(This article originally appeared in the Spring/Sumer Issue of TAU-USA magazine #103)

by Sr. Agnes Marie Regan, OSF

Since that special weekend in St. Louis in August of 2019 entitled “Life-Giving Union,” Franciscans from all three branches of the Order have been astounded at what has developed from that Spirit-filled assembly. The 56 national Franciscan leaders, consisting of members of the Order of Friars Minor, the Poor Clares, and members of the Third Order, Secular, Regular, and TOR, opened themselves to a dream that, despite and perhaps because of the restrictions of the pandemic, would become the “Franciscan Family Forum.”

A post “Life-Giving Union” questionnaire, based on the 18 recommendations of the assembly, produced an exciting eight-page listing of concrete suggestions to keep the momentum of the St. Louis gathering going forward. Fr. Christopher Panagoplos, TOR, elicited 18 volunteers to sift through and organize those marvelous ideas, which were passed on to an eight-member Core Team. That team’s task was to work on the nitty gritty of forming a Vision Statement, Mission Statement, structure, and process for moving forward to embody the “dream” of being a “Life-Giving Union.” The original 18 volunteers became known as the Gathering Place, which has continued to grow in so many beautiful ways!

The Forum has become a welcoming place to offer a life-giving heartbeat of encouragement, support, and information to the whole Franciscan Family in the United States, through a model of fraternal unity and collaboration. Its mission is “to sustain the life-giving union of the Franciscan family by building relationships and offering assistance through dialogue to address the contemporary challenges that we face in living the Gospel life.” The Forum does not wish to supplant or duplicate the works of already-existing Franciscan efforts such as Franciscans International, the Franciscan Federation, Franciscan Action Network, or other such entities. Collaboration and support are to be the Forum’s hallmark qualities, while continuing to develop its own spirit of BEING (cf. Encarnacion del Pazo, OFS), the heartbeat enlivening the Family.

In addition to Gathering Place meetings, the Franciscan Family Forum has created two important initiatives that seek to strengthen Franciscan Family bonds. The first initiative is the Formation/Vocation Panel videos being coordinated by Fr. Jack Clark Robinson, OFM, and Diane Menditto, OFS, and their team of dedicated Formation colleagues from all three branches of the Order. The team is working on the creation of three visual presentations: (1) MY STORY: personal remarks by individuals presently in formation describing what attracted them to their chosen expression of Franciscan life; (2) OUR STORY: the “nuts and bolts” of the formation process in our various branches of the Order‘ and (3) YOUR STORY: offering aids to vocational discernment in the different expressions of the call to Franciscan life. This talented group is being assisted by the computer gifts of Andy Tretow, the Communications Director of Assumption Province of the OFMs.

DonnaMarie Kaminsky, OFS, and Miriam Kennedy, OFS, are working on the “Franciscan Yellow Pages,” which has become known as “Wisdom Treasures.”. When completed, “Wisdom Treasures” will be a handy reference of all US Franciscans and the gifts and talents they are willing to share with other members of the family such as (1) directing retreats, presentations, and or workshops on Franciscan topics, (2) spiritual direction, (3) communication skills, (4) Franciscan formation, (5) leadership, (6) peace and justice, (7) various forms of ecclesial ministry in the Franciscan spirit . . . and the myriad other ways we’ve all been called to serve the Church and the Order.

The Franciscan Family Forum strives to maintain the balance between being welcoming to all professed Franciscans, the need to provide continuity in focusing in on critical topics, maintaining representation from each branch of the Franciscan Family, and facilitating life-giving connections.

The Gathering Place meets every other month as a group on the 3rd Wednesday at 12 PM Eastern and is focused on news, updates, and sharing for the whole group. In the intervening months, on the same day and time, smaller breakout groups are invited to engage in dialogue on current events, communication, and the progress of Franciscan Family Forum initiatives. If you would like to participate in the Gathering Place, or are interested in offering your talents and experience to the rest of the Franciscan Family, please send an email with a little bit about yourself to: franciscanfamilyforum@gmail.com.

From “Life Giving Union” to the Franciscan Family Forum

2018-2021 National Priority

(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Spring/Summer 2021 Issue #103)

by Mary Bittner, OFS

The following article was adapted from the new Guide to the Canonical Establishment of a Secular Franciscan Fraternity approved ad experimentum on April 16, 2021. The complete guide is posted on the national website secularfranciscansusa.org/resources/guidelines, under the “National Guidelines” link.

Welcome! Beginning a new fraternity is a great and rewarding task. Before you begin, however, you should be aware of the significance of what you intend to do. If you’re already a professed Secular Franciscan, the ideas that follow should not be new to you. Consider this a helpful reminder of some basics that might otherwise get lost in the procedural details. It is important to have these basics firmly in mind. If you are not a Secular Franciscan, much of what is said will probably be unfamiliar to you. Some of the terms used will be explained as we go along. As for the rest, you’re not going to be doing this alone. Don’t be afraid to ask other Secular Franciscans for clarification.

To be more specific, the “other Secular Franciscans” who will assist you are;

• the Regional Executive Council (REC), one of whose responsibilities is the oversight of newlyforming Secular Franciscan groups in your geographic area, and
• the sponsoring fraternity, a local fraternity that will be assigned to mentor you through the process.

Let’s begin by clarifying what a Secular Franciscan fraternity is not.

• It is not a prayer group, although members do pray when they gather.
• It is not a support group, although members do support each other.
• It is not a study group, although formation in the Franciscan way of life is an ongoing part of every gathering.
• It is not a Bible study group, although the Gospels form the basis of OFS life and are frequently discussed.
• It is not a social ministry group, although members participate in a variety of social ministries.
• It is not a parish organization, although many fraternities do meet in parish facilities.

