The Order of Friars Minor, founded by St Francis of Assisi, is a Fraternity.

The friars, fulfilling their baptismal consecration and responding to the divine call, abandon themselves totally to God supremely loved, with the profession of obedience, poverty and chastity, to be lived according to the spirit of St Francis.

Faithful to the Church’s Understanding

The Friars Minor, inserted in the people of God, attentive to the new signs of the times and responding to the conditions of the changing world, should always be faithful to the Church’s understanding, share its initiatives and proposals, and support them according to their abilities.

The OFM priorities

Our entire Fraternity is missionary and participates in the mission of the Church, according to the example of St Francis and his will expressed in the Rule. Therefore, each friar, aware of his responsibility, should assume his part in this missionary work.

The Franciscan Family

The expression Franciscan Family is used broadly to indicate all religious groups inspired by the charism of Saint Francis. The Franciscan charism has inspired men and women, both lay and religious or priests, who have formed different groups over the centuries.

The experience originally lived by Francis and his first friars and sisters gave birth almost immediately to a male religious Order (the Order of Friars Minor), a female monastic Order (Clare and her sisters who, after her death, would be called Poor Clares) and an Order formed by lay people who, living in their own families, their work, their social, political and religious commitments, witnessed a Franciscan Christian commitment (Secular Franciscan Order). 

This complex religious movement sparked by the experience of Francis has, over the centuries, developed, fragmented, regenerated, divided and reunited, with an exciting history that we cannot retrace here. 

In this broad sense, therefore, today, the Franciscan Family includes Orders, both religious and lay, Congregations or Religious Institutes for women and men, monasteries of Poor Clares and Conceptionists, Secular Institutes, and also groups or movements inspired by Francis of Assisi. It should also not be forgotten that there are Anglican Franciscans and Lutheran Franciscans worldwide.

The Conference of the Franciscan Family

Members of the Conference

The Conference is made up of six members: 

• The Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM)
• The Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv)
• The Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap)
• The Minister General of the Third Order Regular (TOR)
• The Minister General of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS)
• The President of the International Franciscan Conference of Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular (CFI-TOR)

Aims

The Conference – without prejudice to the character, autonomy and competences of each individual order or institute – aims:

• To promote knowledge of Franciscan history and spirituality and the witness of these in the practice of daily life, in their own initiatives, activities and institutions, in faithful and constant service to the Church, especially in evangelisation and the formation of a Christian culture;
• To maintain a common attitude, for a more fruitful contact, with the Holy See, the hierarchy of the Church and other religious institutes;
• To promote and fraternally implement collaboration in various initiatives and activities (e.g., contemplation, pastoral service, mission ad gentes, initial and ongoing formation, centres of higher studies, and programmes with non-Catholic Franciscans);
• To promote and support common organisms and structures, with their own Statutes approved by the Conference, for the realisation of the aims indicated in the previous point in specific and determined areas;
• To continuously revive the spirit of fraternity in order to realise the Unum Sint, becoming a sign and witness of unity in the Church and the world;
• To represent the CFF with the Holy See, other Orders, Institutes and organisations in all matters concerning common issues.

The Life of Francis

• Francis of Assisi was born in Assisi (Italy) in 1181/1182. After a carefree youth, he converted and the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as Franciscans, originated from him. A young woman, Clare of Assisi, wanted to share his choice of life and the Order of the Poor Clares, later to be called Poor Clares, was born from her.
• He also inspired the birth of the Franciscan Third Order, now called the Secular Franciscan Order. In 1219-1220 Francis travelled to Egypt, where he met the Sultan; this meeting also inspired the birth of the Custody of the Holy Land, which is the ancient Franciscan presence in Jerusalem and the holy places.
• In 1224, on the mountain of La Verna, Francis received the stigmata. The following year he composed the Canticle of Brother Sun, a poetic prayer of praise to God the creator of everything; this prayer and his attitude of respect for creation inspired his proclamation (1979) as the patron saint of ecologists. Francis died on 4 October 1226 in Assisi and was declared a saint in 1228.