Along with the entire Franciscan family, the spirituality of the secular Franciscan is intensely Christocentric and focused on Jesus, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who became one of us in the Incarnation. Franciscan spirituality is primarily focused on Christ’s Incarnation, His Passion, and His Presence in the Eucharist. For secular Franciscans, Jesus is the inspiration and center of our life with God and with people. He is the way to the Father, and the truth into which the Holy Spirit leads us. (OFS Rule, Article 4). In His passion, Christ shows us how to embrace the will of the Father and to accept the crosses in our lives. And in the Eucharist we experience the gift of God’s love and the reality that Christ remains among us. In one major respect, secular Franciscan spirituality differs from that of the religious. Secular Franciscans live in the world and their primary sphere of activity and influence is in the ordinary events of daily life: in their families, their communities, their workplaces, and their parishes.
- The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order – 2020 Updated Translation in English & Spanish
- The General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order (2000) – 2020 Updated Translation in English & Spanish
- Statutes of the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order in the United States of America
- Ritual of the Secular Franciscan Order – 2020 Updated Translation in English & Spanish
For Up to Now: Foundational Topics for Initial Formation (FUN Manual)
On the FUN Manual page, you will find these resources:
- Reflections on Formation Topics in the FUN Manual by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
- FUN CD Contents
- Various Other FUN-Related Documents
- Ordering Information
- Introduction
- Propositum Vitae
- Primary & Alternate View
- Clare – Poverty & Humility
- Bonaventure
- Scotus & Franciscan Theology
- Eucharist
- Secular Spirituality
- Franciscan Vocation Petitions for Liturgy of the Hours on Prayers For Fraternal Life
- Prayer of the Faithful Petitions for Ceremonies during One’s Franciscan Journey on Prayers For Fraternal Life
- Notes on Cangialosi’s Profession in the SFO (from May 2011 Forming the Formators workshop
- Fr. Amando Trujillo Cano, TOR, Minister General, Presentation on Franciscan Spirituality CIOFS National Spiritual Assistants Training – Rome 2019