The General Rule of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans
(as adopted 1983. Revised 2016 and 2022)
Prelude
The Franciscan family, as one among many spiritual families raised up by the Holy
Spirit in the Church, unites all members of the people of God, clergy and laity,
who recognize that they are called to follow Christ in the footsteps of Saints
Francis and Clare of Assisi.
Christ calls us to follow this way, so that he may send us, like Francis and Clare, to
offer all that we have and all that we are. We shall strive to be living witnesses
among all nations to the great truth that, in Christ, “there is no longer Jew nor
Greek, there is no longer slave nor free, there is no longer male nor female”
(Galatians 3:28); that there are no barriers of race or nations in God’s family.
In living this life, we acknowledge that Franciscans, from their origins, have fallen
far short of living in ways that reflect the radical equality of all. We acknowledge
that Franciscans have often treated the Other with attempts at conversion and
assimilation, Franciscans were central players in the oppressions and genocide of
settler colonialism over the past several centuries, and that we modern
Franciscans can romanticize the call for kinship with creation. With penitence, we
commit ourselves individually and as an Order to the work of dismantling white
supremacism, patriarchy, and other forms of oppression, in the places where we
live and work. We further commit ourselves to the work of expressing in our lives
and actions our kinship with all creation in deep and meaningful ways.
St. Francis and St. Clare recognized that people from all walks of life are called to
follow Jesus and live the simple Gospel life. We strive for unity as an Order,
comprising those who live a radical embrace of the evangelical counsels of
Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, as well as those who live a secular life of
simplicity. Among us are those who embrace the active life, the contemplative
life, the eremitical life and various mixes thereof. We seek a life of daily
conversion under a definite discipline and lifelong vows. Members may be from
any Christian faith community or church. Members are clergy and lay, inclusive of
all gender identifications and sexual orientations. We live and serve in our
respective communities as married, partnered or single.
Principles
1. We covenant together, as the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans, to observe
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by following the example of Saint
Francis of Assisi, who made Christ the inspiration and the center of his life
with God and people. Franciscans should devote themselves especially to
careful reading of the gospel, going from gospel to life and life to gospel.
2. We seek to encounter the living and active person of Christ in our brothers
and sisters, in Sacred Scripture, in the Church, and in liturgical activity.
3. We shall go forth as witnesses and instruments of the Church’s mission
among all people, proclaiming Christ by our life and words. Called like
Saint Francis to rebuild the Church and inspired by his example, let us
devote ourselves energetically to living accountable to our respective
denominations and in spiritual fellowship with Christians everywhere.
4. As the successors to the original “brothers and sisters of penance” (the
original name of the Third Order), and motivated by the dynamic power of
the gospel, let us conform our thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by
means of that radical interior change which the gospel itself calls
“Conversion”. Human frailty calls us to strive for this conversion daily.
5. Following the example of Jesus, let prayer and contemplation be the soul
of all we are and do. Let us participate in the sacramental life of the
Church, above all the Eucharist. Let us join in liturgical prayer in one of
the forms in use in the Church.
6. The Order of Ecumenical Franciscans shall follow the example of Mary by
imitating her complete self-giving and by praying earnestly and
confidently.
7. We shall faithfully fulfil the duties proper to our various circumstances of
life. We shall also follow the poor and crucified Christ and witness to him
even in difficulties and persecutions.
8. Christ chose for himself a poor and humble life, even though he valued
created things attentively and lovingly. Let the Order of Ecumenical
Franciscans seek a proper spirit of detachment from temporal goods by
simplifying our own material needs. Let us be mindful that according to
the gospel we are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God’s
children. We shall strive to purify our hearts from every tendency and
yearning for possession, and power, and privilege that exalt some at the
expense of others.
9. As members of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans, with a gentle and
courteous spirit, we accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of
Christ. A sense of community will make us joyful and ready to place
ourselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly for
whom we shall strive to create conditions of life worthy of people
redeemed by Christ.
10. We shall individually and collectively be in the forefront of promoting
justice by testimony of our human lives and courageous initiatives.
Especially in the field of public life, we should make definite choices in
harmony with our faith.
11. We shall esteem work both as a gift and as a sharing in the creation,
redemption and service of the human community.
12. In our families, we shall cultivate the Franciscan spirit of peace, fidelity,
and respect for life; striving to make of it a sign of a world already
renewed in Christ.
13. We shall respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which “bear the
imprint of the Most High”, and we shall strive to move from the temptation
of exploiting Creation toward the Franciscan concept of universal kinship.
14. In obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and the example of Saint Francis, we
are bearers of peace which must be built up unceasingly. We are
compelled to seek out ways of resolving conflict through non- violent
means, trusting in the presence of the divine soul in everyone and in the
transforming power of love and pardon.
15. Since we are immersed in the resurrection of Christ, which gives true
meaning to Sister Death, let us accept death serenely as an encounter with
our God.
16. As members of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans we covenant to draw
up and live by a Personal Rule of life based on the Rule of this Order and
falling into these disciplines: Worship, Prayer, Penitence, Work, Lifestyle,
Mission, Obedience, Community. We shall always be under supervision
and accountable to an advisor.
17. When making communal decisions, we commit to a process of prayerful
discernment, characterized by patient and deep listening to one another, the
needs of the world, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We abide by the
statutes and norms that we have prayerfully discerned.