Order of Friars Minor

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Order of Friars Minor
Ordo Fratrum Minorum (Latin) [1]
AbbreviationPost-nominal letters OFM
PredecessorOrder of Observant Friars Minor
Merged intoOn October 4, 1897, the Order of Discalced Friars Minor, Order of Observant Friars Minor, Order of Friars Minor Recollect and the Order of Reformed Friars Minor were merged into a single religious order named the Order of Friars Minor
FormationFebruary 24, 1209;815 years ago (1209-02-24)
Founder Saint Francis of Assisi
Founded at Assisi, Italy
TypeMendicant Order Institute of Consecrated Life - Men [1]
Legal status Religious institute
HeadquartersGeneral Curia
Via di S. Maria Mediatrice, 2500165 Roma, Italia [1]
Membership (2020)
12,726 (8,771 priests) [1]
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) StFrancis part.jpg
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 (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; [2] postnominal abbreviation OFM) 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.

Contents

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

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]

Third Order Regular of Saint Francis

Third Order Regular of Saint Francis (TOR): 176 communities; 870 members; 576 priests [10]

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 Franciscan monastery Lopud.JPG
Franciscan convent at Lopud in Croatia

Separate congregations

Amid numerous dissensions in the 14th century, a number of separate congregations sprang up, almost of 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.

Franciscan Church from 15th century in Przeworsk, Poland Kosciol sw. Barbary w Przeworsku fasada1.jpg
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]

Saints and beati

Canonized

Beatified

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franciscans</span> Group of religious orders within the Catholic Church

The Franciscans are a group of related mendicant religious orders of the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi, these orders include three independent orders for men, orders for nuns such as the Order of Saint Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis open to male and female members. They adhere 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. Several smaller Protestant Franciscan orders or other groups have been established since late 1800's as well, particularly in the Anglican and Lutheran traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Friars Minor Capuchin</span> Religious order of Franciscan friars

The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three "First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant, the other being the Conventuals (OFMConv). Franciscans reformed as Capuchins in 1525 with the purpose of regaining the original Habit (tunic) of St. Francis of Assisi and also for returning to a stricter observance of the rule established by Francis of Assisi in 1209.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas of Celano</span> Italian Franciscan friar and writer

Thomas of Celano was an Italian friar of the Franciscans as well as a poet and the author of three hagiographies about Francis of Assisi.

The Fraticelli or Spiritual Franciscans opposed changes to the rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty, and regarded the wealth of the Church as scandalous, and that of individual churchmen as invalidating their status. The Fraticelli were declared heretical in 1296 by Boniface VIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph of Cupertino</span> Italian Franciscan friar

Joseph of Cupertino (Copertino), OFM Conv. (Italian: Giuseppe da Copertino; 17 June 1603 – 18 September 1663) was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian mystic and saint. According to traditional Franciscan accounts, he was "remarkably unclever", but experienced miraculous levitation and ecstatic visions throughout his life which made him the object of scorn. He applied to the Conventual Franciscan friars, but was rejected due to his lack of education. He then pleaded with them to serve in their stables. After several years of working there, he had impressed the friars so much with the devotion and simplicity of his life that he was admitted to their Order, destined to become a Catholic priest, in 1625.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Friars Minor Conventual</span> Branch of the Catholic Order of Friars Minor, founded by Francis of Assisi in 1209

The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M.Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M.Conv. after their names. They are also known as Conventual Franciscans or Minorites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brother Leo</span> Disciple of Francis of Assisi

Brother Leo was the favorite disciple, secretary and confessor of Francis of Assisi. The dates of his birth and of his becoming a Franciscan are not known; a native of Assisi, he was one of the small group of most trusted companions of the saint during his last years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berard of Carbio</span> Christian saint

Berard of Carbio was a thirteenth-century Franciscan friar who was executed in Morocco for attempting to promote Christianity. He and his companions, Peter, Otho, Accursius, and Adjutus, are venerated as Catholic saints and considered the Franciscan Protomartyrs. Expelled from the kingdom twice, they returned each time and continued to preach against Islam. In anger and frustration, the king finally beheaded them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Berdini of Sarteano</span> Franciscan Friar

Albert Berdini of Sarteano was a Franciscan friar and preacher. He was an associate of Bernardino of Siena, and a diplomatic envoy of Pope Eugene IV to the Coptic and Ethiopian churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James of the Marches</span> Christian saint

Jacob de Marchia, commonly known in English as Saint James of the Marches, was an Italian Friar Minor, preacher and writer. He was a Papal legate and Inquisitor.

