Franciscans are members of a variety of Roman Catholic religious orders (communities). They take their inspiration and rule (program of life) from Saint Francis of Assisi. In 1209, Francis founded the Order of Friars Minor to reform the church around the spirit of poverty based on the Gospels. In 1212, Francis and his friend Saint Clare founded an order for women called the Second Order of St. Francis or the Poor Clares.
The original order’s expansion led to an overly complex organization and a consequent need to revise the rule. A split occurred between the Spirituals or zelanti and the main body, later called the Conventuals. The Spirituals wanted strict observance of Francis’s original rule. The Conventuals advocated moderation. Pope John XXII settled the dispute in favor of the Conventuals in 1317. In 1415, a reform movement within the Conventuals resulted in the formation of another group called the Observants. In 1897, Pope Leo XIII issued a unification decree that produced today’s three independent families of Franciscan orders for men—the Friars Minor, Friars Minor Conventuals, and Friars Minor Capuchins.
The early Franciscans devoted themselves to preaching and to caring for the spiritual needs of the people. But the order soon branched out into educational, missionary, and social work.
