A young man torn by the enticements of
his society, anguished of heart with such thoughts as "Who am
I?", "What am I to do with my life?", "Who is God and
what is He to me?" This was Francis of Assisi.
Francis was born in 1182 of a middle
class Italian family. He was educated and respected by the people of his
hometown, Assisi. Like any young person in his early twenties, Francis
began to question what he should do to live a meaningful life. He wanted
recognition and fame. After several unsuccessful attempts to discover
the purpose of his life, he was shaken in his worldly aspirations.
The conflict that inflamed his heart led
him to the deserted church of San Damiano in Assisi during which Francis
heard a command of the Crucified Lord while he was absorbed in prayer.
"Francis," the voice told him, "go and repair my house,
which, as you see, is falling completely into ruin." From that
moment on, Francis learned that living a Christian life would place him
in opposition to the values of his society and set him apart from
family, friends, and many of his own age.
At first, Francis sought a life of
solitude and prayer. Within a few years he came to see that God was
calling him to give a new direction to a movement already present among
the Christian faithful. These were the "Penitents"; people who
were seeking holiness in their daily lives. Francis found that other men
of Assisi were attracted to the same vision - to follow Christ and His
Apostles. Soon there grew a small community which settled on the
outskirts of town near the abandoned church of Our Lady of the Angels.
Then St. Francis and a band of eleven followers sought permission from
Pope Innocent III to found a new order in the Church. Permission was
granted in 1209. Today it is known as the Franciscan Order.
In preaching a "life of
conversion," Francis attracted many men and women from all walks of
life who turned to him for guidance in a life of penance. In 1209,
Francis gave a norm of life for these penitents living in the world and in 1221 he collaborated with the Church, which granted them a Rule.
In 1289, Pope Nicholas IV approved another version of this Rule. Some of
the penitents began to live communal life dedicating themselves to works
of mercy; others began to live in remote places as hermits.
To unite all these groups in Italy, who
were known as the Religious of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis,
Pope Nicholas V in 1447 gave them an approved status as a religious
order and united them under a central government. The Third Order
Regular of St. Francis, (known as Franciscan, TOR), has since become an
international religious community serving God's people in Austria,
Bangladesh, Brazil, Slovakia, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Italy,
Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Sicily, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and the
United States. They follow a common Rule of Life and live in fraternity.
Before Francis died in 1226, he had founded three religious
orders.
The Franciscan coat of arms consists of a
Latin cross surmounted by the right arm of Jesus Christ crossed over
the left arm of Saint Francis Assisi.
Christ’s
hand bears one of the five wounds of his passion. Francis' hand bears
one of the wounds of his stigmata. The whole scene issues from clouds.
The central section of the seal bears
three nails within a crown of thorns, signifying the passion of Christ
and denoting penance and conversion.
The lower portion of the field is
emblazoned with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The crescent moon, to the right of the
heart, symbolizes Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
Beneath the seal is the motto, "in
corde Jesu," which is translated, "in the heart of
Jesus."
Completing the seal is a crown composed of
fleur-de-lis representing Saint Louis of France and Saint Elizabeth of
Hungary, patron and patroness of the Third Order of St. Francis.
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