The Franciscan movement began in the year
1208, when Francis of Assisi, having lived two years as a penitent (one
who seeks to reform his life and draw closer to God through daily life
and works,) was joined by a few like-minded followers. Eventually,
three major orders arose from the Franciscan movement.
The First Order
When Pope Innocent III approved the
Franciscan Rule in 1209, he made them a structured religious order. This
became the First Order, known as the Friars Minor (Little Brothers).
Over the centuries, the Friars Minor experienced many distinctions and
reorganizations based on their understanding of the Franciscan way of
life.
Today,
there are three branches:
Friars Minor
-
Friars Minor Conventual
-
Friars Minor Capuchin
While different opinions on living the
Franciscan life originally divided the branches of the First Order,
these have given way to a common desire to serve the Lord and to live
the Gospel message in joy and enthusiasm.
The Second Order
The
Second Order of St. Francis, commonly known as Poor Clares, was founded
in 1212 in Assisi when St. Francis received Clare Offreduccio as
a follower of his way of life.
The Poor Clares are a religious community
of women. They observe a cloistered, contemplative life based on the
Gospel, a life of prayer and penance in the Franciscan tradition of joy
and simplicity.
The Third Order
The origins of the Third Order may be
found in the movement known as the Penitents, going back to the sixth
century. The original Penitents were people who sought to grow in
holiness through their daily lives and work. This desire for holiness
assumed many forms, such as pilgrimages to holy sites; constructing,
repairing and rebuilding churches; and caring for the poor and sick.
The first Franciscans were, in fact,
known as "penitents of Assisi." Men and women who were attracted by
Francis' way of life, but could not leave their homes and families to
become wandering preachers or cloistered nuns, banded together. Thus the
Third Order was born.
Early on, small groups in the Third Order
formed more structured communities, publicly professing the Church's
traditional religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and
often uniting around specific works of charity or common prayer. Since
then, numerous congregations of lay people and religious have developed
throughout the world. In each instance, the call to conversion and
simplicity of life animates the members: In the Secular Franciscan
Order, men and women follow the way of Francis, but are not vowed
religious living in community. The Third Order Regular, on the other
hand, is an international community of priests and brothers who
emphasize works of mercy and on-going conversion to the Gospel.
The Third Order Regular is also known as
the Franciscan Friars, TOR. This branch of the Franciscan family was
originally founded in 1447 by a papal decree uniting several groups of
Third Order hermits. Today, the TORs are a thriving religious community
serving God's people across the world.
With Francis, the TORs have accepted the
challenge to "rebuild the Church" in areas of high school and
college education, parish ministry, church renewal, social justice,
campus ministry, hospital chaplaincies, foreign missions, and other
ministries in places where the Church is needed. And, in imitation of
our founder, we pray to be instruments of peace, pardon, and hope in a
world yearning for the good news of Jesus Christ.
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