The Franciscans are referred to as “friars,” from the Latin frater, meaning “brother.” Franciscans are essentially an order of brothers striving to live the Gospel with the same simplicity and fervor as their founder, St. Francis of Assisi. After growing up in a wealthy family and then experiencing a powerful conversion at the age of 25, Francis donned the clothes of a penitent and began to live a very poor lifestyle, dedicating himself to prayer and service of the poor. Before long, inspired by his fervent lifestyle, men began to join Francis and to imitate his way of life. This gave rise to the birth of the Franciscan Order in 1223.
(source: https://capuchins.org/who-are-we/)
Why do Franciscan friars have OFM after their names?
Their founder, St. Francis of Assisi, called his little group the “Order of Lesser Brothers” (“Ordo Fratrum Minorum” in Latin), and that is the official name of the order. In order to keep the initials OFM, they many times explain the letters OFM as the “Order of Friars Minor”. In a society where there were kings and lords on one hand, not much of a middle class, and the serfs and the poor on the other hand, Francis strove to anchor his brotherhood firmly among the poor and did so by including that in their very name.
(source: https://usfranciscans.org/)
The “Order of Friars Minor” are commonly called simply the “Franciscans”. The modern organization of the Friars Minor comprises three separate families or groups, each considered a religious order in its own right. They all live according to a body of regulations known as the Rule of St Francis. They are…
- The Order of Friars Minor, or “Observants”, official name: “Friars Minor” (OFM).
- The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin or “Capuchins”, “Friars Minor Capuchin” (OFM Cap).
- The Conventual Franciscans or Minorites, official name: “Friars Minor Conventual” (OFM Conv).
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Friars_Minor)
Fr. Casimir was a Conventual Franciscan, one of the three branches of the First Order of St. Francis, and whose postnominal abbreviation was OFM Conv. The word Conventual is derived from the Latin convenire, “to come together”; hence they live together in “convents” or friaries. The Order is spread throughout the world, and includes about 4500 priests and brothers who are all commonly called Friars. The brotherhood includes four provinces in North America, and a jurisdiction in the UK and Ireland. They wear a black or gray habit with a simple three-knotted cord representing our Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. The Spiritual Center of the Order is in Assisi, Italy, where Friars care for the Basilica of St. Francis, which includes his tomb. In addition, the Conventuals are the Vatican confessors at St. Peter’s Basilica. In Christ’s name, they continue the ministry of healing so fundamental to the understanding of Saint Francis.
(source: https://www.franciscans.org/who-are-we)
US Conventual Franciscans Provinces
There are four provinces of Conventual Franciscans in the US. Fr. Casimir (Michael) and his brother, Fr. Cyprian (Venard) were both associated with the St. Bonaventure Province based out of Chicago IL.
- Our Lady of the Angels Province – East Coast and Canada
- St. Bonaventure Province – Midwest
- Our Lady of Consolation Province – Midwest and Southwest
- St. Joseph of Cupertino Province – West Coast
The Rule of St. Francis
The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity.
You can read the complete rule here: https://ofm.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/The_Rule.pdf
Franciscans are a mendicant order. A mendicant is one who practices mendicancy(begging) and relies chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many instances members have taken a vow of poverty, in order that all their time and energy could be expended on practicing their respective faith, preaching and serving society. Mendicancy is a form of asceticism.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendicant)
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (or Conventual Franciscans), is one of three separate fraternities that make up the First Order of St. Francis, that is, the friars. The Second Order is the Poor Clares, an order of women; members of the Third Order may be men or women, secular or regular. The Order of Friars Minor Conventual is spread throughout the world, and as of August 2018 includes 30 provinces, 18 custodies, 460 friaries and 4048 friars. There are four provinces of Conventual Franciscans in the United States.
Friars are different from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels (vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience) in service to society, rather than through cloistered asceticism. In the life of the friar, the exercise of public ministry is an essential feature, for which the life of the cloister is considered as but an immediate preparation. Whereas monks live in a self-sufficient community, friars work among laypeople and were supported, at least initially, by donations or other charitable support. A monk or nun often takes an additional vow of “stability”, committing themselves to a particular community in a particular place. Friars commit to a community spread across a wider geographical area known as a province, and so they may move, spending time in different houses of the community within their province.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Friars_Minor_Conventual)