About Secular Franciscans

The Secular Franciscan Order is that branch of the worldwide Franciscan Family, founded by St. Francis of Assisi in the early 1200s, which is made up of laity and diocesan clergy.
Its aim is to make present in the life and mission of the Church the charism, or special gift, given to St. Francis and passed on to all his followers-to renew and build up the Body of Christ from within with a simple, straight-forward living of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Secular Franciscans fulfill their goal through their particular state in life in collaboration with the other members of the Franciscan Family-Friars Minor, Poor Clares, and Third Order Religious.
The Secular Franciscan Order is a vocation, a call by God to intensity the responsibility of one's baptism through a Church­approved spiritual family.
The Secular Franciscan Order is a permanent commitment to identity as fully as possible with the life and mission of Jesus Christ through spiritual growth, Christian witness and service, and an experience of fraternal life.

The Secular Franciscan Order is a way of life, not just a pious sodality or spiritual association, which includes a long­standing program of spiritual development, a particular life-style of simple living, a concerted ministry, and an organized interaction with other Franciscans. The Secular Franciscan Order is a permanent commitment to identity as fully as possible with the life and mission of Jesus Christ through spiritual growth, Christian witness and service, and an experience of fraternal life. 

The Secular Franciscan Order is a way of life, not just a pious sodality or spiritual association, which includes a long­standing program of spiritual development, a particular life-style of simple living, a concerted ministry, and an organized interaction with other Franciscans.

The Secular Franciscan Order is a community, not just an exclusive society or self-serving organization, which is open to all practicing Catholics and which serves the needs of the local church and gives witness to the unity and collaborative efforts of the Body of Christ.

The Secular Franciscan Order is an organized means for apostolic involvement within the Church, within the home, and within society in order to fulfill the mission of the Body of Christ: to establish the reign of God through conversion, through the unity of Word, Sacrament, and human interaction, and through convincing proclamation of the Good News of salvation for all the world.

Membership in the Secular Franciscan Order is open to all practicing Catholic lay men and women and to all diocesan clergy who experience the call to this style of intense Christian commitment and who feel the need for a solid grounding and an organized support system within the Church and according to their secular or clerical state in life and formation which leads to a life-long profession of a gospel rule of life..