The Confraternities of the Cord are pious associations in the Roman Catholic Church whose members wear a cord, girdle, or cincture in honour of a saint whom they wish to honour and to bear in mind some special grace or favour which they hope to obtain through the saint's intercession.

The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colette of Corbie</span> Christian saint (1381–1447)

Colette of Corbie, PCC was a French abbess and the foundress of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reform branch of the Order of Saint Clare, better known as the Poor Clares. She is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church. Due to a number of miraculous events claimed during her life, she is venerated as a patron saint of women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers, and sick children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elias of Cortona</span>

Elias of Cortona was a friend of St. Francis of Assisi and among the first to join his newly founder Order of Friars Minor. He was a lay friar and became vicar general and minister general of the Order. Saint Francis himself appointed Elias vicar general in 1221.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel and companions</span>

Daniel and companions were seven Friars Minor martyred at Ceuta on 10 October 1227, according to the Chronicle of the Twenty-Four Generals of the Order of Friars Minor. Their story is likely a legend or fabrication. The names of Daniel's companions are borrowed from the authentic account of the martyrdom of Berard of Carbio and his companions in 1220.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Parenti</span>

Giovanni Parenti, O.F.M. was an Italian Friar Minor and St. Francis of Assisi's successor as head of the order. Parenti had a legal background. He served as Minister Provincial in Spain before being chosen Minister General in 1227. Parenti held a literal interpretation of poverty as it applied to the order; a view that was not shared by everyone. He stepped down in 1232 and was succeeded by Elias of Cortona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franciscan spirituality in Protestantism</span> Influence of the spirituality of Catholic saint Francis in Protestant Christians

Emerging since the 19th century, there are several Protestant adherent and groups, sometimes organised as religious orders, which strive to adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Matteo Serafini was the co-founder and first Superior-General of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins, the principal branch of the Franciscans issued from the Reform of the Observance.

Custos means a religious superior or an official in the Franciscan Order. The precise meaning has differed over time, and among the Friars Minor, Conventuals, and Capuchins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Forest</span> 16th-century English Franciscan friar and martyr

John Forest was an English Franciscan friar and martyr. Confessor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, Forest was burned to death at Smithfield for heresy, in that he refused to acknowledge the King as head of the church.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dqofm.html
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  4. "Saint Francis of Assisi, Italian Saint". Encyclopædia Britannica. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 PD-icon.svg 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. 1 2 3 4 5 "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.
  8. Cavazos-González, OFM, Gilberto (2010). Greater than a Mother's Love: The Spirituality of Francis and Clare of Assisi, University of Scranton Press, p. xiv, 5, 11-12, 19, 21, 56, 65, 91, 110, 117; Micó, Julio, "Minorità" in Dizionario Francescano. Spiritualitภa cura di Ernesto Caroli, (2 ed) Padova: Messaggero di S. Antonio, 1995, p. 1115-1119.
  9. 1 2 3 Paschal Robinson (1913). "Franciscan Order"  . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN   978-88-209-9070-1), p. 1422
  11. Paschal Robinson (1913). "St. Francis of Assisi"  . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  12. Léon Guibourgé (1957). "Les Cordeliers à Étampes". corpusetampois.com (in French).
  13. Robinson, Paschal. "St. Francis of Assisi." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 15 May 2018
  14. Donovan, Stephen. "St. Berard of Carbio." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 15 May 2018
  15. Heckmann, Ferdinand. "Sts. Peter Baptist and Twenty-Five Companions." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 15 May 2018
  16. Hess, Lawrence. "St. John Joseph of the Cross." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 15 May 2018
  17. Berchman's Bittle, OFMCap "St Benedict the Moor", "A Saint A Day" The Bruce Publishing Company, 1958
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Sources

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