Franciscan spirituality in Protestantism


Franciscan spirituality in Protestantism refers to spirituality in Protestantism inspired by the Catholic friar Saint Francis of Assisi. Emerging since the 19th century, there are several Protestant adherent and groups, sometimes organised as religious orders, which strive to adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The 20th century High Church Movement gave birth to Franciscan inspired orders among revival of religious orders in Protestant Christianity.
One of the results of the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church during the 19th century was the re-establishment of religious orders, including some of Franciscan inspiration. The principal Anglican communities in the Franciscan tradition are the Community of St. Francis, the Poor Clares of Reparation, the Society of Saint Francis, and the Community of St. Clare. There is also a Third Order known as the Third Order Society of St Francis.
There are three other U.S.-founded orders within the Anglican Communion - the Seattle-founded Second Order of The Little Sisters of St. Clare, the dispersed First Order Order of Saint Francis founded in 2003, and the Community of Francis and Clare which is a dispersed, open, inclusive, and contemporary expression of Anglican/ Episcopal Franciscan life open to men and women.
There are also some small Franciscan communities within European Protestantism and the Old Catholic Church. There are some Franciscan orders in Lutheran Churches, including the Order of Lutheran Franciscans, the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, and the Evangelische Kanaan Franziskus-Bruderschaft. In addition, there are associations of Franciscan inspiration not connected with a mainstream Christian tradition and describing themselves as ecumenical or dispersed.
Both the Anglicans and also the Lutheran Church has third orders in emulation of the Catholic ones. The Anglicans has a "Third Order of Saint Francis ", with the same name as the Catholic third order, the Third Order of Saint Francis, and the Lutherans has an Order of Lutheran Franciscans.

Anglican Communion

One of the results of the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church during the 19th century was the re-establishment of religious orders, including some of Franciscan inspiration. The principal Anglican communities in the Franciscan tradition are the Community of St. Francis, the Poor Clares of Reparation, the Society of Saint Francis, and the Community of St. Clare. There is also a Third Order known as the Third Order Society of St Francis.
A U.S.-founded order within the Anglican world communion is the Seattle-founded order of Clares in Seattle The Little Sisters of St. Clare,.
The Order of St. Francis is another First Order community of Brothers that was founded in 2003 originally within the Diocese of Olympia and is recognized within the United States and Canada.
The Community of Francis and Clare is a dispersed, open, inclusive, and contemporary expression of Anglican/ Episcopal Franciscan life open to men and women.
Another officially sanctioned Anglican order with a more contemplative focus is the order of the Little Brothers of Francis in the Anglican Church of Australia.
The Company of Jesus Community, of both Franciscan and Benedictine inspiration, is under the episcopal oversight of a bishop of the Episcopal Church, but accepts any baptized Christians as members.

Society of St Francis

The main manifestation of the Franciscan life within the Anglican Communion is the Society of St Francis. It is fully recognised as part of the Anglican Communion and has around 3,000 members in its constituent orders. The society is made up of several distinct orders: the brothers of the First Order ; the sisters of the First Order ; the Sisters of the Second Order ; the brothers and sisters of the Third Order.
Francis of Assisi and Clare of Assisi, the founders of the Franciscan movement, produced separate rules for three parallel orders - the First Order were to be mendicant friars, embracing poverty as a gift from God and living community life in the world by serving the poor. The Second Order were to be a parallel community of sisters living a more enclosed life of prayer and contemplation. The Third Order was to consist of brothers and sisters not living in community, nor under full monastic vows, but nevertheless taking simple promises and following a rule of life in the world. These three orders still co-exist as parts of the Franciscan family in Anglicanism as well as in other Christian denominations. Francis also wrote a rule for those wishing to follow the contemplative life, but living alone as Christian hermits.
The Society of St. Francis includes an order of tertiaries, people who have taken promises and are followers of a version of the Franciscan Rule but do not live together in community. This Third Order was founded in 1950. The T.S.S.F. consists of men and women, lay and ordained, married and single. It is divided into five provinces: Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the Americas.
The , based in the United States of America, aim to live in harmony within the Anglican Church of the Americas and invites other Christian faiths to follow an Ecumenical Christian path. They are a Third Order society of Men and Women who live out of community. Currently this Order has members in the United States of America, Canada and Ireland.

First Order

First Order Franciscans live in community under traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. In the Anglican Communion the male first order is known as the Society of St Francis, and brothers have the initials 'SSF' after their name; the female first order is known as the Community of St Francis, and sisters have the initials 'CSF' after their name. The First Order brothers and sisters operate worldwide, dividing themselves into internal provinces, and have around 200 members.

