After the Manner of St. Francis

 

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

The second element that distinguishes Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order is its necessary reference to St Francis.  What is promised is to live the gospel after the manner of St Francis, following in his footsteps and according to his example and the instructions given by him, which today are gathered together in the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order.

The constant concern to underline the fact that Secular Franciscans intend to live the gospel after the manner of St Francis and by means of this Rule authenticated by the Church (Rule 2; Const 1,3; 8,1), is by no means fortuitous.

Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order therefore has this essential structure: the life of Secular Franciscans depends on the gospel, mediated by the inspiration and experience of Francis of Assisi, who from the beginning of his conversion took it as his rule of life and action.

However, we still need to make the point that Francis’ intention was simply to return to the Gospel of Jesus. Every Franciscan vocation is therefore an evangelical-Franciscan vocation, not because Francis’ experience is intended as a substitute for the gospel, but because the gospel is rendered transparent through the mediation of Francis.   So, for Franciscans it is a question of learning from Francis and, like him, of knowing no other rule or life except that of the gospel of Jesus. This mediation by Francis lies at the origin of our vocation.

The Franciscan mediation of the gospel extends to the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, to “this Rule” (and to no other), as “authenticated by the Church”. Through its approval at the highest level, the Church takes “ownership” of the SFO Rule (the Rule belongs to the Church) and by its authority proposes it to the Secular Franciscans. In this way the Church simply transmits to Secular Franciscans the gospel message of salvation, which is spirit and life for all believers.

Therefore, for those who make profession in the Secular Franciscan Order in order to “attain the perfection of charity in their secular state” (Rule 2), the reference to Francis, the Rule and the Constitutions is not an optional matter: it sets the standard, it is the norm.  Obviously everything depends on how one understands and lives the Franciscan vocation. A true vocation is one that takes hold of a person’s whole being, becomes the very substance of one’s being as a person, to such an extent that the individual is unable to think of or define himself except as one who is called to the evangelical-Franciscan life. Rule and Constitutions, are not extrinsic realities to the life of a Secular Franciscan, but are themselves his/her life, on the basis of the gospel.  In fact, we ought to speak of a” life” rather than a Rule, thus accepting all the fullness of St Francis’ concept. For him, life was to observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He never intended to issue rules for his companions or followers, whether religious or secular; he simply put forward a style of life, one that flowed from the gospel.. Consequently, in his writings, Francis speaks more of “life” than of a Rule  (“This is the life of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which Brother Francis asked the Lord Pope Innocent to grant and confirm for him”: Rnb) and when he says Rule, he sometimes puts Rule and life together (cfr Rb). For Francis the Rule is only the gospel, to be lived and observed literally and in its entirety. The saying of the SFO Rule derives from this: “The Rule and life of the Secular Franciscans is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, following the example of Francis of Assisi» (Rule 4).

In conclusion, Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order, as a promise to live the gospel in the manner of St Francis, aims to put before us the radical, light-filled and joyful style in which Francis listens to the gospel and commits himself to live it.

The Promise to Live the Gospel Life

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

Our discussion of the meaning of the terminology up to this point brings out the personal aspect:  Profession is an action involving the whole person and every human faculty. The immediate reference is necessarily to the human will, because the profession or promise implies determination, a firm decision and commitment. Therefore a first definition of Profession might be this: it is a personal commitment. The Rule, Constitutions and Ritual of the Secular Franciscan Order are full of references to this commitment.

The Value of Profession

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

Let us repeat once more that promise, purpose and, most of all, profession are commonly used to indicate the commitment of those members of Christ’s faithful who oblige themselves before God and the Church with vows of obedience, poverty and chastity, normally taken in an Institute of consecrated life, canonically erected by the competent authority of the Church (CIC, can. 573,1-2). Therefore the significance they assume in the context of the religious life is closest to that which the same terms have     in the current canonical and liturgical sources of the Secular Franciscan Order.  

