Frequently Asked Questions about our Franciscan Identity
Q: Who was St. Francis of Assisi?
A: Saint Francis was born in the Italian town of Assisi in 1181 or 1182. His father was a successful cloth merchant with big plans for his son. He was only too happy to outfit Francis with the equipment needed to become a knight. Francis’ military glory was short-lived; he was captured and spent a year as a prisoner of war. This sobering failure led Francis to reexamine his dreams.
On a reflective walk one day, Francis stopped to pray in the crumbling chapel of St. Damiano. There, he had a mystical experience of Christ speaking to him from the crucifix. “Repair my house, which you see is falling into ruins.” Francis took this literally and began to rebuild the little church. Such behavior brought his father’s anger, especially when Francis stole cloth to raise funds for the repairs. Dragged before the bishop, Francis renounced his inheritance, declared God his only father, and entrusted himself to the Church.
Francis encountered much ridicule, but also started to attract other young men from the town, who recognized in Francis something they’d been lacking. They joined him in repairing churches, ministering to lepers, and preaching penance. In 1209, with more men joining, the group visited Pope Innocent III to ask permission for this new brotherhood.
Q: What does “OFM Conv.” mean?
A: You will usually see a series of letters, following the name of a member of a Catholic religious order. These letters represent the Latin name of the Order. When composing his Rule of Life for the group, which came to be known as the Franciscans, St. Francis named the community the “Order of Friars Minor” (Ordo Fratrum Minorum). “Friars” means “brothers” and “minor” comes from the social structure of 13th century Italy, wherein the minores were those at the bottom rungs of society. This gives us the OFM.
The word conventual comes from the Latin meaning “to come together” (think convene); we live together in convents, called friaries. The Order emphasizes the conventual dimension as its particular way of living in fraternity. This dimension fosters the active participation of all the friars in fraternal life, especially by means of common liturgical prayer, the Friary Chapter, and common table. This conventual dimension gives us the Conv.
Q: What’s with the grey habit?
A: The name of “mendicant” was given to several groups of “begging” friars, whose origins in Europe date to the 13th and 14th centuries. Recognized by their religious habits, they were popularly referred to as Grey Friars (Franciscans), Black Friars (Dominicans), Austin Friars (Augustinians), and White Friars (Carmelites).
The Franciscan Friars today are divided into three main branches: the Friars Minor (Brown Franciscans – OFM), the Friars Minor Capuchin (Capuchins – OFM Cap.), and the Friars Minor Conventual (Conventuals – OFM Conv.). Each branch adopted a habit that would distinguish it from the others. Basically, the Friars Minor and Capuchins adopted a chestnut brown habit, while the Conventuals maintained either the traditional grey or black.
Q: Who/What is Our Lady of the Angels?
A: Francis was especially fond of a place called St. Mary of the Angels, the “Little Portion” (aka Portiuncula) – a tiny chapel hidden away in the woods and marshes near Assisi.
When the Lord gave Francis brothers, they went first to Rivo Torto, but the site quickly grew inadequate. Through the intercession of the bishop of Assisi, Francis obtained from the local Benedictines the use of the rundown chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, in exchange for a basket of fish. Francis rebuilt the chapel after he had completed the rebuilding of San Damiano, in 1209.
Q: What’s the difference between a monk and a friar?
A: Monks are members of monastic communities, which are distinguished by the unique cloistered (from the Latin for “enclosure”) nature of their life. With very few exceptions, monks are enclosed on the grounds of their monastery, where their days focus on the twin pillars or prayer and work (ora et labora). Monks will have limited contact with the world outside of the monastery. In addition to the familiar vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, most monks also take a vow of stability. For a monk to move from one monastery to another would be very rare—and a very big deal!
Friars (from the Latin fratrum, meaning “brothers” and also the root of our word fraternity) is the name assigned to the members of multiple communities, which arose in the Middle Ages. These communities focused on going out into the cities to preach and serve the poor. Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and Carmelites are all friars. One of the hallmarks of the life of a friar is itinerancy. For a friar to move from one friary to another is a fairly common occurrence.
Q: What’s the difference between a friar and a priest?
A: As noted above, the identifier “friar” denotes a member of a particular type of religious order, of which the Franciscans are one. Thus, each and every one of us is a “Franciscan Friar.” We all wear the same habit and share equally in the responsibilities and opportunities of life in the community. But there are differences between us based on ministry.
Some friars are ordained priests, generally focusing on sacramental ministry in the Church. Others are religious brothers, who exercise a variety of different ministries. You might think of us in hyphenated terms: some of us are friar-priests, others are friar-brothers. Not sure if one of us is a priest or a brother? Calling us “Friar” will never be wrong!
