Franciscans

Franciscans are members of Christian religious orders and communities shaped by the teachings and spiritual tradition of Francis of Assisi, especially poverty, fraternity, and care for creation.

Francis of Assisi: An Italian religious leader who founded the Franciscan movement and became one of Christianity’s most influential saints. His example and teachings define the tradition’s spiritual identity.
Order of Friars Minor: The principal male Franciscan religious order, founded by Francis of Assisi and governed by a rule of life. It is the central branch from which later Franciscan divisions emerged.
Clare of Assisi: An Italian noblewoman who founded the Poor Clares and shaped women’s Franciscan religious life. Her partnership with Francis helped establish a lasting female branch of the movement.
Benedictines: Members of Christian monastic communities governed by the Rule of Saint Benedict. Their monastery-centered stability differs from the Franciscans’ mendicant ministry.
Canticle of the Sun: A poem by Francis of Assisi praising God through the sun, water, earth, and other parts of creation. It gives poetic expression to the Franciscan sense of kinship with creation.
Rule of Saint Francis: The religious rule governing Franciscan life, approved by Pope Honorius III in 1223. It sets out the commitments and shared practices of the Order of Friars Minor.
Order of Saint Clare: A contemplative religious order for women founded by Clare of Assisi in the Franciscan tradition. The Poor Clares developed a distinct communal form of Franciscan life.
Franciscan movement: The religious and social movement inspired by Francis of Assisi and his followers in the thirteenth century. The orders belong to a broader movement that began before their institutions were settled.
Dominicans: Members of the Order of Preachers, a mendicant order founded by Dominic in the early thirteenth century. The Dominicans share mendicant origins but place distinctive emphasis on preaching and study.
Franciscan theology: A Christian theological tradition shaped by Franciscan thinkers and themes such as creation, humility, and the incarnation. Franciscan communities helped carry a distinctive theological tradition across medieval and modern Christianity.

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