Six U.S. provinces to become one
By Fr. Francis Di Spigno, O.F.M.
In 1209, St. Francis received verbal permission from Pope Innocent III for his “Rule of Life” for himself and his 11 brothers. This was an important moment for the church and for the Franciscans because it was a turn from a singular charismatic mystic to a recognized community within the Catholic Church.
Over the centuries there have been many turns, twists and even outright divisions within this community. Today, the Franciscan family has numerous religious orders and communities, of men and women, throughout the world. For the men, the main branches of the Franciscan tree would include the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, Capuchins, and what we simply call the Order of Friars Minor [OFM]. Holy Name Province, the sponsoring religious community of St. Bonaventure University, is a part of the OFM branch.
In 1855, when Fr. Pamphilo di Magliano and the 13 other founding friars of then-St. Bonaventure’s College arrived from Italy, they were actually members of a different Franciscan community. On Oct. 4, 1897, Pope Leo XIII combined four Franciscan families, the Observant, Reform, Recollects and Discalced, to become the modern-day Order of Friars Minor.
One can note that historical shift in the St. Bonaventure Cemetery. Although Fr. Pamphilo is not buried in Allegany, the friars buried before 1897 will all have OSF after their names. After 1897, the friars are marked with OFM.
Perhaps not as dramatic is what we refer to as the Leonine Union: the Order of Friars Minor in the United States have entered into another very important moment of “Revitalization and Restructuring.”
On May 30, 2018, six of the seven OFM provinces in the United States gathered and voted, at the same time, to become one province. Where we were headquartered in Oakland, Calif., Albuquerque, N.M, St. Louis, Mo., Franklin, Wis., Cincinnati, Ohio, and New York, N.Y., we will now become one Franciscan province.
There are many reasons for this realignment, but the main cause is the continuing shifts that are taking place within our culture and within the Catholic Church. With almost 70 percent of the U.S. friars approving of this step forward, we recognize that we are much stronger, better and fraternal when we are together than when we are apart.
Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M., provincial minister of Holy Name Province, said, “One new province provides us with the opportunity to have a vital fraternal experience. With regard to mission, one new province allows us to take the core values of Franciscan life and implement them in a unified way, and with regard to the church and the kingdom, to make us more responsible to the promptings of the spirit in the world and in the church.”
Similarly, Fr. Michael Perry, O.F.M., general minister of the entire order, added, “Your work is important for the future of the worldwide order as a demonstration of our ability to build bridges and cross boundaries in a world which seems too often divided.”
The new entity will have about 1,000 friars, each belonging to the existing six provinces, and will be headquartered in a yet-to-be-determined location. The name of the new entity will also be determined at a later time.
Like many other religious communities throughout the United States, the Franciscans are facing a reduction in their members. During the 1960s and 1970s, the number of Friars Minor in the United States peaked at 3,252, but today the numbers are down below 1,000 friars. 1
At this point, the friars await the appointment of a friar delegate by Fr. Perry to help with the process. It is expected that the new province will be officially formed in late 2022 or early 2023.
For more information regarding the process of Revitalization and Restructuring of the OFM provinces in the United States, visit usfranciscans.org/revitalization-restructuring/.
(Fr. Francis Di Spigno, O.F.M., is executive director of University Ministries at St. Bonaventure.)
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