Profession, Purpose, and Promise

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

Now we come to the meaning of the terms profession and purpose, or intention, and of the expression promise to live the gospel life, found in the Rule, the Constitutions and the Ritual of the Secular Franciscan Order. They indicate the effort and commitment Secular Franciscan take on when they make profession.

The Commitment of Profession

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

The formula of Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order reads:

I, N.N., by the grace of God, renew my baptismal promises and consecrate myself to the service of his kingdom” (Ritual II,31).

Prior to that, the Preface to the Ritual states:

The nature of commitment to the gospel life is: the renewal of one’s consecration and promises made at baptism and confirmation. This means dedicating oneself to God through his People with all the consequences flowing from it, up to the present moment, in order to live in union with God and to hold firm to his plan of salvation, by means of a consecration that is to be lived in the world” (14a).

With reference to the texts just quoted, we should note that the concept of consecration has many meanings, of which the Ritual of the Secular Franciscan Order has chosen one, intending to highlight most of all the human effort to dedicate oneself to God. The Ritual uses the verb to consecrate, giving it the meaning of to devote, in other words to dedicate, reserve and destine a thing or a person for God and His exclusive service. It goes without saying that in the specific context of the Ritual of the Secular Franciscan Order it is persons who are involved; consequently, they are the ones who must offer themselves to God with full freedom and awareness.

From this point of view profession is the act by which a person places him/herself into the hands (mancipare = manus capere) of God, enabling God to take hold of him, with the result that from the precise moment of profession, the person no longer belongs to him/herself, but is considered as totally “expropriated” and at God’s entire disposal. By virtue of profession, the person becomes God’s property, and therefore “sacred”

In reality however, the verb consecrate and its corresponding noun consecration, properly indicate the act by which God takes possession of the person (who is enabled to give him/herself totally by the gift of the Spirit who draws him/her), placing His seal upon the person and making him/her His own exclusive property.

In itself the value of consecration lies in its descending dimension: the person is consecrated, receives consecration from God, who draws him/her to Himself and transforms him inwardly so that he/she is able to live the demands of a superior world.

In the Ritual of the Secular Franciscan Order this aspect is hardly absent (we met it in part I when we spoke of Profession as a gift of the Spirit), but, using the words consecrate and consecration in the sense of  “to devote”, the Ritual wants to underline the fact that Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order means to consecrate oneself (reflexive) to a particular task or project, allowing oneself to be totally absorbed by it. .

Obviously, the project to which one dedicates oneself totally by profession in the Secular Franciscan Order, is God’s project, and the consequences deriving from consecration are precisely concerned with union with God, adhering to His saving plan and serving the Kingdom by living in and for the world.

Profession and the Church

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

The Christian’s fundamental relationship with the Church is established by Baptism, since Baptism incorporates into the People of God, which is the Body of Christ, the sons and daughters engendered by water and the Holy Spirit. Profession gives rise to a new relationship with the Church, or rather, the basic baptismal relationship, renewed and perfected in confirmation, is made “stronger” and “closer”. As is said in the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order:

“They have been made living members of the Church by being buried and raised with Christ in baptism; they have been united more intimately with the Church by profession…” (Rule  6).

Profession and Baptism

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

As an action of the Church, la Profession of the gospel life in the Secular Franciscan Order produces ecclesial effects. This is explicitly stated by the Rule in one of its most densely packed theological sections:

“They have been made living members of the Church by being buried and raised with Christ in baptism; they have been united more intimately with the Church by profession. Therefore, they should go forth as witnesses and instruments of her mission among all people, proclaiming Christ by their life and words” (n.6).

Welcome to the OFS!

On October 8, 2017, we welcomed four new members into the Franciscan family! Congratulations to Sylvia, Ruth, Phyllis, and Jim!

And after the Lord gave me some brothers [and sisters], no one showed me what I had to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the Holy Gospel.

