Jane DeRose-Bamman, minister of the Secular Franciscan Order-USA, began her State of the Order at the National Chapter on Sept. 10, 2025, with words of inspiration taken from a 2018 letter by Tibor Kauser, minister general:

“Our goal is to become holy, to show God’s love to the world, to make the life of others better, to get closer to God and to bring others closer to God.”

These words, Jane said, remain the heart of the Secular Franciscan vocation.

The Secular Franciscan Order has experienced a steady decline in membership over the past 15 years. A polished database, along with deaths and departures of members, shows that national active, professed membership has dropped from 14,000 in 2010 to just under 10,000 today.

The nation’s oldest fraternity, founded 166 years ago in Utica, NY, proudly counted Sister Marianne Cope among its members. Today, the Order includes 534 fraternities, with new ones still forming. “That means there is a spark there,” Jane said.

Twenty fraternities have deactivated in the past few months, reflecting the shifting landscape of vocations.

The age of members highlights both vitality and challenge:

• 9% are 60 years old and younger
• 43% are between 61 and 79 years old
• 21% are 80 years old and over
• 7 members are 100 years old and older
• 27% remain unaccounted for due to incomplete age data in the database

The bottom line, Jane summarized:

• Membership is declining.
• Members are aging.
• The number of fraternities has remained steady over the last 50 years.
• Strong, dynamic fraternities remain key to attracting new vocations.
• Outreach must be tailored to reach different generations effectively.

Despite these challenges, Jane emphasized the vibrant life of service that defines Secular Franciscans:

“Who are we? We are servants who are building homes, caring for people in need at the, supplying food pantries and otherwise ministering to the poor,” Jane said.

Most recently, regions contributed $23,000 to a leprosy center in Zimbabwe, responding to a request from General Minister Tibor Kauser. This reflects the Franciscan mission of compassion and global solidarity.  Regions also responded with financial contributions to the floods in Texas.

The past three years have been a time of meaningful activity

• Fraternal Visitations: 7 since the last Chapter; 26 over three years.
• Regional Elections: 15 since the last Chapter; 32 over three years.
• Virtual connections with the National Fraternity Council, including online meet-and-greets.

These efforts have strengthened relationships and provided continuity despite the challenges of distance and changing demographics.

Jane outlined a forward-looking agenda for the National Executive Council over the next three years:

• Revision of the National Statutes
• Rollout of a Communications Manual
• New branding and vocational materials
• Updated guidelines and translations
• Continued publication of TAU-USA
• Preparations for the 2026 and 2031 Quinquennials
• An Action Plan for new priorities and leadership transitions
• Planning for the 50th Anniversary of the OFS Rule in 2028
• Focus on youth and young adult vocations
• Stewardship of a major bequest

While Jane acknowledged realities, she also pointed to signs of hope: the spark of new fraternities, the witness of faithful service, and the enduring Franciscan call to holiness and mission.

The State of the Order reminds Secular Franciscans that renewal is not only possible but already happening in communities across the country. In Jane’s words, the future depends on building strong, dynamic fraternities where God’s love is alive and visible in service to the world.

A PowerPoint with the statistics Jane discussed can be found on the Chapter page of the website.

The 2025 National Chapter of Secular Franciscans opened with a Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit at the Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, Maryland, on Tuesday, September 9.  The celebrant was Fr. Gary Johnson, OFM Conv., vicar provincial and director of the Shrine of St. Anthony near Baltimore.

Gathered for the liturgy were the leaders of the Secular Franciscan Order in the United States: the National Executive Council, regional ministers, committee and commission chairs, CNSA friars, and special international visitors.

Fr. Gary began by reminding those present that being together as Franciscans is about much more than “getting along” or “learning to lead.” At the very center of our vocation, he said, is praise.

“I have a sense we have it figured out when it comes to praise,” Fr. Gary reflected. “Praise is how we publicly proclaim our love of God.”

Drawing from the day’s reading from a Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, Fr. Gary invited the listeners to reflect deeply on what it means to walk in Christ: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him, and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

He noted that the Franciscan tradition affirms this truth. Our entire world is rooted and built upon Jesus Christ. When we remain grounded in Him, our lives are nourished in ways that allow us to proclaim the Gospel with joy and integrity.

“We live in the flesh,” Fr. Gary said, “and show we are grounded in the witness of Jesus Christ, that same Christ who so enamored our founders.”

Fr. Gary said praise is never private or isolated. “We can’t praise God without each other,” he said. Praise blossoms in community through liturgy, fraternity, and service to the world.

For Secular Franciscans, this means that every act of daily life can become a song of praise: caring for family, serving the poor, fulfilling professional duties with integrity, and giving time and energy to the work of the Order. Praise draws us deeper into a relationship with God and strengthens our bond with one another.

“We recognize the call to leadership is grounded in the prayer and praise of Jesus. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus chose the leaders from among the disciples and commissioned them to go out with him and witness the faith. They knew that involved compassion, charity, sacrifice, and praise,” Fr. Gary said.

Our encounter with God heals us. That’s what happened to the disciples. They were witnessing to the fact that they needed healing, and it came forth from God, he said.

Leadership, then, is not about status or power but about a willingness to walk with Christ, to serve others, and to embody the Gospel in word and deed, he said.  In this way, Franciscan leaders continue the mission of the first disciples, proclaiming the Kingdom of God through lives marked by joy, humility, healing, and thanksgiving.

The Holy Spirit helps us to live it out in the everyday experience of our lives. Welcome the Holy Spirit into our Chapter and ask the Lord to help you be grounded in the ways our readings today invite us to lead, Fr. Gary said.

The work at the chapter will continue through Saturday when a new National Executive Council will be elected.  On hand for the election are CIOFS visitors Ana Maria Raffo Laos, OFS, NEC elections presider, and  Fr. Tomas Ginga Panzo Suva, OFM Cap, general spiritual assistant to the OFS.