Explore Your Vocation to Be a Franciscan Friar

Is God calling you?

“If anyone wants to profess our Rule and comes to the friars...The ministers must carefully examine all candidates on the Catholic faith and the Sacraments of the Church. If they believe all that the Catholic faith teaches and are prepared to profess it loyally, holding by it steadfastly to the end of their lives…tell them what the Holy Gospel says (Mt. 19:21), that they should go and sell all that belongs to them and endeavor to give it to the poor…when this has been done, the ministers should clothe the candidates with the habit of probation…”

- Taken from the Rule of 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi

“Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into the public places, like the first apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of Salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is time to preach from the rooftops. Do not be afraid to break out of the comfortable and routine modes of living in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern ‘metropolis.’ It is you who must ‘go out into the byroads’ and invite everyone you meet to the banquet which God has prepared for His people. The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference. It was never meant to be hidden away in private. It has to be put on a stand so that people may see its light and give praise to our heavenly Father”

- St. Pope John Paul II

We live the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the footsteps of our founder St. Francis. As brothers in Christ, friars live together in community and follow the Gospel way of prayer and humble service. The Conventual friars are rooted in the establishment of the Order in 1209 and known as the "Friars of the Community. The title "conventual" is from convenire (Latin) meaning "to come together." The identification was introduced by St. Bonaventure in 1260 as the Order began to mature and friars started forming communities to transform culture and minister together in cities and universities.

The heart of the Order is centered in our communal life and continuous ministry at the basilica tombs of St. Francis in Assisi and St. Anthony in Padua in Italy. Going outward, our Conventual friars now serve in 67 countries on six continents. In the United States we have four Provinces, the local Province is the St. Joseph of Cupertino Province, serving mostly in California.

Many religious orders were founded to exercise a specific apostolate within the Church. The Franciscans were not. Each friar contributes to our mission by developing and applying his God-given talents. Teaching, nursing, social work, campus ministry, administering sacraments, parish religious education, administration, prison chaplaincy, and sharing musical or artistic abilities are just some of the ways we build up the Kingdom of God.

Introduction I Postulancy
Normally a one-year immersion into the Franciscan way of life; common prayer, in-house classes, outreach ministries, and regular participation in Franciscan events.

Incorporation I Novitiate
After receiving the habit, the novice participates in "a year and a day" of deepening his understanding of his Franciscan vocation.

Integration I Post-Novitiate
Priesthood Candidates Pursue studies as required for priestly ordination.
Brotherhood Candidates Pursue studies or attains experience appropriate for his focus of ministry.

PRAY - You cannot discern how God is working in your life without talking to Him about it.

SERVE - To live a life of service, one should already be serving and prayerfully reflecting on their experiences of serving. God often leads us to our vocation this way. Do we find joyy in it? Are we doing it out of love? Do we find purpose in it? Do others acknowledge that our service is from God? Is our service producing fruits that we and others can see? Do others suggest ways we are called to serve, or even that we might have a vocation?

Get a SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR - one never discerns alone. It is essential to have another who listens to our insights in prayer and service and who helps us see the hand of God guiding us.

Learn about ST. FRANCIS - If one is called to a Franciscan way of life, usually they find the life of St. Francis inspirational, and they find a desire to live the Gospel in the manner that St. Francis did. Here is a good biography: St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography, by Omer Englebert.

Learn about the CONVENTUAL FRANCISCANS - explore the many websites about the CONVENTUAL FRANCISCANS. Start with the ones listed below.

Learn more about be becoming a Franciscan Friar at:
Franciscans.org

Explore the Websites of the other Conventual Franciscan Provinces in the U.S.
East Coast
South/Central
Midwest

Next Steps:

Email or Call Our Vocation Director – You will get to know each other and together discern the next steps. These steps may include:

- Inviting you to attend a Franciscan Event nearby you.

- Arranging a visit to one of our locations. These visits often include praying with the friars and having dinner with the friars. The first visit is usually short, a couple of hours. Subsequent visits may be longer for several days.

- Inviting you to attend a “Come and See” event. During these weekends one attends with others discerning a vocation and Friars share with discerners the information about The Conventual Franciscan life, and discerners have an opportunity to live it, in a friary with friars, for a few days.