The Testament of St. Francis of Assisi

Pictured left to right: Jim Sadowski, Phyllis Sadowski, Sr. Leona Augustyn, Sylvia Hood Washington, and Ruth Mendelson

The brothers and sister of the St. Bernardine of Siena Fraternity

The fraternity banner

Photo Credits: Michael Heliker 

Profession and the Eucharist

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion on profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

Through the presbyter the Church associates the promise or Profession with the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The Ritual gives special attention to this aspect, prescribing that the “Rite of the Promise to live the gospel life, or Profession” is “to be celebrated during Mass”: no other form of celebration is envisaged. 

Profession and Fraternity

Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap continues his discussion about profession in the Secular Franciscan Order.

While maintaining the truth that Profession is by nature an ecclesial fact, an action of Christ and of the Church, the question arises: who are the subjects who concretely perform that action, or rather, how and in whom is the action of Christ and the Church manifested?

By Church the Ritual understands a particular liturgical assembly, made up of the people and the community of brothers and sisters, in other words, of the local fraternity of the Secular Order.  The local fraternity makes the presence and action of the Church visible primarily in the Profession. Therefore “Profession, since it is by nature a public and ecclesial fact, must be celebrated in the presence of the fraternity” (Ritual, Preliminary Notes, n. 13).

The ultimate reason for this norm is found in the reality of the local fraternity:  it is a visible sign of the Church, which is a community of faith and love (cfr. Rule 22; Ritual II, 29 d). The local fraternity is and must be a genuine ecclesial cenacle. By the same token, “secular Franciscans, gathered in fraternity and in union of spirit with all the People of God, celebrate the mystery of salvation revealed and communicated to us in Christ, with prayers and thanksgiving and renewing their promises to live a new life” (Ritual, Preliminary Notes, n. 3).

For this reason Profession is made in the presence of the assembled fraternity, which accepts the candidates’ request, since Profession is a gift given by the Father to that fraternity by incorporating new members into it. Grateful for the gift, the Fraternity is united to the prayer of those making profession, so that the Holy Spirit may bring to fulfilment the work He has begun.

 

The Ritual further develops these links with the Fraternity which the Profession or promise to live the gospel life creates.  Profession produces «incorporation into the Secular Franciscan Order»; it therefore implies incorporation into a family – the Franciscan family – which is life-giving, with all the consequences that derive from belonging to the same spiritual family.

At the same time, Profession determines reciprocal attitudes, sentiments, relationships, duties and rights, etc. The “Preliminary Notes” (n. 14) of the Ritual, speaking of the nature of Profession in the SFO, say that it involves “the trust of the candidate, who relies on the help of the Rule of the SFO and of the Fraternity. Indeed the candidate will feel that (s)he is guided and helped by the Rule approved by the Church, and will experience the joy of participating in the journey of the gospel life with many brothers and sisters, from whom (s)he can receive but to whom (s)he can also give something. Once incorporated into the local Fraternity, which is a cell of the Church, (s)he will make his/her contribution to the renewal of the entire Church”.

These statements in the Ritual show:

– the liturgical foundation both of the Fraternity, which is essentially made up of reciprocal relationships, precisely as St Francis intended;

– the liturgical foundation  of belonging to the SFO. For this reason, in the formula of Profession we find the invocation: “May the grace of the Holy Spirit, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin and of St Francis and the fraternal communion help me always so that I may attain the perfection of Christian charity” (Ritual II,31).  The same need is expressed by the minister who receives the Profession: “Let us give thanks to God in this Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order. Your incorporation into it is a reason for hope and joy in the hearts of all the brothers and sisters” (Ritual II, 32).

Two key fraternal values of Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order emerge from the texts we have quoted.

1. It entails and produces the entrusting of self to the Fraternity on the part of the candidate. In Profession a covenant is established with the Brothers and Sisters, which can never be disregarded. The sacred bond of Profession, through which a perpetual commitment is established with God, (cfr. Rule 2; Const 42,2), has a number of fraternal sides to it which must be understood and lived precisely in the light of that “sworn pact” one has made with God.

