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Online Daily Prayer

St. Francis artSpirituality

Since the form of life of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis is “to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience, in poverty and in chastity” (TOR 1,1), we freely respond to God’s loving invitation to enter into this life of Gospel conversion by publicly professing our vows of obedience, poverty and chastity.

Obedience
Following the example of Jesus, Saint Francis urged his followers to embrace a spirit of self-emptying. By consecrated obedience, we commit ourselves to achieving a unity of mind and heart by living our Franciscan charism. In loving relationship with each other, we seek to discern the will of God for ourselves and for our religious congregation. By our consecrated obedience, we unite ourselves to the obedient Christ who submitted his own will to the will of his Father.

Poverty
We cherish poverty as a cornerstone of the Franciscan spirit, and recognize that we are pilgrims and strangers in this world who wish to appropriate nothing to ourselves. The practice of poverty permeates every aspect of our life and is witnessed by simplicity of lifestyle. We value the gifts of the earth, work for ecological justice, and strengthen right relationships.

Chastity
By our vow of chastity, embraced for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven, we commit ourselves to live chastely in a life of consecrated celibacy. We follow the example of Saints Francis and Clare in our dedication of the Gospel with a firm, constant and preferential love for God. Our experience of God’s overwhelming love for us enables us to bring that love to our sisters in community and the people of God. These relationships enrich our lives and challenge us to grow as persons. Chastity strengthens and frees us to extend ourselves to others with honesty and integrity.