Who are we?
We are a group of men and women made up of people from both the Laity and Clergy seeking to continue the mission Jesus gave to St. Francis: Go repair my Church, for as you can see it is in much ruin.
What is our mission?
As contemporary Franciscans, our mission is to live the Catholic Faith as revealed in the Gospels and follow the Franciscan Rule as set forth by St. Francis of Assisi. We strive to grow in our prayer life and rely on the radical trust in God’s Divine Providence.
How do we hope to accomplish this?
Of our own, we can do nothing. We can only be of use to God by submitting to Jesus Christ and God's perfect will for our lives. We seek to understand God's will for our lives by encountering the living Jesus in our brothers and sisters, in Sacred Scripture, in the Church, and in liturgical activity.
Who was St. Francis?
Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) was called by God to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ and to rebuild His Church which was in spiritual ruins. From this simple beginning, Francis chose Lady Poverty as his bride, desiring to break through cultural barriers to help the poor and to do this by love. Simplicity was Francis’ inspiration. Exercising his Catholic faith, he went out to bring the love of God to a hungry, needy world. Others followed this Lady Poverty and the Order of the Poor Brothers was formed (First Order). Soon, a noble-born woman of Assisi, Clare, joined the order. Her high calling of a life of prayer started the Poor Clares (Second Order).
Francis became aware that there were many more who wanted to share in this Franciscan way of life, but because of family constraints and responsibilities could not do so. However, Francis received the vows of Blesseds Luchesio and his wife Bonadonna and the secular order was born (Third Order). They were instructed to live in the world and do penance for the sins of humanity.
From theses humble beginnings, our world has about 400,000 professed Franciscans within the three orders. We hope to add to these numbers with a humble beginning in the Missionary Diocese of All Saints.
Updated May 13, 2013