Second Order

Second Order Franciscans live in enclosed community, taking the same traditional vows but following a version of the Rule of St Francis modified to reflect a more contemplative lifestyle. Second Order sisters are often known as "Poor Clares", though they should properly be known as the Order of St Clare or the Community of St Clare. The sisters have the initials "OSC" after their names. They are the smallest part of the Franciscan family and are currently active only in the United Kingdom at St Mary's Convent, Freeland, Oxfordshire. The sisters believe that their "enclosed" life does not mean being "shut in", but rather an opportunity to live and work together on one site in real community. The former second order convent in New York, opened in 1922, closed in 2003 following the death of the last sister of the Poor Clares of Reparation and Adoration.

Third Order

A Third Order of Saint Francis, with the same name as the Catholic third order, exists in the Anglican Communion, alongside the Anglican Society of St Francis and Community of St Francis, and the Community of St. Clare.
Third Order Franciscans live as a dispersed community, which means that they meet together regularly for prayer, study, and fellowship, but live individually on a day-to-day basis. Some live alone, others as part of a family. Members may be single or married, ordained or lay, and male or female. They do not take the traditional three-fold vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but they do enter into a binding promise and live by a rule of life based upon Francis of Assisi's original Third Order rule.

Other Franciscan orders

Whilst the Society of St Francis, operating worldwide, is widely recognized as the principal branch of Franciscanism within the Anglican Communion, there are other religious orders following the Franciscan rule, and living the Franciscan life. Those that are officially recognized as part of the Anglican Communion include the following:
First Order
Second Order and hermitage
Third Order
The Community of Francis and Clare
In the Evangelical Church in Germany, apart from the high church movement, there exists a Protestant Evangelische Kanaan Franziskus-Bruderschaft, affiliated with Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary.
In Church of Sweden, there is Helige Franciskus Systraskap, a religious community in Klaradal convent in Sjövik.
Franciscan Brothers of St. Michael , also in North America, within Evangelical Marian Catholic Church, is a Congregation of men, women and children. are now part of the American Orthodox Catholic Church Inc.
In the Lutheran church, there has been also more general interest to Franciscan spirituality. E.g. "Assisi-Kredsen" in Denmark and "Franciskus-Sällskapet i Finland" are ecumenical societies, which e.g. arrange journeys to Assisi and in Franciscan convents. Members are mostly Lutherans.

Lutheran third orders

is an "undifferentiated" Order in the tradition of the Third Order of Saint Francis. Life-professed women and men, lay or ordained, make Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.
In Europe, there are nine Franciscan third orders, two of which are commonly referenced.
Evangelische Franziskaner-Tertiaren was founded in Germany 1927 within Hochkirchliche Vereinigung.
Franciskus Tredje Orden, FTO in Church of Sweden, is part of the European Province of the Third Order of the Anglican Society of St Francis. Stockholm based pastor Ted Harris is a well established member and contact man for Franciskus Tredje Orden.

Ecumenical organisations

In addition, there are associations of Franciscan inspiration not connected with a mainstream Christian tradition and describing themselves as ecumenical or dispersed.
The Free Episcopal Church in the USA sponsors the Order of Servant Franciscans, whose members are committed to "the process of becoming" ministers of Christ's message of reconciliation and love, as demonstrated by the holy lives of Saints Francis and Clare.
The Mission Episcopate of Saints Francis and Clare, "an autocephalous ecclesial jurisdiction", sponsors the Order of Lesser Sisters and Brothers, open to Christians male or female, married, partnered or single, clergy or lay.
The Australian Ecumenical Franciscan Order is now an independent community in which most members live their everyday life in the world. They may be male or female, married, partnered or single, clergy or lay. They may belong to any Christian tradition. There is no discrimination of any sort, save as to minimum age.
The Companions of Jesus, founded in the United Kingdom in 2004, is "a Franciscan Community of Reconciliation".
The United States Order of Ecumenical Franciscans adopted its Rule on 22 November 1983.
The Order of Lesser Sisters and Brothers is a dispersed ecumenical Franciscan community similar to the older Third Order model under which most members live their everyday life in the world. They may be male or female, married, partnered or single, clergy or lay. There is no discrimination of any sort, save as to minimum age.
The Ecumenical Franciscan Society from Eastern Europe has Lutheran, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and free Protestant members.

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