Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. We wear a distinctly Franciscan habit of dark brown with a Franciscan cord of three knots for the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. We also wear a cross of nails symbolizing St. Francis’ stigmata, and our mission to cut across secular patterns. The nails are held by a metal circle representing the Eucharist.
We recognized the need to reestablish a sense of brotherhood and fraternal relationships within family life and we desired to work in complement to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. We believe God is calling us to found what eventually will be the men’s branch of the Sisters’ order. It is the most exciting thing we could ever do.
Yes. We pray every day together – Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, meditation and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
First and foremost, a vocation to be a Franciscan Brother is a call from God. A man considering this vocation must have a positive attitude about joining a group that works in complement with a women’s religious order. He must have a healthy balance in the psychological, emotional, intellectual, professional, physical and spiritual aspects of his life. He must also respond to the idea of creating something new and challenging, in other words, he must have a spirit of founding.
Yes. We are approved by the Archdiocese of Hartford as a Public Association of the Faithful with the intention of being aggregated to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist as the men’s branch of the order.
A priest is ordained to Holy Orders by a bishop. As a member of the Church clergy, a priest shares in the teaching role of the Church as he is called to teach the doctrine of the Church and preach the Word of God. He administers the sacraments of the Church in the person of Christ. He is called to be Christ to his people.
A brother is a member of a religious community who professes the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and is dedicated to serving the Church as Christ, our Brother. He is a witness to loving others by being a fraternal, side-by-side presence to others through his professional work in his community’s mission or apostolate. Brothers are counterpart as men religious to women religious who serve the Church as Sisters. Religious brothers and sisters profess the evangelical counsels (vows) and live in a community, under a rule of life according to a specific spirituality.
“I worked with my hands, and I still desire to work; and I earnestly desire all brothers to give themselves to honest work. Let those who do not know how to work learn, not from desire to receive wages, but for example and to avoid idleness” (St. Francis, Testament, 20).
In the spirit of St. Francis, the Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist engage in both professional and manual work. Each Brother works in a professional field suited to his personal talents and education. In this way, the mission of the Brothers is carried out to the people with whom we are in daily contact.
An important part of our community life is manual labor. Working with our hands, working with the earth through the seasons, sharing the work of land maintenance and creative projects with one another and with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and lay volunteers re-energize us for our mission as Brothers. We see all our work as an opportunity to share as co-creators in building the Church.
The best way is to email the Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist: brothers@fbecommunity.org. You may also write to us or call us at
Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist
173 Goodspeed Avenue
Meriden, CT 06451
USA
203-235-4318