops

Venerable Francesco Gonzaga, Bishop of Mantua

• John Pecham (d. 1292)
• Bonaventura Secusio (d. 1618)
• Francesco Gonzaga (d. 1620)
• Domenico Giordani (d. 1640)
• Dionysius O'Driscoll (d. 1650)
• Teofilo Testa (d. 1695)
• Fernando Cardiñanos (d. 1794)
• Michael Anthony Fleming (d. 1850)
• Enrico Carfagnini (d. 1904)
• Nicolás Armentia Ugarte (d. 1909)
• Rémy-Louis Leprêtre (d. 1961)
• Settimio Ferrazzetta (d. 1999)
• Benedict D. Coscia (d. 2008)
• Michael Lenihan (born 1951)
• Francis Xavier Yu Soo-il (born 1945)

Cardinals

Nicholas IV, first Franciscan pope

Sixtus IV, second Franciscan pope

• Pasteur de Sarrats (d. 1356)
• Fortanerius Vassalli (d. 1361)
• Guillaume Farinier (d. 1361)
• Marcus of Viterbo (d. 1369)
• Thomas of Frignano (d. 1381)
• Hélie de Bourdeilles (d. 1484)
• Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros (d. 1517)
• Cristoforo Numai (d. 1528)
• Francisco de Quiñones (d. 1540)
• Lorenzo Cozza (d. 1729)
• Cirilo de Alameda y Brea (d. 1872)
• Juan Landázuri Ricketts (d. 1997)
• Bernardino Echeverría Ruiz (d. 2000)
• Aloísio Lorscheider
• László Paskai (d. 2015)
• Alexandre José Maria dos Santos (d. 2021)
• Carlos Amigo Vallejo (d. 2022)
• Cláudio Hummes (d. 2022)
• Wilfrid Napier (born 1941)
• Leonardo Ulrich Steiner (born 1950)
• Pierbattista Pizzaballa (born 1965)

Popes

• Pope Nicholas IV (d. 1292)
• Pope Sixtus IV (d. 1484)
• Pope Sixtus V (d. 1590)

Scholars

Anthropologists

• Niccolò da Poggibonsi (d. unknown, late 14th cent.)
• Pedro Simón (d. 1628)
• José Arlegui (d. 1750)
• Gerónimo Boscana (d. 1831)

Historians

Paolino Veneto's map of the world from his Compendium (BNF lat. 4939)

Giovanni Giocondo

• Albert of Stade (d. 1260)
• Thomas Tuscus (d. 1282)
• Salimbene di Adam (d. c.1290)
• Paolino Veneto (d. 1344)
• Giovanni Giocondo (d. 1515)
• Henricus Sedulius (d. 1621)
• Patrick Fleming (d. 1631)
• Aodh Buidhe Mac an Bhaird (d. 1635)
• Luke Wadding (d. 1657)
• John Colgan (d. 1658)
• Diogo das Chagas (d. 1661)
• Martin Valvekens (d. 1682)
• Francis Harold (d. 1685)
• Anthony Parkinson (d. 1728)
• Pamfilo of Magliano (d. 1876)
• Maynard Geiger (d. 1977)

Philosophers and theologians

Alexander of Hales

William of Ockham

Nicholas of Lyre

Bonaventure Baron, O.F.M.

• Haymo of Faversham (d. 1244)
• Alexander of Hales (d. 1245)
• John of Rupella (d. 1245)
• John of La Rochelle (d. 1245)
• Hugh of Digne (d. 1285)
• Matthew of Aquasparta (d. 1289)
• John Pecham (d. 1292)
• Richard of Middleton (d. c. 1300)
• John Marchesinus (d. unknown, early 14th century)
• Petrus Aureoli (d. 1322)
• Francis Mayron (d. 1327)
• William of Ockham (d. 1347)
• Nicholas of Lyra (d. 1349)
• Peter of Aquila (d. 1361)
• Arnald of Sarrant (d. 1382 or later)
• Francesc Eiximenis (d. 1409)
• Robert Colman (d. 1428)
• Robert de Finingham (d. 1460)
• Nicolas d'Orbellis (d. 1475)
• François Rabelais (d. 1553)
• Jean Benedicti
• François Feuardent (d. 1610)
• John Barnewall (d. 1650)
• Francis Bermingham (d. after 1652)
• Juan Bautista
• John Punch (d. 1661)
• Pedro d'Alva y Astorga (d. 1667)
• Mathias Hauzeur (d. 1676)
• Peter Valesius Walsh (d. 1688)
• Bonaventure Baron (d. 1696)
• Herman Van Breda (d. 1974)

