We are a religious community of nearly twenty men within the Roman Catholic Church. For over 150 years we have been responding to the call to holiness of our members, and by serving the people of God through prayer, the witness of our lives and dedicated ministry to others through education, and pastoral service. Our particular charism is living as Third Order Franciscans and by service to youth which has been a constant aspect of our vocation from our founding in 1857.
A Franciscan does not make himself. He is called by God to follow Francis as Francis followed Christ.
The prospective Brother comes to the Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis by what St Francis called divine inspiration. This inspiration was not received by a startling vision but apparently in a very human way: by a sudden attraction planted perhaps by a sermon, by reading, or by friends in the religious life.
A Brother is a religious, dedicated to Gods service by his vows, just as much as a priest or sister. He is a person who has heard and answered a call to serve God in a special way. The first men who organized into religious groups were Brothers, not priests. Countless men in the history of the Church have given the highest service to God and humanity as Brothers. St. Anthony, for example, the founder of the monastic life in the desert was a Brother.
Another famous instance of a Brother is found in St. Francis of Assisi. This great saint of the Church whose influence has been felt in every century since the 13th, was a deacon and not a priest. It is clear then that the Brotherhood is not a preparation for the priesthood, but rather a distinct calling in itself.
We are people who feel called to commitment to Jesus and the values of the Gospel. We are convinced that ministry within the Church is our privilege and our responsibility. We live as dedicated members of our community. And from that community, we draw support for our lives of prayer and ministry. We live a vowed life of poverty, obedience and chastity.
Consecrated Chastity -- loving all, possessing no one, striving sincerely, for singleness of heart, a celibate way of loving and being loved.
As Franciscan Brothers we live an active life as men of prayer and service through the ministries of education (elementary through adult), religious catechesis, aiding the elderly and pastoral ministers. Our senior Brothers give of their time and experience through direct service to the needy by bing tutors, mentors, and volunteers at help centers.
Being a Brother is not a role we assume, but rather a lifestyle we live in all of our activities. To brother is to encourage, enable and support our marginated and powerless sisters and brothers. To brother is to proclaim, in work and deed, the God who calls us all to hope and love.
The Brothers of the Poor are challenged to live an integrated life through prayer, community/fraternity, ministry and the vows of poverty (living in simplicity), chastity (living in love with all), and obedience (living and witnessing the Gospel). It is not ourselves that we preach; we try to preach Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as His servants.
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Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis of Assisi, CFP, located in the United States, Europe and Brazil. We are a Regular Third Order Roman Catholic congregation.