So what is a fraternity, then? The local fraternity is the basic unit of the Secular Franciscan Order (the OFS). It has a special purpose that is defined by the OFS legislation and a unique identity (called a “juridical personality”) in the Church.

Let’s unpack these statements.

A Secular Franciscan fraternity is part of an established Order in the Church, which has certain implications.

• The fraternity itself must be officially “established” by one of the Franciscan Friar Provinces that have ecclesiastical responsibility for the OFS. Thus by definition it is not a parish or diocesan organization.
• Individual members are bound more intimately to the Church, which is why full membership is open only to Catholics in full communion with the Church.

That describes the fraternity’s identity as it relates to the Church. What about its purpose?

• First and foremost, the purpose of the Order (and thus the purpose of the fraternity, all OFS members, and others who belong to the Franciscan Family) is to make present the Franciscan charism in the life and mission of the Church (OFS Rule, Art. 1).
• In and of itself, the fraternity is a service to the Church. “Fidelity to their own charism, Franciscan and secular, and the witness of building fraternity, sincerely and openly, are their principal services to the Church, which is the community of love (General Constitutions [GC] 100.3).”
• “The Fraternity of the OFS finds its origin in the inspiration of Francis of Assisi. to whom the Most High revealed the essential gospel quality of life in fraternal communion.” (GC 28.1) As an integral part of OFS life, it is marked by fraternal communion and is a means of holiness.

With these considerations firmly in mind, this Guide sets forth a clear pathway to canonical establishment of a new Secular Franciscan fraternity. It describes:

• the stages of development of the group;
• the requirements for documentation;
• when and how to obtain the approval of the local bishop and the Provincial Minister; and
• the respective roles of the sponsoring fraternity and the REC throughout the process.

Establishing a fraternity is more than the end result of checking off items on a To-Do list. There is another aspect of a fraternity’s identity, a spiritual dimension that was hinted at in the description of its purpose. The fraternity is to become a genuine ecclesial community. Canonical establishment is an acknowledgement by the Church that a fraternity, an ecclesial community, is present.

The requirements for developing a genuine ecclesial community are more difficult to define than listing those for documentation and approval, but they are obviously key. In some ways, you can think of the process as analogous to the way you’d go about acquiring any new skill: you’d watch someone, you’d try it out, you’d get some coaching, and you’d practice what you learned. So to assist you, a sponsoring fraternity will be assigned to mentor you, answer your questions, and serve as a model of fraternity life. In addition, we list here some general attitudes that are helpful to keep in mind.

• ✤ Make building community your priority. A fraternity doesn’t just happen automatically, without significant effort on the part of its members. It needs to be worked at for it to become a reality. Resolve that your commitment to your Secular Franciscan vocation and to the fraternity will take precedence over your involvement in other organizations, including those of the parish.
• ✤ Cultivate a sense of co-responsibility within the fraternity. Unlike other organizations where responsibility for the well-being of the group is held by a small number of members, in a fraternity all members share responsibility for the life of the fraternity. “The sense of coresponsibility of the members requires personal presence, witness, prayer and active collaboration, in accordance with each one’s means and possible obligations for the animation of the Fraternity.” (GC 30.2)
• ✤ Acknowledge that community takes time to develop. Look for opportunities to work together, visit together, pray together, study together and have fun together. Don’t limit yourselves to the monthly fraternity gathering, but find ways to interact with fellow Franciscans throughout the month.
• ✤ Appreciate differences. Fraternal unity does not imply uniformity. Our differences add to the richness of life and bring a wide variety of gifts and talents to the fraternity. They are a positive advantage and should not be allowed to become the cause of dissension. Which of us can be complete without his brothers and sisters?
• ✤ Beware of being judgmental. Being judgmental is one of the easiest ways to poison the spirit of the fraternity. “Blessed is the person that puts up with the frailty of his neighbor to the extent he would like his neighbor to put up with him if he were in a similar plight.” (Admonition XVIII*)
• ✤ Practice forgiveness. “…I wish to know in this way if you love the Lord and me, His servant and yours: that there is not any brother in the world who has sinned―however much he could have sinned―who, after he has looked into your eyes, would ever depart without your mercy, if he is looking for mercy. And if he were not looking for mercy, you would ask him if he wants mercy. And if he would sin a thousand times before your eyes, love him more than me so that you may draw him to the Lord…” (Letter to a Minister*). Even in our fraternities, we will have many opportunities to apply this advice.

And finally, and most important:

• ✤ Follow St. Francis’ advice to his brothers. “Pursue what you should desire above all else, namely, to have the Spirit of God and God’s grace working in you…” (cf. Earlier Rule XVII*). When you come right down to it, all the attitudes and techniques in the world are insufficient to form a genuine ecclesial community. The Holy Spirit is the one who breathes life into your fraternity, who molds you and brings you together as one.

Questions for Discussion

1. What do you know about the history of your local fraternity? When was it established? By whom?
2. If a non-Catholic friend asked you what a fraternity is, what would you tell them? How would you explain “ecclesial community”?
3. What is the significance of having a “juridical personality”?
4. The “general attitudes” for fraternity building do not apply exclusively to the early stages of fraternity life. How do you see them being applied in your own fraternity? Which one(s) do you consider most important?
5. What are several ways you personally can exercise co-responsibility?

*Francis of Assisi, Early Documents, Vol. I, The Saint, New City Press, 1999.

FRATERNITY LIFE – FRATERNITY AND ITS BEGINNING