What Are Franciscan Values? [Finding St. Francis in Higher Ed.]

Franciscan education has a long and rich tradition, tracing its origins back to St. Francis of Assisi’s teachings and the medieval universities of Europe.

Despite never having received a formal education himself, St. Francis had a deep respect for education and believed that it should be grounded in humility and service, rather than in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. This is just one of the many ways that Franciscan core values present themselves in Franciscan education — but before we can explore the teachings of Franciscan education, we must first understand the man who inspired it all.

Who Was St. Francis?

What Is a Franciscan? 

Core Franciscan Values

The Franciscans and Education 

Further Reading 

Who Was St. Francis?

Early Life

A mystic, an itinerant preacher, a beggar, an ascetic, and a saint — these are just a few of the labels that have been ascribed to Francis of Assisi, the man who founded the Franciscan Orders, including the Order of Friars Minor (OFM).

Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone — later renamed Francesco — was born in 1181 in Assisi, a town in the Umbria region of Italy, to a wealthy merchant. As a young man, he was said to have indulged in many extravagances, attended raucous parties, and chased glory on the battlefield. But that all changed in 1205, when a 24-year-old Francesco beheld a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in a derelict chapel in San Damiano.

Called upon by Christ to “go and repair my house,” Francesco — known in English as Francis — began to repair the chapel and others in the region. Upon his return to Assisi in 1206, Francis was brought to court by his own father, who demanded repayment for the money he had used for restorations. Francis not only repaid his father, but renounced his family inheritance, fine clothing, and worldly possessions, choosing to instead live as a beggar in the hills.

Francis and the Leper

Over the next few years, Francis lived as a penitent, dedicating himself to prayer and solitude and gradually rebuilding the chapel of San Damiano. During this time, Francis is said to have encountered a man with leprosy. Rather than repel the leper — as was the custom of the time — Francis instead embraced him, recognizing his inherent human dignity and bestowing mercy upon him.

This was just the first of many encounters Francis had with lepers; over time, he and his followers even began to nurse them in the lazar houses of Assisi.

In one of his own writings, called The Testament of St. Francis, he states:

“When I was in sin, the sight of lepers nauseated me beyond measure; but then God himself led me into their company, and I had pity on them. When I became acquainted with them, what had previously nauseated me became the source of spiritual and physical consolation for me.”

The kindness and warmth Francis showed towards those with leprosy at a time when they were reviled by the rest of society became fundamental to the Franciscan tradition and values.

The First, Second, and Third Orders

Francis began to preach about returning to God and obedience to the church. Though he was never a priest, Francis3 soon amassed a following of disciples, upon whom he bestowed his first rule, the Regula primitiva or the “Primitive Rule,” in 1209. According to the Regula primitiva, Francis’s disciples were called to “to follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps.”

He then brought his disciples to Rome, seeking an audience with Pope Innocent III and permission to found his own Franciscan Order. Though Innocent was initially hesitant to grant his approval, he became sympathetic toward Francis after seeing a vision of him holding up the church of San Giovanni in Laterano. And so, in 1210, Francis was given the approval to found his First Order, the Order of Friars Minor.

Francis continued his mission by founding a Second Order after meeting a young noblewoman named Clare who chose to devote her life to God in the same way he had. Together, Francis and Clare — who was canonized in 1255 — established a religious community for women known as the Order of St. Clare, or the Poor Clares. Much like the Franciscan friars, the Poor Clares live according to the principles of poverty, humility, and service to the poor.

Finally, Francis founded a Third Order, a lay fraternity known as the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance, in 1221. The largest of the Franciscan orders, the Third Order lives out the principles of Franciscan theology in the secular world.

A Storied Life

There are many incredible stories about the life of St. Francis of Assisi — who was canonized not long after his death in 1226 — from the taming of the wolf of Gubbio and his friendship with Lady Jacopa to his meeting with the Sultan of Egypt and receiving the stigmata in La Verna. It’s little wonder, then, why he holds such an important place in the Catholic imagination.

