Franciscan Spirituality
St. Francis of Assisi left a vibrant legacy for the Church. His spirituality of utter simplicity, poverty, joy and prayer undergirded his efforts to rebuild the Church of his day.
As a young woman, St. Clare of Assisi was attracted to Francis’ radical way of life which was stirring up the town and the Church. She became one of his most ardent followers and with his guidance, founded an Order of women in complement to Francis’ Brothers. As Franciscan Brothers, we live within this awesome tradition of the Franciscan charism.
Through our relationship with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, we embody the complement spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi as a dynamic, life-giving spirit for the growth of the Church and the Franciscan mission of rebuilding the Church today. We are founded with the intention of being aggregated to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist as the men’s branch of the order.
St. Francis heard the call from Christ to “Go and rebuild My church, for as you see, it is being destroyed.” He immediately responded and rebuilt the little church of San Damiano, stone by stone. Franciscan spirituality focuses on rebuilding the Church one person, one situation at a time, always through a real relationship and in practical ways, not as an abstract ideal. In that framework, we carry out our Call as Brothers.
St. Francis is known for his reverence for and joy in the beauty of creation. He encouraged his Brothers to work with their hands, to get involved bodily and wholeheartedly in whatever work they undertook. We do the same as those early Brothers, putting our heart and soul into our hands-on work with creation.
“Toward the sacrament of the Lord’s Body he burned with fervor to his very marrow and with unbounded wonder . . .” (Thomas of Celano, The Remembrance of the Desire of a Soul, Chapter CLII).
A profound love of the Eucharist characterized St. Francis’ life. He instilled in his Brothers a deep reverence for the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Our prayer and, indeed, our life are centered on the Eucharist as the most profound Sacred Mystery to be adored. We are honored to be called Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist.
