Secular Franciscan Order
Highlighted Thoughts of The SFO
The Responsibility of Secular Franciscans Today
in the Church and in the World. Manuela Mattioli, S.F.O.
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The Secular Franciscan Order and its members are a vital part of the entire Franciscan spiritual family, sharing the same vocation, charism, and mission on the level of secular life. This spiritual family is a gift of the Holy Spirit to the church. We are called to live the gospel life in fraternity where the charism of St. Francis is shared, accepted, and lived in unity and mutual sharing of life with one another. As a fraternity we owe our existence to the historical experiences of St. Francis of Assisi and his Order.
St. Francis through faith embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was keenly aware of his calling to go with his brothers to the world and proclaim the Word of God and conversion to the gospel, the coming of God's kingdom, and the manifestation of God's love to all and among all, thus giving witness to his faith through his style of living. And it is from this that the Secular Franciscans draw their identity. Their duty is first to achieve a personal gospel-conversion in order to move into action.
Thus our vocation and mission call us to live this charism and spread the evangelical-Franciscan ideal in the world. This vocation and mission emerge from the shared responsibility of the whole Franciscan family to live up to its identity and at the same time contribute to the Church and the world the gifts of its vocational calling, always remaining open to the continuous action of the Spirit.
Accordingly, the Secular Franciscan Order as a spiritual family and a universal Order has both an inward responsibility in the formation of its members, giving them a sense of identity, motivation, mutual help and support, etc., through its fraternities on various levels and, at the same time, also an outward responsibility to its entire organization to coordinate, organize and represent its members. This is its primary duty as a copy in miniature of the church which it serves and with which it works in spiritual interdependence.
The Secular Franciscan Order emphasizes these elements in each fraternity and in every member. Fraternities have a personality in themselves and as such must take on those characteristics which make them real expressions of Franciscanism, concerned with the welfare of each and every member, and by their fidelity in following Christ, showing the world that they practice what they preach.
The individual Secular Franciscan, as a man or woman alert to the needs of the time and place where one lives infidelity to a Christian and Franciscan vocation, accepts the challenge of living consistently in accordance with one's conscience. Although in the lay state, the Secular Franciscan has nevertheless made a public profession of living a life according to the gospel ideal. This is done, in a spiritual family whose charism unites "being something" with "doing something." Thus this commitment calls for three things: helpfulness, service and decision.
A continuous gospel-conversion transforms the Secular Franciscan into a "living testimony" and "herald of the gospel," working actively to solve the problems of the world in the Franciscan style and spirit. Naturally, one's attitude toward the Church must be one of loyalty and service.
in the Church and in the World. Manuela Mattioli, S.F.O.
The Secular Franciscan Order and its members are a vital part of the entire Franciscan spiritual family, sharing the same vocation, charism, and mission on the level of secular life. This spiritual family is a gift of the Holy Spirit to the church. We are called to live the gospel life in fraternity where the charism of St. Francis is shared, accepted, and lived in unity and mutual sharing of life with one another. As a fraternity we owe our existence to the historical experiences of St. Francis of Assisi and his Order.
St. Francis through faith embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was keenly aware of his calling to go with his brothers to the world and proclaim the Word of God and conversion to the gospel, the coming of God's kingdom, and the manifestation of God's love to all and among all, thus giving witness to his faith through his style of living. And it is from this that the Secular Franciscans draw their identity. Their duty is first to achieve a personal gospel-conversion in order to move into action.
Thus our vocation and mission call us to live this charism and spread the evangelical-Franciscan ideal in the world. This vocation and mission emerge from the shared responsibility of the whole Franciscan family to live up to its identity and at the same time contribute to the Church and the world the gifts of its vocational calling, always remaining open to the continuous action of the Spirit.
Accordingly, the Secular Franciscan Order as a spiritual family and a universal Order has both an inward responsibility in the formation of its members, giving them a sense of identity, motivation, mutual help and support, etc., through its fraternities on various levels and, at the same time, also an outward responsibility to its entire organization to coordinate, organize and represent its members. This is its primary duty as a copy in miniature of the church which it serves and with which it works in spiritual interdependence.
The Secular Franciscan Order emphasizes these elements in each fraternity and in every member. Fraternities have a personality in themselves and as such must take on those characteristics which make them real expressions of Franciscanism, concerned with the welfare of each and every member, and by their fidelity in following Christ, showing the world that they practice what they preach.
The individual Secular Franciscan, as a man or woman alert to the needs of the time and place where one lives infidelity to a Christian and Franciscan vocation, accepts the challenge of living consistently in accordance with one's conscience. Although in the lay state, the Secular Franciscan has nevertheless made a public profession of living a life according to the gospel ideal. This is done, in a spiritual family whose charism unites "being something" with "doing something." Thus this commitment calls for three things: helpfulness, service and decision.
A continuous gospel-conversion transforms the Secular Franciscan into a "living testimony" and "herald of the gospel," working actively to solve the problems of the world in the Franciscan style and spirit. Naturally, one's attitude toward the Church must be one of loyalty and service.