Today, St. Francis is widely recognized for his acts of radical charity; is often associated with poor and marginalized populations; and is the patron saint of animals, ecology, merchants, and Italy. The experiences throughout Francis’s life — as well as his continuous conversion, deep and abiding love for all creation, and commitment to finding joy in poverty — serve as the foundation for his spiritual worldview and for Franciscan theology.

What Is a Franciscan?

The Franciscans comprise a large and diverse group of Catholics who follow Jesus according to the models of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi; this includes priests, sisters, brothers, and lay people.

The three Orders of St. Francis are as follows:

• Order of Friars Minor: Founded in 1209, this brotherhood practices communal living, radical asceticism, and a ministry that upholds education and charitable works.
• Order of Saint Clare: Founded in part by St. Clare of Assisi in 1212, the Poor Clare sisterhood upholds the principles of simplicity, community, and joy.
• Third Order of Saint Francis: This order, founded initially in 1221, was eventually divided into both religious and secular orders. The Secular Franciscan Order is open to Catholic men and women who live in the secular world and wish to minister as St. Francis did. Meanwhile, members of the Third Order Regular may live in cloistered communities.

Each of these three Orders also has multiple divisions.

Franciscans do not subscribe to one way of thinking, living, or approaching theology, but instead fulfill their charism by whichever means they are called to baptism. For the First Franciscan brotherhood, this means living in accordance with St. Francis’s Regula secunda (“Second Rule”) or Regula bullata (“Rule with the Bull”), which entreats them “to observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own and in chastity.”

As such, members of OFM communities have historically lived by the rule of poverty. They did not own any personal possessions, begged for their food, and lived communally and without shelter, often seeking refuge in or outside churches wherever they traveled.

Though the Franciscan brotherhood of today looks a bit different than that of the 13th century, Franciscan priests and brothers continue to live, pray, and work together in return only for “whatever is necessary for the bodily support of themselves and their brothers.” Many Franciscan friars also work alongside members of secular society as teachers, musicians, chaplains, writers, speakers, and more.

Core Franciscan Values

Franciscan values encompass a wide range of principles, all of which align with the teachings of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. In addition to The Rule, followers of St. Francis often turn to Laudato si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical letter that addresses humankind’s responsibility to care for all creation; and Fratelli tutti, an encyclical that emphasizes our responsibility to take care of one another as human beings.

According to Fr. Tom Nairn, OFM, writing for the Franciscan Action Network, Franciscans are called to:

• Care for all creation, including creatures both great and small. A sensitive soul with a fondness for animals, St. Francis believed that God’s love went out to all creatures and was even known to have preached to birds.

• Emphasize the dignity of the human person, especially in its social nature. Though all creatures are part of God’s family, St. Francis recognized that humans, in particular, are made in God’s image and thus encouraged community and inclusivity.
  
• Dedicate themselves to a consistent ethic of life. St. Francis believed that all of creation is interconnected and reflects the presence of God. As such, it’s imperative that we preserve life in all its forms and advocate for social justice causes, including access to healthcare, education, and basic necessities such as food and shelter, as well as environmental causes.
• Respect the poor and the vulnerable. As illustrated by his encounter with the leper, St. Francis believed in recognizing the inherent dignity of all people and extending love and mercy to those marginalized by society.
• Be heralds of peace and reconciliation, acting as peacemakers in the world. “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace” — so begins the Prayer of St. Francis. Franciscans are called to create peace within their communities through acts of love and non-violence.
• Observe the right relationship of justice, and serve the common good. From his deep respect for all creation to his care for society’s most vulnerable members, St. Francis is often called an early activist. His followers are likewise called to critique abuses of power and to advocate for the rights of all creatures.
• Live a life of change and conversion, or metanoia. St. Francis often spoke of his transformation from a life of sin to one lived in Christ’s image. In keeping with this tradition, Franciscans are expected to maintain perpetual curiosity and dedicate themselves to a lifelong intellectual pursuit of understanding their faith.

