Our Charism

"I believe the only really valid thing that can be accomplished in the direction of world peace and unity at the moment is the preparation of the way by the formation of men and women who, isolated, perhaps not accepted or understood by any 'movement,' are able to unite in themselves and experience in their own lives all that is best and most true in the various great spiritual traditions.  Such men and women can become as it were 'sacraments' or signs of peace, at least.  They can do much to open the minds of their contemporaries to receive, in the future, new seeds of thought."

~Thomas Merton

Welcome!

Welcome to the website of the Ecumenical Franciscans of the Renewal. As our name implies we are an ecumenical (all denominations) Order of men and women seeking to live an authentic Franciscan spirituality. We are a contemporary, progressive, semi-monastic community, which means that we live our lives in the world. We seek to find ways to authentically live a semi-monastic life of prayer and service while continuing to reside in our homes and work our (most often, but not always) secular jobs.

Our manner of life is patterned after the Orthodox Idiorhythmic Monastery wherein the members are united in a common rule of life while living separately. Often the members of these communities have different spiritual directors/guides. They are united under a common guardian (called a hegumen) of the community.

To learn more about us, please feel free to explore our website. To obtain a copy of our rule of life, please email us at: TheEFR@gmail.com. Please know that since we devote our lives to prayer and service we intentionally check our email only once a week.

A Blessing of St Francis of Assisi

A prayer of St Francis of Assisi

The term Franciscan is used to refer to those in Roman Catholic and Anglican religious orders which follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St. Francis", or a member of one of these orders. There are also small Old Catholic and Protestant Franciscan communities.

The best known group following "The rule of St. Francis of Assisi" is the Order of Friars Minor (commonly called simply the "Franciscans"). The Order of Friars Minor is a mendicant religous order of men tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi.

The most important Franciscans are, of course, its founders, Francis and Clare of Assisi. Some famous members of the Franciscan family include Anthony of Padua, Bonaventure, John Duns Scotus, Roger Bacon, Francois Rabelais, Alenander of Hales, William of Ockham, Giovani da Pian del Carpini, Padre Pio, Mychal F. Judge, and Gabrielle of Allegra.

A sermon which Francis heard in 1209 on Matthew 10:9 made such an impression on him that he decided to devote himself wholly to a life of apostolic poverty. Clad in a rough garment, barefoot, and, after the Evangelical precept, without staff or scrip, he began to preach repentance.

He was soon joined by a prominent fellow townsman, Bernardo di Quintavalle, who contributed all that he had to the work, and by other companions, who are said to have reached the number of eleven within a year. The brothers lived in the deserted lazar-house of Rivo Torto near Assisi; but they spent much of their time traveling through the mountainous districts of Umbria, always cheerful and full of songs, yet making a deep impression on their hearers by their earnest exhortations. Their life was extremely ascetic, though such practises were apparently not prescribed by the first rule which Francis gave them (probably as early as 1209), which seems to have been nothing more than a collection of Scriptural passages emphasizing the duty of poverty.

In spite of the obvious similarity between this principle and the fundamental ideas of the followers of Peter Waldo, the brotherhood of Assisi succeeded in gaining the approval of Pope Innocent III. What seems to have impressed first the Bishop of Assisi, Guido, then Cardinal John of St. Paul, and finally Innocent himself, was their utter loyalty to the Church and her clergy. Innocent probably saw in them a possible answer to his desire for an orthodox preaching force to counter heresy. Many legends have clustered around the decisive audience of Francis with the Pope. The realistic account in Matthew Paris, according to which the Pope originally sent the shabby saint off to keep swine, and only recognized his real worth by his ready obedience, has, in spite of its improbability, a certain historical interest, since it shows the natural antipathy of the older Benedictine monasticism to the plebeian mendicant orders.

