LETTER OF THE FOUR MINISTERS GENERAL OF THE FRANCISCAN FAMILY
To the Brothers and Sisters of the Secular Franciscan Order
on the occasion of granting the Rule,
approved for them by the Holy See
It is with joy that we inform you that the Holy See, by means of the Apostolic Letter Seraphicus Patriarcha dated 24th June, 1978, and “under the ring of the Fisherman”, has approved the revised Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, which abrogates and replaces the preceding Rule of Pope Leo XIII. It is Pope Paul VI to whom we are indebted for this splendid gift, which he bestowed shortly before he departed this earth. He loved you. Indeed, he demonstrated his love for the Secular Franciscan Order, and addressed you with unforgettable words, as in June 1968 and in 1971, on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the Memoriale propositi.
Since 7th March, 1966, when the Sacred Congregation for Religious granted permission to begin to bring up to date legislation for the Secular Franciscan Order, the journey has been long and arduous. We wish to underline the work of the brothers and sisters and of fraternities, both through the publication of various forms of life, of Way of Life and Journeys, and through the tireless work of the Presidency of the International Council since it was established in 1973.
Such work has been of major importance in seeking the ways of the Spirit and most efficacious in making known the presence and the vitality of the Franciscan charism to the People of God in our day. Not only is the Rule that we present to you today the fruit of this work. The Church commends it to you as a rule of life.
Attend first and foremost to its evangelical content; welcome the Franciscan message that it contains and the guidance it offers you in living according to the holy Gospel. A cornerstone of the renewal that we hope for, is to return to the origins, to the spiritual experience of Saint Francis of Assisi and of the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, who received their inspiration and guidance from him. This is the intention behind the inclusion of the Earlier Admonition and Exhortation (rescensio prior) as the Prologue, and in the constant references to the teaching and example of Saint Francis. Another cornerstone is openness to the Spirit in the signs of the times.
Supported by these two cornerstones, you should be able to put into practice the invitation of the Rule to be creative and to exercise co-responsibility. In some cases, this creativity should find expression in the form of statutes. Indeed, the Rule, Article 3, states as a general norm: “Its application will be set out in the General Constitutions and particular Statutes.”
We, the Franciscan Ministers, together with all our friars are ever ready and open to offer
you all our assistance so that we may walk together in the way of the Lord.
With these sentiments we are pleased to present the revised Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order to the Presidency of the International Council, and, through this Council, to all Secular Franciscans who will receive it as a rule and life.
Rome, 4th October 1978
Fr. Costantin Koser
General Minister OFM
Fr. Vitale M. Bommarco
General Minister OFM Conv.
Fr. Pasquale Rywalski
General Minister OFM Cap.
Fr. Roland Faley
General Minister T.O.R.
National Statutes of the OFS-USA
2020 General Constitutions of the OFS
2020 Constituciones Generales de la OFS
LETTER OF THE CONFERENCE OF GENERAL MINISTERS
OF THE FIRST ORDER AND THE TOR
Rome, January 1, 2001
Feast of Mary, Mother of God
Dear Sister Emanuela,
The Lord give you peace!
The Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has on December 8, 2000, issued the Decree (Prot. N. T. 144-1/2000) of approval of the General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order, as revised by the General Chapter of the OFS at Madrid in October 1999 and subsequently submitted by the President of the Conference of the General Ministers of the First Order and the TOR.
Now, also in the name of the other General Ministers, I am entrusting the approved text of the Constitutions to You, to all the brothers and sisters of the OFS. The common vocation of the whole Franciscan family, from its very beginning in the powerful spiritual experience of Francis and Clare, is “to live according to the form of the Holy Gospel”. The Constitutions prove to be an ever more important resource to embody this one vocation in the rich variety of its many expressions, wherever and whenever the Lord sends us. They are not just “one more document” nor the final stage of a journey, but an essential, dynamic tool to help us define our identity and step by step to structure our life and vocation as Franciscans. The work of reflection and revision by so many brothers and sisters all over the world and the approval by Holy Mother Church, commit us to make these Constitutions the standard around which we build our lives in accord with the gospel.
In the name of the Church and of the General Ministers, I express the wish to all Secular Franciscans: that you may be convincing witnesses of that gospel fire which burned so brightly in the lives of Francis and Clare of Assisi and made them models of a life of total self-giving and of complete fulfilment.
Your brother,
Fr. Giacomo Bini, OFM
President of the Conference of General Ministers
of the First Order and the TOR