Scientists, polymaths, and mathematicians

Fra Pacioli and his collaborator Leonardo de Vinci

Friar Bacon in his observatory at Merton College

• Pedro Gallego (d. 1276)
• Roger Bacon, key father of modern empirical science (d. c. 1292)
• Vitello (d. unclear, 1280 or 1314)
• Juan Gil de Zamora (d. 1320)
• William of Ockham (d.1347)
• Giovanni di Casali (d. after 1374)
• Berthold Schwarz (d. unknown, late 14th cent)
• Luca Pacioli (d. 1517)
• Juan Bermudo, mathematician, composer, and musician (d. 1565)
• Vincenzo Coronelli (d. 1718)
• José Torrubia (d. 1761)

Spiritual writers

• Bonaventure, early Franciscan scholar, saint (Feast 15th July), and Doctor of the Church (d. 1274)
• Thomas of Celano (d. 1265)
• Thomas of Hales (d. unknown, late 13th cent.)
• Ugolino Brunforte (d. 1409)
• Francesc Eiximenis (d. 1409)
• António das Chagas (d. 1682)
• Pál Bajai, 18th century friar and writer
• Richard Rohr (born 1943)

See also

• List of ministers general of the Order of Friars Minor
• Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities

References

Notes

1. "Order of Friars Minor (Institute of Consecrated Life - Men) [Catholic-Hierarchy]".
2. "Seraphic Order", New Catholic Dictionary. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
3. "Franciscans, Religious Order". Encyclopaedia Britannica. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
4. "Saint Francis of Assisi, Italian Saint". Encyclopædia Britannica. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
5.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Bihl, Michael (1909). "Order of Friars Minor". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
6. "The rule of the Franciscan Order from the Medieval Sourcebook". Fordham.edu. 1999-09-22. Archived from the original on 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
7. Paschal Robinson (1913). "Order of Friars Minor"  . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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Sources

