✠ Basic Eligibility Requirements
Before beginning the journey, a candidate must meet these foundational criteria:
- Faith: You must be a fully initiated Catholic (having received Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion) in good standing with the EMMI Ministry or any other Catholic church.
- Age: You must be at least 18 years old
- Marital Status: Open to single, married, widowed, divorced, remarried, common-law partners, gays, and priests and deacons. If married, it is highly recommended to have your spouse’s understanding and support.
- Disposition: A desire to seek gospel perfection in the world, a love for the Church, and a drawing toward Franciscan spirituality (humility, simplicity, peace-making, and care for creation).
✠ The Stages of Becoming a Secular Franciscan
The process is deliberate and unhurried, usually taking between 2 and 3 years to ensure it is a true vocation.
[Orientation] ➔ [Inquiry] ➔ [Candidacy] ➔ [Life Profession]
- Orientation (3–4 Months) This is the “get to know you” phase. You will attend local monthly fraternity meetings to observe, pray with the community, and ask questions. It’s a time to see if the Franciscan charism resonates with your soul.
- Inquiry (6 Months minimum). If you decide to take a step closer, you enter the Inquiry phase. You will study the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare. You begin to look at the OFS Rule and the history of the Order. The fraternity evaluates your readiness to move forward.
- Candidacy (18–24 Months). If you decide to take a step closer, you enter the Inquiry phase. You will study the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare. You begin to look at the OFS Rule and the history of the Order. The fraternity evaluates your readiness to move forward. This is the formal period of preparation and the heart of your formation. It begins with a welcoming ceremony. You study the Rule and Constitution, and how to apply Franciscan values to daily life (finances, family, work, and social justice). You begin living the Franciscan lifestyle more intentionally. You are expected to attend all fraternity gatherings and actively participate in apostolates (ministries)
- Profession (A Lifelong Commitment) At the end of Candidacy, if both you and the fraternity council agree you have a vocation, you make a Permanent Profession. This is a public, solemn promise made during a Mass to live the Gospel according to the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order for the rest of your life. Note: This is not a religious vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience like a monk or nun, but a promise to live the spirit of those virtues within your current state of life.
Once professed, Secular Franciscans live out their vocation daily through specific spiritual habits:
✠ Daily Responsibilities After Profession
- The Rule: Living “from Gospel to life and life to the Gospel.
- Prayer: Praying the Liturgy of the Hours (Morning and Evening Prayer) or a simplified equivalent daily.
- Sacraments: Frequent attendance at Mass and regular reception of the Sacrament of Eucharist.
- Fraternity: Attending the mandatory monthly local fraternity meeting. (Community is a non-negotiable part of being Franciscan).
- Simplicity and Charity: Detaching from excessive materialism and actively serving the poor, marginalized, and caring for creation.
How to Start
If you feel called, your first step is simply to contact us
May the Lord remain with you,
in silence and in peace.
May your heart find rest in His presence,
And your path be guided gently through Mary.
In all things—
may you remain in Him,
As He remains in you.