2. With its liturgical foundation, Profession determines incorporation into a local fraternity and through it, into the Order.  Thus, we gradually come to see how the reality deriving from the celebration of Profession is not a matter of registration (“one is not enrolled into the SFO”), even though a document of profession is necessary. While it does have juridical implications, the concept and reality of incorporation goes beyond these and indicates that one becomes part of a living body, merged into a single organism, making a single reality. Incorporation entails the transformation of several realities into a single reality, through a process of absorption and assimilation.. It cannot simply be thought of as adding one thing to another (1+1); rather the fact is that the candidate is “extended” into the fraternity and vice versa, and this gives rise to a living being which is much larger and more complete.  Rightly therefore does the minister turn to the new members of the Fraternity at the end of the rite of initiation and says to them: “By your presence and communion you enrich our fraternity in numbers and virtue” (Ritual I,16). Therefore the relationships established by Profession are spiritual and ecclesial in nature, since the local fraternity into which the candidate is incorporated is “the basic element of the entire Order and a visible sign of the Church, a community of love” (Rule 22; cfr. Const 47,1).

Profession: An Action of the Church

Profession comes about through God’s intervention. But since God always acts through Christ, whose sacred humanity is the meeting point between God and man, and since today Christ lives and acts through the Church, it follows that Profession is simultaneously the action of Christ and of the Church, i.e. of the whole Body of Christ, Head and members.  The language of the Constitutions is significant (42,1), defining Profession as a solemn ecclesial act (action), as is that of the Ritual (“Preliminary Notes” n. 13) which declares it as by its nature a public and ecclesial fact. It is both the one and the other:  Profession is not only an action, it is also an event, or rather, a saving kairòs, a moment of salvation.

—Fr. Felice Cangelosi OFM Cap

 

The Grace of Profession

The following is the first in a series about profession in the Secular Franciscan Order by Fr. Felice Cangelosi, OFM Cap.

The Brothers and Sisters called to the Franciscan life in the Secular Fraternity make their Profession during a specific celebration according to the Ritual proper to the SFO. This aspect is by no means insignificant, because the celebration constitutes the foundational moment of the identity of the professed, and is simultaneously the condition for a dialogue to take place in response to God’s action.  In fact, the consequences of the commitment a human being expresses by means of a promise derive from a prior commitment, that of God to man.  The celebration of Profession testifies to all of this, because it is God’s action and a saving event: it is a moment when salvation reaches the faithful, enabling them to make a promise to live the Franciscan gospel life and producing in them particular effects of grace, by which they are deputed to specific tasks within the People of God. Only a person sanctified in the liturgical action, where (s)he fully experiences the immensity and force of God’s love, can be capable of a loving response.  On the other hand, the celebration reflects the Church’s understanding of Profession in the Secular Franciscan Order. The liturgy, in fact, is always a confessio fidei, since in it, i.e. in its enactment during the ritual action, the Church proclaims authentically its own faith in the mystery of salvation, which is actualised in and for the faithful.

Those who make profession in the OFS say: “since the Lord has given me this grace, I renew my baptismal promises and consecrate myself to the service of His kingdom” (Formula of Profession). Dedication to the service of the kingdom comes about because the Lord gives a person the grace to consecrate himself to the cause of the Kingdom.  Profession is a grace and gift of the Spirit. Not only is the Holy Spirit the source of the vocation of secular Franciscans (Const 11), since they are urged on by the Spirit to reach the perfection of charity in accordance with their own secular state (Rule 2); Profession also comes about by the working of the same Spirit. Therefore the “Preliminary Notes” of the Ritual (cfr. n. 7) state that “The OFSRitual … should fittingly display the gift of the Spirit and the evangelical life-project proper to the Secular Franciscan Order”.

The reference is first to the gift of the Spirit, and then to the gospel life-project, since the latter is neither conceivable nor possible without the forestalling inspiration of the grace of the Spirit. For the same reason, the candidates declare their intent to live the gospel life after the Holy Spirit has been invoked upon them:

Lord, watch over these your servants. May the Spirit of your love penetrate their hearts, so that your grace will strengthen them to keep their commitment to the gospel life.”  (Ritual II,30).