These values are closely related and based on the fundamental beliefs of reverence for the goodness of God and all creation, service to others, and the mission of building a world that is more just, peaceable, and humane. It is important to note, though, that Franciscan values are not rigid, and instead leave room for individual experience and personal interpretation.

Discover the Franciscan Difference: Curriculum Based on the Franciscan Tradition >>

The Franciscans and Education

Franciscan education is a rich and vibrant tradition that has shaped the hearts and minds of students for centuries, dating back to the medieval universities of Paris, Oxford, Bologna, and Padua. Though St. Francis himself was not formally educated, he recognized the importance of education and members of OFM have established schools and universities around the world, serving students of all backgrounds.

According to the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, there are seven tenets to Franciscan education:

1. Incarnational: St. Francis believed that God is found in the world, “in the joys and sorrows of everyday life, in ordinary places and in ordinary people.” This sacramental view of the world calls for reflection on the Incarnation of God as the human person, Jesus. God becoming human blessed every living thing, and that blessing is core to how we see one another and all of creation, and to all that we learn and teach.
2. Personal: Much like Franciscan values, the Franciscan study of theology is personal and experiential. No two experiences of Franciscanism are alike, and so it is imperative that Franciscan education honor the uniqueness of each individual in their experiences of the incarnated God.
3. Communal: Both St. Francis and St. Clare focused on creating caring communities through their great love and respect for the dignity of each individual. Therefore, Franciscan education recognizes that the gift of learning calls us not to self-advancement, but to a generous gift of self for the future benefit of others. It emphasizes and nurtures genuine friendships based on openness, honesty, mutual interest, and support, and outreach is intended to be all-inclusive.
4. Transformative: St. Francis called all people to a life of metanoia — that is, a transformative change of heart and spiritual conversion. Harkening back to St. Francis’s transformative encounter with the leper, students of Franciscan education are called to undergo a whole person transformation — mind, body, and spirit — and open their hearts to others, particularly the most vulnerable members of society.
5. Engages the Heart: Love carries us more deeply into the divine mystery than the sum of all of our ideas, concepts, and logical conclusions about God. As such, Franciscan education has as much to do with opening the heart to love as it does with opening the mind to truth, and values interpersonal skills as much as it does intellectual abilities.
6. Develops Servant-Leaders: Those who study Franciscan theology are called to embody faith as an action or service, rather than an intellectual exercise, and to consider the pursuit of education to be a privilege, rather than an entitlement. Franciscan education encourages students to see themselves as humble servants and to understand their life’s work as service in solidarity with their brothers and sisters.
7. Pursues Wisdom: Franciscans encourage a free and open exchange of ideas while seeking truth together. This strong intellectual tradition is tempered by the condition that no amount of study should impede prayer and spiritual devotion. Therefore, Franciscan education requires students to apply what they learn to how they treat others.
   

   This is a key distinction within theological education as a whole: There is a ministerial application to what people learn, and knowledge isn’t enough; education leads to conversion, which then leads to action. The spirit of joy is also constitutive of Franciscan education — students seek to find joy in the world, in God’s creation, and in everything.

All are invited to partake in the spiritual growth of a Franciscan education, regardless of their background. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the story of St. Francis and Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil, in which Francis spoke of his faith to the Sultan without attempting to convert him from Islam. In the end, both men came away from the experience having gained a greater appreciation for the other’s faith and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

The Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego provides the ideal environment for those interested in deepening their intellectual and personal understanding of their faith to grow and thrive. To learn more about FST at USD, we encourage you to explore our website or speak with an enrollment advisor.

Further Exploration

• A Franciscan Perspective on Higher Education, AFCU Journal, January 2007
• Fr. Joseph Chinnici: Cultural Openings – The Franciscan Intellectual and Educational Mission, Franciscan University of Steubenville, 2019