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Vocations
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About Us
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Becoming a Friar
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Contacting a Vocations Director
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About Us
Our way of life
Consecrating ourselves to God by our profession of the Evangelical
Counsels (vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience), we endeavor to
share the message and life of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according
to the vision of St. Francis of Assisi. This vision is
straightforward: To live the Gospel simply and humbly as brothers to
all and in loving fraternity with each other.
Our life of prayer
St. Francis is known to have prayed alone and with his
brothers. He meditated on Scripture and the goodness of Creation
justified by Christ’s Salvific resurrection. Like Jesus and the
apostles, the Franciscan life of prayer is both personal and
communal. Together we pray the prayers of the Church (ie. Liturgy of
the Hours), meditate on Scripture, and celebrate Eucharist.
Our
life of ministry
Our
primary and most fundamental ministry is the witness that our lives
give of the love of God in Jesus Christ. This “ministry of presence”
flows from our life of prayer and permeates all our other
ministries. The friars are involved in a large variety of ministries
including retreat centres, preaching, parish work, teaching,
counseling, chaplaincy, street ministry, home care, Secular
Franciscans (the “Third Order”) to name a few. Other friars are
involved in internal ministries such as the maintenance of
households, formation and administration.
Our
life of fraternity
The
Franciscans evolved from a small band of men who gathered around St.
Francis to support each other in their effort to follow Jesus Christ
more closely. We are, therefore, first a brotherhood. And the
purpose of our fraternal life is simply to live the Gospel. It is
not merely a practical convenience to facilitate our various
ministries but a Gospel value in itself. It is our communal sign to
the world of the Gospel life. Our fraternal life is lightly
structured to allow for different work schedules and spontaneity.
Generally, our daily structure evolves around communal prayer and
meals. |
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History and Geography
The Order of Friars
Minor (The Franciscans) was founded by St Francis more than 800
years ago. From the small Italian town of Assisi it spread quickly
throughout the world. In 1908 friars from Quebec came to Fort
Saskatchewan, AB. From that humble beginning, the Province of Christ
the King (The Franciscan world is divided into regions called
provinces) now extends throughout western Canada. We have working
friars in Lumsden (near Regina), Cochrane (near Calgary), Edmonton,
Vancouver and Victoria as well as on missions Peru and Morocco. We
are about 45 friars in Western Canada and part of over 16,000
Franciscans worldwide in 103 countries. |
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