Francis had to suffer from the dissensions just alluded to and the transformation which they operated in the originally simple constitution of the brotherhood, making it a regular order under strict supervision from Rome. Exasperated by the demands of running a growing and fractious Order, Francis asked Pope Honorius III for help in 1219. He was assigned Cardinal Ugolino as protector of the order by the Pope. Francis resigned the day to day running of the Order into the hands of others but retained the power to shape the Order's legislation, writing a Rule in 1221 which he revised and had approved in 1223. At least after about 1223 the day to day running of the Order was in the hands of Brother Elias of Cortona, an able friar who would be elected as leader of the friars a few years after Francis' death (1226) but who aroused much opposition because of his autocratic style of leadership. He planned and built the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assis in which Saint Francis is buried, a building including the friary Sacro Convento, which still today is the spiritual centre of the order.

In the external successes of the brothers, as they were reported at the yearly general chapters, there was much to encourage Francis. Caesarius of Speyer, the first German provincial, a zealous advocate of the founder's strict principle of poverty, began in 1221 from Augsburg, with twenty-five companions, to win for the order the land watered by the Rhine and the Danube. In 1224 Agnellus of Pisa led a small group of friars to England. Beginning at Canterbury, the ecclesiastical capital, they moved on to London, the political capital and Oxford, the intellectual capital. From these three bases the Franciscans swiftly expanded to embrace the principal towns of England.

The Ecumenical Franciscans of the Renewal are honored to be the world headquarters of Christ Enlight Spirituality

Christ Enlight: A spirituality that will forever change the way you look at Christianity

www.ChristEnlight.org

St Francis' prayer before the Crucifix of San Damiano

Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me Lord, a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity, sense and knowledge, so that I may carry out Your holy and true command. Amen.

History of the San Damiano Crucifix

One day, God spoke to St. Francis through the crucifix in the chapel of San Damiano, just outside the walls of Assisi, Italy, and said, "Francis, rebuild my church." This was a literal request to repair the chapel which had fallen into ruin, but is interpreted metaphorically as a divine command to renew the life of the church as the people of God.

St. Francis had a very generous nature. Without hesitation, upon hearing God's command, he took a piece of silk from his father's warehouse, sold it, and used the money to buy stones to repair the chapel.

His father, angered by this apparent act of thievery, took Francis to court. This estrangement led to Francis giving up his inheritance and devoting himself completely to God.

The crucifix became known as the San Damiano Cross, and is considered an icon because it contains images of people who participate in its meaning. In addition to the crucified Christ, these include the major witnesses: Mary, the mother of Jesus; St. John, the "beloved disciple;" Mary Magdalene; Mary, mother of James, and the centurion who proclaimed, "Truly this is the son of God." There also are three minor witnesses: the two Roman soldiers who pierced Jesus' side and offered him a sponge soaked in vinegar, and an onlooker.

The original crucifix now hangs in the Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Clare) in Assisi.

History of the Tau Cross

The first recorded reference to the TAU is from Ezekiel 9:4, "Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a TAU on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." The TAU is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet and looks very much like the letter "T".

At the Fourth Lateran Council, on November 11, 1215, Pope Innocent made reference to the TAU and quoted the above verse in reference to the profaning of the Holy Places by the Saracens. It is widely accepted that St. Francis was present at the Fourth Lateran Council and that he heard the words of Pope Innocent III when he said, "The TAU has exactly the same form as the Cross on which our Lord was crucified on Calvary, and only those will be marked with this sign and will obtain mercy who have mortified their flesh and conformed their life to that of the Crucified Savior. From then on, the TAU became Francis' own coat of arms.

Francis used the TAU in his writings, painted in on the walls and doors of the places where he stayed, and used it as his only signature on his writings.

St. Bonaventure said, "This TAU symbol had all the veneration and all the devotion of the saint: he spoke of it often in order to recommend it, and he traced it on himself before beginning each of his actions."

Thomas of Celano, another Franciscan historian writes, "Francis preferred the Tau above all other symbols: he utilized it as his only signature for his letters, and he painted the image of it on the walls of all the places in which he stayed."

In the famous blessing of Brother Leo, Francis wrote on parchment, "May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord show His face to you and be merciful to you! May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace! God bless you Brother Leo!" Francis sketched a head (of Brother Leo) and then drew the TAU over this portrait.