Books

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• Arnald of Sarrant (2010). Chronicle of the Twenty-Four Generals of the Order of Friars Minor. Translated by Noel Muscat. Malta: TAU Franciscan Communications. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
• Burr, David (2010). Spiritual Franciscans: From Protest to Persecution in the Century After Saint Francis. University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN   978-0-271-04138-4 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Camps, Arnulf; McCloskey, Patrick (1995). The Friars Minor in China (1294-1955): Especially the Years 1925-55, Based on the Research of Friars Bernward Willeke and Domenico Gandolfi, OFM. History series. Vol. 10. Franciscan Institute Publications. ISBN   978-1-57659-002-7 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Carmody, Maurice (1994). The Leonine Union of the Order of Friars Minor: 1897. History series. Vol. 8. Franciscan Institute Publications. ISBN   978-1-57659-084-3 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Carmody, Maurice (2008). The Franciscan Story. Athena Press. ISBN   978-1-84748-141-2 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Cotter, Francis J. (1994). Roberta A. McKelvie (ed.). The Friars Minor in Ireland from their arrival to 1400. History series. Vol. 7. Franciscan Institute Publications. ISBN   978-1-57659-083-6 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Couturier, David B. (2007). The Fraternal Economy: A Pastoral Psychology of Franciscan Economics. Cloverdale Books. ISBN   978-1-929569-23-6 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Daniel, E. Randolph (1992). The Franciscan Concept of Mission in the High Middle Ages. Franciscan Pathways Series. Franciscan Institute Publications. ISBN   978-1-57659-065-2 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Esser, Kajetan (1970). Origins of the Franciscan Order. Franciscan Herald Press. ISBN   978-0-8199-0408-9 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Flood, David; Matura, Thaddée (1975). The Birth of a Movement: A Study of the First Rule of St. Francis. Franciscan Herald Press. ISBN   978-0-8199-0567-3 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Francis of Assisi (1982). Francis and Clare: The Complete Works. Classics of Western spirituality. Translated by Regis J. Armstrong and Ignatius C. Brady. New York: Paulist Press. ISBN   978-0809124466 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Francis of Assisi. Armstrong, Regis J.; Hellmann, J. A. Wayne; Short, William J. (eds.). Francis of Assisi: Early Documents.—4 volumes
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• Gilliat-Smith, Ernest (1914). Saint Clare of Assisi: her life and legislation. London: J.M. Dent & Sons, Ltd. p.  160. ISBN   978-0665656316 . Retrieved 31 May 2016.
• Lawrence, C.H. (2015). Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. Medieval World Series (4th ed.). Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-50467-2 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Lynch, Cyprian J. (1988). A Poor Man's Legacy: An Anthology of Franciscan Poverty. Franciscan Pathways Series. Franciscan Institute. ISBN   978-1-57659-069-0 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
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• Moorman, John Richard Humpidge (1983). Medieval Franciscan houses. History series. Vol. 4. Franciscan Institute Publications. ISBN   978-1-57659-079-9 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Moorman, John Richard Humpidge (1988). A History of the Franciscan Order: From Its Origins to the Year 1517. Franciscan Herald Press. ISBN   978-0-8199-0921-3 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Osborne, Kenan B. (1994). The History of Franciscan Theology. Franciscan Institute Publications. ISBN   978-1-57659-032-4 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Senocak, Neslihan (2012). The Poor and the Perfect: the rise of learning in the Franciscan order, 1209-1310 . Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-0-8014-6471-3 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.—Shows how Franciscans shifted away from an early emphasis on poverty and humility and instead emphasized educational roles
• Sharp, Dorothea Elizabeth (1966). Franciscan Philosophy at Oxford in the Thirteenth Century. British Society of Franciscan Studies. Vol. 16. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-576-99216-9 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.
• Thomson, Williell R. (1975). Friars in the Cathedral: The First Franciscan Bishops 1226-1261. Studies and texts. Vol. 33. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. ISBN   9780888440334. ISSN   0082-5328 . Retrieved 31 May 2016.
• White, Joseph M. (2004). Peace and good in America: a history of Holy Name Province Order of Friars Minor, 1850s to the present (Illustrated ed.). Holy Name Province OFM. ISBN   978-1-57659-196-3 . Retrieved 30 May 2016.

Articles

• Halevi, Masha (2012). "Between Faith and Science: Franciscan Archaeology in the Service of the Holy Places". Middle Eastern Studies. 48 (2): 249–267. doi:10.1080/00263206.2012.653139. S2CID   144234605.
• Schmucki, Oktavian (2000). "Die Regel des Johannes von Matha und die Regel des Franziskus von Assisi. Ähnlichkeiten und Eigenheiten. Neue Beziehungen zum Islam". In Cipollone, Giulio (ed.). La Liberazione dei 'Captivi' tra Cristianità e Islam: Oltre la Crociata e il Gihad: Tolleranza e Servizio Umanitario. Collectanea Archivi Vaticani. Vol. 46. Vatican City: Archivio Segreto Vaticano. pp. 219–244.

External links

• Order of Friars Minor – official website
• Digital Franciscans – extensive list of Franciscan internet resources
• Franciscan authors, 13th–18th century
• Online guide to the Academy of American Franciscan History Microfilm Collection, 1526–1972 – collection by The Bancroft Library
• Luke Wadding Papers – correspondence relating to Luke Wadding OFM and the Irish Friars Minor at St. Isidore's College, Rome, on ecclesiastical and political matters; and concerning his interests as historian of the Franciscan Order
• Franciscan Faith: Sacred Art in Ireland 1600–1750 – permanent exhibition of church silver in the National Museum of Ireland
• W. J. Górczyk, Brief History of the Church and Former Reformati Order's Monastery in Węgrów Franciscans – Reformati of Poland.