PREPARATORY DOCUMENT

TO DEAL WITH THE THEMES OF THE NEXT GENERAL CHAPTER

THE PROFESSION OF SECULAR FRANCISCANS AND THEIR SENSE OF BELONGING

Introduction

What is the Secular Franciscan Order? What is its ecclesial nature?

Who is the Secular Franciscan? What does he/she do?

What is his/her deepest identity and the nature of his/her belonging to the Church and to the Franciscan Family?

How do the Secular Franciscans and the Order, as a whole, place themselves before the world and what is their role?

Not only people frequently ask us these important questions but, often, they also emerge even within us, and the response determines the self-affirmation of our “being” and qualifies our “doing.”

During almost 800 years of our existence, for more than 500 years (up to 1978 and beyond), the history of the Order has been characterized by a “diminished” life, due to the practical impossibility of secular Franciscans to self-determine themselves and assume their responsibilities as an Order.

The Order was prevented, in fact, from “writing its own history,” to give its contribution as an Order and to assume, as a whole, the providential role belonging to it, within the context of the  Franciscan Family, to fulfill the mission entrusted to Francis of Assisi by the San Damiano Crucifix.

Today, this possibility has become real and it largely depends on us.

The Church, in the light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, has providentially reflected about our existence and has recognized the unity and autonomy of our Order in a centralized, world structure. Our history has demonstrated how such elements, already existing in embryo from the beginning, were essential to fully accomplish the project entrusted by God to Francis for us, for the benefit of the Church of all time.

But are we truly ready?

To what an extent and in what way, has the sense of belonging to an “Order” matured within us?”

What is the true and concrete awareness that individual Secular Franciscans have of belonging to a real Order, to an Order that finally, after eight centuries has a unified and centralized structure?

“…, (Francis) founded a true Order, that of the Tertiaries, not restricted by religious vows, as the two preceding (Orders), but similarly conformed to simplicity of customs and to a spirit of penitence. So, he was the first to conceive and happily carry out, with the help of God, what no founder of regulars (religious Orders) had previously contrived, to have the religious life practiced by all.” (Benedict XV, Encyclical “Sacra Propediem” June 6, 1921)

“You are an Order: a lay Order, but a real Order. Ordo veri nominis, as our predecessor of holy memory, Benedict XV (Sacra propediem, June 6, 1921) called it. You will not, as is obvious, be an assembly of the perfect; but you must be a school of Christian perfection. Without this resolute will one cannot suitably be a part of such a chosen and glorious militia.” (Pius XII, July 1, 1956, Speech to the Tertiaries in Rome)

“…you are also an ‘Order,’ as the Pope said (Pius XII): A Lay Order, but a Real Order;” and after all, Benedict XV had already spoken of “Ordo veri nominis”. This ancient term – we can say medieval – “Order” means nothing more than your intimate belonging to the large Franciscan family. The word “Order” means the participation in the discipline and actual austerity of that spirituality, while remaining in the autonomy typical of your lay and secular condition, which, moreover, often entails sacrifices which are not lesser than those experienced in the religious and priestly life.” (John Paul II, June 14, 1988, General Chapter, SFO)

Thus, in recent times, three Popes of great stature and spiritual authority have spoken of our Secular Franciscan Order!

We are an Order, A Lay Order, but a Real Order. Ordo Veri Nominis !

It is astonishing how in the course of the centuries the Order was always spoken about as “one” even when the Order did not exist as a structured and autonomous entity. Since 1471 up to 1978 the Order had lived in a state of substantial inferiority, of division and practical subjection. In practice, there existed only local Fraternities that were, for all practical purposes, appendices of the respective religious orders who guided them.

And yet, this awareness of being only one thing and of operating in a virtually singular, unanimous form never lessened, neither in the awareness of the individual “tertiaries” nor in that of the Church.

The longing for unity and autonomy was born with the same lay penitential movement of Saint Francis and, for those who know the history of the SFO, it is well known how, instead, that such aspirations were frustrated from the very beginning.

We, today’s Secular Franciscans, can well say to be privileged: we are the protagonists of a historical epoch-making time in which the dream of all our predecessors becomes reality. It is absolutely essential to realize this and to enter into our role responsibly and with a sense of our history.

The SFO is still a fragile creature. The Order must consolidate, it must create anew structures and new and original methods of operating to help the Order to confront the challenges that the world presents to us, be it internally or externally, in order to develop its role effectively in the third millennium of Christian history.

The challenges are immense

It will be necessary to “invent”, “create” a way of being and to manage ourselves that will correspond to the requirements of a secular Order, composed mainly of lay people, fully involved in the world and in the ordinary activities of family, work and society.