Due, no doubt, in large part to Francis' own affection for and devotion to the TAU, it has been a well recognized and accepted Franciscan symbol among Franciscans of various denominations and of all orders within those denominations for centuries. It remains so today. The TAU carries with it all of the symbolism of the Cross of Christ as well as Francis' ideal of life and dream for himself and his followers.

Devotion to St. Francis

The English word devotion is derived from the Latin verb devovere (to consecrate). Devotion, as a relationship between wayfarers and the Saints, is nothing other than fidelity, loyalty, and resoluteness in the following of Christ after their admirable example.

The devoted follower, is one who has consecrated, that is, dedicated, his entire life to discipleship. The devotee of a saint is in common parlance one who invokes the Saint daily and frequents celebrations, churches, chapels, sanctuaries built in the Saint's honor. But the devoted follower, the devoted disciple, is something much more. For him, the imitation of the Saint is the fundamental character of his existence, the foundation of his identity, the key to his personal destiny in Christ.

Devotion to St. Francis is no less such devotion. The devotion that the sons of St. Francis should have no less such a devotion.

One can imitate a Saint by incorporating into one's behavior, ideals, habits, customs, things taken from the life and virtues of the Saint. But such devotion moves only on the material level. Just as the material cause is subordinate to the formal cause in Aristotelian philosophy, so is a devotion to particular things associated with the life and times of a Saint subordinate to true devotion.

True devotion to a Saint necessitates a formal union of heart and mind with the Saint. There is no greater imitation than for the disciple to become one with his teacher. Our Lord taught this kind of devotion when He said of his own disciples, "No disciple is greater than his Master; a disciple should rejoice to be like his Master."

True devotion then, to a Saint must transcend material devotion. For such a devotion fails to incorporate the truth in Christ that the Saints are means not ends to imitation of Christ Jesus, the One Teacher of all. To truly imitate a Saint then, is to make the desire, wisdom, and resoluteness that was his to follow and imitate Christ, one's own. In such a manner, devotion to a Saint is transfigured into authentic Christian life and perfection.

True devotion to St. Francis then, must not strive to attain nor merely admire the spirit of the Poverello and his way of life. True devotion to St. Francis must love what he loved with the love and purpose he loved it.

Thought for January

But believe me when the angels and saints appear among us they don't appear in rich men's houses, and the place where I want to be is somewhere where the angels are not only present but even sometimes visible:  that is slums, or...monasteries, or where there are children, or where there is one guy starving himself for sorrow and shame at the sins and injustice of the world.

~Thomas Merton

If you are Franciscans of the Renewal, what are you renewing?

Renewal begins at home. We seek to renew our spiritual lives by comforming to the example of St. Francis, whose spirituality was motivated primarily by the desire to conform to the example of Christ. In living lives of prayer and service, we seek to transform and renew ourselves, our communities, and the Church.

Franciscan spirituality is, at its heart, a spirituality of simplicity. Simplicity is not a license for laziness or a lax living of one's vocation. It is, however, a call to remove attachments from our lives that function as barriers between us and God. Particularly among ecumenical and independent religious communities of all kinds (not just Franciscans) we often find there not only to be a startling lack of simplicity, but also a shocking lack of humility. Members of such communities often have a certain grandiosity about them. They are often more concerned with appearances such as being seen in public wearing splendid religious habits or other clothing than in living the charism of their community. In fact, in such groups there very often is too little prayer and ministry and far to much parading around.

