The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv), commonly known as the Conventual Franciscans, Minorites, or Greyfriars as a result of their grey robes, is a branch of the Catholic Order of Friars Minor, founded by Francis of Assisi in 1209.
Background
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (or Conventual Franciscans), is a mendicant Catholic religious order. It is one of three separate groups or families that make up the First Order of St. Francis, that is, the friars. (The Second Order is the Poor Clares, an order of women; members of the Third Order may be men or women, secular or regular (i.e., following a rule).
It is not entirely clear how the term "Conventual" arose. In the Bull "Cum tamquam veri" of 5 April, 1250, Pope Innocent IV decreed that Franciscan churches where convents existed might be called Conventual churches, and some have maintained that the name "Conventual" was first given to the religious residing in such convents. Another view holds that word Conventualis was used to distinguish the residents of large convents from those who lived more after the manner of hermits. (Although in modern usage "convents" are generally understood to mean in particular the home of female religious, just as monastery denotes that of men, originally "convent" referred to the entire community of a monastic establishment.[1]
History
Even during the early days of the Franciscans a difference of opinion developed in the community concerning the interpretation of the rule regarding poverty. As the order grew, the literal and unconditional observance of this came to appear impracticable by the great expansion of the order, its pursuit of learning, and the accumulated property of the large cloisters in the towns.[2] Some favored a relaxation in the rigor of the rule, especially as regards the observance of poverty, and other preferred to keep to its literal strictness. The tendency towards relaxation became more marked after the death of Francis in 1226, and was encouraged by his successor, Brother Elias. A long dispute followed in which the fratres who had adopted certain mitigations gradually came to be called Conventuals, while those who were zealous for the strict observance of the rule were called Zelanti, and afterwards named Observants. Notwithstanding this division in the order formally sanctioned in 1415 by the Council of Constance, both Observants and Conventuals continued to form one body under the same head until 1517.[1]
In that year Pope Leo X called a general chapter of the whole order at Rome, with a view to effecting a reunion between the Observants and Conventuals. The former agreed but requested permission to observe the rule without any dispensation; the latter declared they did not wish for the union if it entailed their renouncing the dispensations they had received from the Holy See. Leo X thereupon incorporated with the Observants all the Franciscan friars who wished to observe the rule without dispensation, abolishing the different denominations of Clareni, Colletani, etc.; he decreed that the members thus united should be called simply Friars Minor of St. Francis, or Friars Minor of the Regular Observance, and should have precedence over the Conventuals; he moreover conferred upon the Observants the right of electing the minister general, who was to bear the title of Minister General of the Whole Order of Friars Minor. Those who continued to live under dispensations were constituted a separate body with the name of Conventuals (Bulls "Omnipotens Deus", 12 June, 1517, and "Licet Alias", 6 Dec., 1517) and given the right to elect a master general of their own, whose election, however, had to be confirmed by the Minister General of the Friars Minor. The latter appears never to have availed himself of this right, and the Conventuals may be regarded as an entirely independent order from 1517, but it was not until 1580 that they obtained a special cardinal protector of their own.[1]
In 1565 the Conventuals accepted the Tridentine indult allowing mendicant orders to own property corporately, and their chapter held at Florence in that year drew up statutes containing several important reforms which Pope Pius IV subsequently approved. Three years later St. Pope Pius V sought to enforce a stricter observance of the vow of poverty and of the community life among the Conventuals, and the superiors of the order immediately enacted statutes conformable to his desires, which the pope approved in 1568. In 1625 new constitutions were adopted by the Conventuals which superseded all preceding ones. These constitutions, which were subsequently promulgated by Pope Urban VIII are known as the "Constitutiones Urbanæ" and are of importance, since at their profession the Conventuals vow to observe the Rule of St. Francis in accordance with them, that is to say, by admitting the duly authorized dispensations therein set forth.
The Conventuals enjoy the privilege of guarding the tomb of St. Francis at Assisi and that of St. Anthony at Padua, and they furnish the penitentiaries to the Vatican Basilica and to the sanctuary at Loreto.
The habit of the Conventuals consists of a serge tunic fastened around the waist with a thin white cord with three knots; to the large cape, which is round in front and pointed behind, a small hood is attached. Unlike the Friars Minor and the Capuchins, the Conventuals wear birettas and shoes rather than sandals.
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual sought to spread the ideals of Saint Francis throughout the new urban social order of the Middle Ages. Some friars settled in the urban slums, or the suburbs of the medieval neighbourhoods where the huts and shacks of the poorest were built outside the safety of the city walls. In London, the first settlement of the friars was set in what was called "Stinking Lane."
Since the suburbs were also the place where hospitals were set up, the friars were often commissioned by the city government to facilitate the care of the sick. The friars also helped to construct sturdier buildings, replacing the previous huts, and constructed churches. Robert Grosseteste, then Bishop of Lincoln, marvelled that the people "run to the friars for instruction as well as for confession and direction. They are transforming the world."
The movement of the Conventual Franciscans into the cities was controversial and split the Franciscan Order into two factions: those who desired the traditional Franciscan life of solitary meditation in rural areas, and those who desired to live together in friaries and work among the urban poor like the Conventual Franciscans. This latter group was first known as the "Friars of the Community," but by 1250 they were also referred to as Fratres Conventuales, however, their official title remained Fratres Minores until the division of 1517, when these followers of Saint Francis became definitively known as Fratres Minores Conventuales or the Friars Minor Conventual.
Though keeping Francis' remains in the Basilica of St. Francis, generally the Conventuals did not remain at the sites associated with Francis's actual presence except for the friary at Rivotorto. The Friars of the Community sought to take Francis's ideals to the far reaches of a universal Church. After the founder's death, they began the task of translating Francis's earthly existence into a socially relevant spiritual message for current and future generations.
The Conventual Franciscans nestled their large group homes into small areas of land surrounded by poverty. They used their abilities to combat the hardships and injustices of the poverty stricken areas where they settled. The friaries focused on disciplined austerity, generosity, harmonized prayer, and service to others.[citation needed]
Saints of the Order
After the separation of the OFM Franciscans, the Order has three saints:
- Joseph of Cupertino
- Francis Anthony Fasani
- Maximilian Kolbe
- Bl. Bonaventure of Potenza
References
- ^ a b c Robinson, Paschal. "Order of Friars Minor Conventuals". The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 22 December 2017
- ^ Bihl, Michael. "Order of Friars Minor". The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 21 December 2017
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Order of Friars Minor Conventuals". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Sources
- Ordo Fratrum Minorum Conventualium - Conventual Franciscans
- Conventual Franciscan Friars in the United States
External links
- Official Website
- Friars Minor Conventual in Uganda Greyfriars in Uganda
- Conventual Franciscans in Wrocław, Poland History with pictures
- VIDEO: OFM Conv - Ordo Fratrum Minorum Conventualium OFM Conv - Ordo Fratrum Minorum Conventualium
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