It will be necessary to implement an intimate interconnection and effective coordination between all the parts of the Order, without losing the ability to be, everywhere, equal and diverse at the same time, to express the common charism in the varied and complex situations of the world, with that ability to adapt and inexhaustible charismatic thrust that alone can allow us to weave ourselves into the vital fabric of the world.

The challenges can be conquered but they can also be lost and the results are not certain.

Centralized Structure

Centralized structure was, and is, necessary for the purpose of allowing the Order to occupy its place in the Franciscan Family and in the Church and to be an effective apostolic projection of the Franciscan charism in the secular world.

The Novitas (Novelty)[1] of Francis is connoted by a mission whose field of action is the whole world and the same Roman Pontiff has confirmed this mission also for us since the very beginning of our Order.

We are a body composed of some 430,000 professed, who, together with the over 150,000 male and female Franciscan religious must accomplish in time and in history the mission that the San Damiano Crucifix entrusted to St. Francis.

We will be able to fully accomplish all this by developing, living and letting grow within us, in every part of the world, a deep Sense of Belonging and a living awareness of the Grace of Profession that has made us Franciscan, fully realizing our Baptismal vocation and introducing us into the body of the Secular Franciscan Order and of the entire Franciscan Family.

Profession and Sense of Belonging

Profession and Sense of Belonging are two fundamental intertwined elements to fulfill our mission, without which the Order does not and cannot exist. 

What authentic awareness do we have of the fact that Profession has constituted us in the state of  “Professed” members by imparting to us the Franciscan character and introducing us vitally and indissolubly in the body of the Secular Franciscan Order?

Does this sense of belonging to the very same body (the Order) surpass the boundaries of states, of languages, of social classes, of cultures in order to make of us one single invincible body, for the spreading of the Gospel and the restoration of the Church in Christ and the restitution of a world redeemed to God the Father?

The General Chapter

These two fundamental elements of our life are the themes of our next General Chapter.

It is essential that all the national Fraternities reflect on these two aspects so that the contributions of excellence that we will receive from the spokespersons will not end in an embarrassed silence due to the lack of preparation of those attending the Chapter.

The International Councillors

It is, therefore, essential that the International Councillors come to the Chapter well prepared to be the faithful interpreters of the experiences and reflections gathered from the discussions to be held in each country so that this fundamental Chapter reflection may become an authentic moment of grace, a kairos, of holy resolutions that will make our Order strong and vital, as a whole and no longer as simple committed individuals.

For this reason, we strongly suggest that in every National Fraternity, constituted or emerging, the National Council organize some moments of qualified reflections to discuss these themes. The tracks are those offered in this document.

The Formators

The Formators at all levels should take the responsibility to deepen with all their brothers and sisters the nature of Profession, its concrete effects of incorporation into the Order, and the effects of belonging that this incorporation produces.

The fruits of this work should be collected and delivered to the International Councillor so as to enable the Chapter, through the spokespersons and all the Capitulars, to provide responses, stimuli, specifications, projects and commitments that may let the Order, and all of us, grow, individually and collectively, to assume completely our role in the Church and in the world.

Conclusion

We wait to receive from each and everyone of you a reply to this letter and to learn about the initiatives that each National Fraternity, constituted and emerging, will want to take. 

By way of pure example, we offer, in the form of questions, other possible tracks for discussion and reflection, it being understood that you have full liberty to develop this preparatory work at your own discretion.

1.      To what degree is your being Secular Franciscan an essential part of your life? Is your life in Fraternity only a meeting among many others?

2.      What can you do to be more involved in the intimate life of the SFO?

3.      Profession by its very nature is a permanent commitment. Do you live it as such?

4.      Why, according to you, is the local Fraternity so important in the life of the SFO? To what an extent is your Fraternity helping you to accomplish what your Profession demands of you?

5.      Does the Fraternity help you to remain faithful to your Profession and to give you a sense of belonging? To what extent do you yourself work to help the brothers and sisters of your Fraternity to achieve these very same goals?

6.      Why did you want to enter the Secular Franciscan Order? What contribution do you give to the SFO by means of your Profession and your presence?

7.      To what an extent do you believe that the new Rule has contributed to the changes that have taken place in the way of “feeling” the Order and “being” part of it.

8.      Do you believe that the sense of belonging that you live today corresponds genuinely to what the Order truly is, to its “nature” and to its mission? Or does it correspond to something else that belongs to the past or to a personal conception of the Order?

If you think that there is not a sufficient sense of belonging to the Order, what are the reasons, according to you?

1.      Lack of formation?

2.      Lack of communication?

3.      Lack of contributions and sharing?

4.      Other?