Because we seek to return to an authentic Franciscan spirituality of simplicity, we do not wear religious habits unless we are connected to the Motherhouse. The religious habit, consisting of a tunic with a scapular and cowl worn over the tunic, was essentially the secular clothing of the day (the tunic) with the scapular and cowl added. Since folks in contemporary society do not generally wear full length tunics on the street, we have forgone the habit and wear street clothing. We wear a brown scapular of our choosing under our clothing to symbolize our commitment to God in a private way, as Jesus admonished we should pray, "in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you." We do wear either the Tau Cross or the San Damiano Crucifix over our street clothing as a symbol of our Franciscan commitment. Our members who are ordained members of the clergy are permitted to wear a clergy shirt with either a Tau Cross or San Damiano Crucifix. While functioning liturgically, at gatherings of the Order, or while on retreat, members should wear a brown scapular over an alb. Members not connected to the Motherhouse and wishing to wear a habit outside of liturgy or a retreat may do so only with the permission of the Guardian.

Clare was born into the nobility of Assisi on July 16, 1194. As a little girl she was known by members of her household to be a sensitive child, gentle, prayerful and kind. She would sometimes hide food from her plate so as to later give it to the poor.

After hearing a young man (St. Francis) preach, she became determined to live the gospel in a more radical way. On the evening of Palm Sunday, March 20, 1212 she secretly left her paternal home with her cousin Pacifica, never to return. In the dead of night lit only by torches, Clare met Francis and his friars at the Portiuncola. There, in the little chapel of Mary of the Angels, she laid aside her rich clothes and Francis, after cutting off her long blonde hair, clothed her in a rough tunic and a thick veil. From that moment she vowed to live her life entirely in the service of Jesus, her heavenly spouse.

She was placed by Francis temporarily with the Benedictine nuns of San Palos near Bastia, then to San Angelo in Panzo until finally to San Damiano, which Francis had rebuilt with his own hands.Thus was founded the first community of the Order of Poor Ladies or Poor Clares.

In the beginning, most of the young girls who joined her in this life of radical poverty were from the noble families of Assisi and the surrounding area. At first they had no written rule to follow except for a very short formula vitae. Over the years prelates tried to draw up a rule for the Poor Ladies based largely on the Rule of St. Benedict, however, Clare would reject these attempts in favour of the privilege of poverty, wishing to own nothing in this world and depending entirely on the providence of God and the generosity of the people for their livelihood.

The Canticle of Brother Sun

Most High, all powerful, good Lord,

Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessing.

To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your name.

Praise be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air,cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation.

Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no living man can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin.

Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy willl, for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.

AMEN

Devotion to St. Francis, part 2

Now the historical sources on the life of St. Francis delineate clearly what this preeminent love in the heart of St. Francis was. He himself declares it on the morning of February 24, 1208 A.D. at the Portziuncula, outside Assisi: "This is what I want; this is what I long for with all my heart."

The Saint said this of the passage of scripture which the priest had just explained to him, and which had been read than morning at the Mass in honor of St. Matthias, the Apostle. It was Our Lord sending out the Apostles and establishing the apostolic life of mendicancy: "Take nothing with you on the way ...".

The unlimited entrustment that this form of life requires of the disciple to the Master was the essential hallmark of the spirituality and religious consecration of the Poor Man of Assisi. This is the key to his life and love of Christ Crucified.

It follows then, that true devotion to St. Francis necessitates this essential adoption of the life of mendicancy in all its rigor and simplicity, and not for the reason that St. Francis lived it, but for the reason that Christ taught it. Not so as to become a disciple of St. Francis; but rather, to walk with the Saint in this life so as to become a perfect disciple of Christ Jesus Our Lord.

Such devotion requires, then, nothing less that a return to and resolute observance of the precepts of the Rule of St. Francis. This is the form of life that the Saint wanted expressly to hand down to his sons as a perpetual inheritance and heritage. This Rule embodies simply and rigorously the principles of the life of mendicancy that Christ taught to the Apostles. This is the teaching of Popes Nicholas III and Clement V.

To be a true son of St. Francis is to be, then, an observer of the Rule. One who finds the essence and form of his life, vocation, and charism, not in the constitutions or statutes or customs of the Franciscan community to which he may belong; but rather, one who finds essence and form of his consecrated life and vocation; indeed of his very identity and destiny in the Rule of St. Francis, and holds this to be the very day to day discipline that guides his personal life and apostolate.