The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition: Tracing Its Origins

GENERAL EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION

v GENERAL EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION On behalf of the Commission for the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT), I present to you with great pleasure this first volume of The Franciscan Heritage Series—The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition: Tracing Its Origins and Identifying Its Central Components by Kenan B. Osborne, O.F.M. The purpose of this first volume is to present some general and major themes of the theological formulation of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition as these themes intersect with contemporary perspectives . It provides both a fine starting point for further reflection and a solid foundation for future expositions in this series. Dr. Osborne, a member of the Order of Friars Minor, Province of Saint Barbara, and Emeritus Professor at the Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley, California, is an internationally recognized theologian who specializes in sacramental theology, Christology, ecclesiology and the multicultural dimensions of Christian theology. He has here presented in brief form an excellent introduction. It is our hope that readers will take this short work and, with careful and thoughtful study, perhaps under the guidance of a mentor, begin to plumb the spiritual depths of our inheritance and comprehend the important uniqueness of its intellectual expression. Through reflection, prayer, conversation and action may we also explore these theological themes as they might be expressed in preaching, pastoral practice, the works of evangelization and community formation with friars, sisters and laity. This present work takes its place within the context of a much larger Franciscan Heritage Series, which we hope will encompass topics such as Creation, the Iconography of the Crucified, Christian Anthropology, Ecclesiology, Scriptural Themes, Evangelization , History, the Natural Sciences, the Arts and other areas of contemporary concern. As the volumes develop, we hope also to include some of the many different carriers of our Franciscan Tradition—not just Francis and the cleric theologians, but also Clare, the women penitents and the laity. Before our readers begin to taste the “first fruit” of a large and expansive feast, however, we must briefly indicate, in this vi Introduction Introduction, the origins of the Heritage Series, its relationship to a major initiative in the English-speaking world, and its connections with some significant trajectories in the social and ecclesial experience of the brothers and sisters of the thirteenth-century foundational period of the Franciscan family. The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition Project In March 2001, the English-speaking Conference, Order of Friars Minor, undertook an initiative for the contemporary retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition. Composed of the leaders of the provinces and other entities of England, Ireland, Canada and the United States, the Conference established an inter-obediential commission to facilitate the coordination and networking of various publications and popular initiatives that were already taking place throughout the English-speaking world in the various countries which were represented. As one its first initiatives, this Commission for the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT) composed and published a strategic five-year plan, the purpose of which was sevenfold: • To identify the major themes of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition; • To provide training programs and resources for formators and those called to serve in leadership with respect to the nature and unique contributions of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition; • To network and foster collaboration among the current Franciscan study centers of the English-speaking world: The Franciscan Institute and School of Franciscan Studies , St. Bonaventure, New York; the Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley, California; the Franciscan Study Center , Canterbury, England; and two major theological schools with a Franciscan presence, the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and the Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC. vii The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition • To promote and support the broader and wider articulation and communication of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition with respect to our evangelizing mission; • To identify and encourage new scholars, especially among the laity; • To create new learning opportunities as might be needed, for example, through the establishment of a website and the possibility of distance learning; • To make a greater and more conscious effort to provide leadership training and resources to Franciscans throughout the English-speaking world. The Commission decided very early that one of its first major tasks would be to identify the central themes and emphases of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition, particularly as these were embodied in key theological issues. We decided to begin on the theological level since we felt that the tradition first took on its specific contours in this...