The 5th installment of a series presenting the depth of the Franciscan Tradition in an easily digestible format. Continue Reading Tau Series: The Evolution of the Rule of the Third Order Regular
The 4th installment of a series presenting the depth of the Franciscan Tradition in an easily digestible format. Continue Reading Tau Series: The Rule Project
The 3rd installment of a series presenting the depth of the Franciscan Tradition in an easily digestible format. Continue Reading Tau Series: Key Concepts of the Third Order Regular Rule
The 2nd installment of a series presenting the depth of the Franciscan Tradition in an easily digestible format. Continue Reading Tau Series: Presentation of the Text of the Rule
The 1st installment of a series presenting the depth of the Franciscan Tradition in an easily digestible format. Continue Reading Tau Series: The Volterra Letter – The First Letter to All the Faithful
Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025 1pm – 4pm ET | 12pm – 3pm CT | 11am – 2pm MT | 10am – 1pm PT “Singing a New Canticle: 1225-2025” Francis of Assisi has inspired generations of artists, poets, mystics and nature-lovers. He is probably the only Christian saint to be found in local… Continue Reading 02/17/2025 Registration Deadline for Franciscan Federation Annual Virtual Retreat
The Roots of Franciscan Christocentrism and Its Implications for Today. Responding to the need for shorter articles for use in the classroom or in adult education groups, this series of CFIT publications provides four-page synopses of important articles by noted scholars on key elements of the Franciscan tradition. Continue Reading Custodians of the Tradition: Christ, Word of God and Exemplar of Humanity
Franciscans realize that they are neither monastic nor apostolic and claim for themselves the description “evangelical.” The rediscovery of the evangelical form of life has emerged from a systematic reflection on the experience of Franciscan living in the light of the early sources, which include not only the writings and hagiographical texts of Francis and Clare but also the writings of great theologians of the Order. Because of the contemporary focus on ministry, there is reluctance to associate “doing” with “theology.” Thus, we dichotomize what was an integral experience of Christian living. Continue Reading Custodians of the Tradition: It Pleases Me That You Should Teach Sacred Theology – Franciscans Doing Theology
Francis as “vernacular theologian” [one whose writing and life demonstrates that all persons can experience God in the midst of the world, and communicate this for the ordinary person] was “not simply a religious genius who sparked an evangelical renewal movement that would come to include great thinkers, but also as one who himself forged new understandings of God and of God’s relation to the world.” Continue Reading Custodians of the Tradition: Francis as Vernacular Theologian – A link to the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition?
Regarding the Third Order Regular Rule, specifically Chapter IX. The first paragraph in the Chapter speaks about the necessary commandment — love of God — as the source for the apostolic life. The manner of the apostolic life is peacemaking. This means that, in being a presence one is offering a transformative presence to the world. Finally, the goal of the apostolic life is to give praise and glory to God. All of one’s deepest desires and the desires of the human heart converge around this inspiration that is the heart of this Rule. Chapter IX is all about the heart: centered on the heart, written on the heart, flowing from the heart. Continue Reading Custodians of the Tradition: The One Thing Necessary – Seeing Chapter IX of the Third Order Regular Rule through the Lens of the Teachings of John Duns Scotus