Francis of Assisi Heritage and Heirs: Eight Centuries Later

The Heirs

THe Heirs i. referenCes To franCisCan idenTiTy THrougHouT eigHT CenTuries For eight centuries a group of men and women bearing the name “Franciscan” have existed in the Church. One can recognize, therein, a certain number of common traits, ways of seeing and acting, a sort of collective identity. The adjective “Franciscan” which designates this grouping sends us back to a person and an historical name – Francis whose life and message were situated in a given period. To profess and to be called Franciscan refer necessarily to this original starting point, as, at a totally unique level, being a Christian refers us to Christ. It is, moreover, not certain that Francis would have liked the word “Franciscan” as it is tied too much to his person. To the movement of fidelity to the Gospel which he inspired, he gave a name and description that was deeply evangelical: friars minor (to be little) – “poor sisters” in the feminine version of his life plan. The fact remains that Franciscan identity is built around a reference to a man named Francis and the “forma sancti evangelii,” the life according to the Gospel which he proposed. This life plan that he wanted to live with his brothers and sisters was recognized by the Church and still challenges all Christians today. As a matter of fact, throughout the eight centuries of its existence, with its highs and lows, the “heirs” of the Franciscan adventure have never ceased from probing their original emergence in order to be inspired by it, renew themselves, and to be refounded. In order to do this it was necessary to ...