ARE YOU BEING CALLED?
What exactly is a Brother?
A Brother is a man who consecrates himself to God and performs some service to God’s people. His call is to relate to others as Jesus did, as a brother.
Do Brothers take vows?
The Brothers do take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. This basically means that instead of having our own wealth, as Brothers we share our resources with one another; as Brothers we don’t marry and when making decisions, we try to listen to and follow God’s will for our lives, rather than our own preferences. These vows can present challenges at times, but when lived well they can also contribute to a joy-filled life.
How is a Brother different from a priest?
A call of a Religious Brother is to live the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience while offering non-sacramental service to God’s people through such works as education, health care, social work, spiritual accompaniment and prayer, whereas typical priestly ministry focuses on the celebration of the sacraments.
Do Brothers pray all day?
While prayer is an essential component of a Brother’s life, so is community and ministry. While we take time for both private and communal prayer and try to remember God’s presence throughout the day, we also work, socialize, and take time for ourselves in much the same way that other people do.
Are Brothers monks?
No. Communities of Brothers, like the Franciscan Friars of the Forsaken, live in community in a friary and serve in an apostolic ministry and direct service to others, but we are not monks. There are those Brothers who are monks, and who dedicate themselves to contemplative lifestyle in a monastery.
What is your community life like?
As we mentioned, as Brothers we live in friaries. We live communally, sharing prayer and meals together and spending quality time with each other. Each friary strives to be a welcoming place that extends Franciscan hospitality.
Do the Franciscan Brothers wear a habit?
The Franciscan Habit that we wear consists of a uniform, loose tunic, Black, Brown or Grey depending on what is available for us, girded with a white cord from which we suspend a rosary. As a sign of our unity, consecration, and poverty, we wear our Franciscan habit as often as possible to prayer, to regular community mass and according to the circumstances of time, place, and service.
How do the Franciscan Brothers pray?
The Brothers are called to pray communally and individually. The Brothers pray the Liturgy of the Hours and participate, where possible, in the daily celebration of the Eucharist, which is the center of our lives.
What is your connection to the Church?
To begin with we are Orthodox Franciscans, and like our Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran Franciscan brothers, we observe the life of the Gospel through prayer, apostolic works, and fraternity. Our apostolate is to live the Gospel and make Christ present through our educational and pastoral ministries of the Orthodox Catholic Church.
What do the Franciscan Brothers do?
The Brothers serve as teachers, counselors, pastoral ministers, spiritual directors, and mentors. We also serve in soup kitchens and other direct service to the poor.
Men who are discerning a possible vocation with the Society of the Franciscan Friars of the Forsaken, please contact our vocation director.
The Franciscan Friars of the Forsaken, officially known as the Order of the Friars Minor Observant (Orthodox), were founded in 2007 when four men with the blessing of the local Orthodox Bishop joined the Franciscan Order.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Be between 18 -45 years of age • A U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident • In good physical and mental health • Committed to living the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience • A practicing Orthodox Catholic for at least 2 years after the completion of the Sacraments Baptism, First Communion and Chrismation (confirmation) • Free of significant financial and/or family obligations • A high school graduate or its equivalency.
FORMATION
Take the next step
If you and our Director of Vocations discern that the Lord is inviting you to take the next step in the discernment process, we’ll invite you to apply.
Once accepted, you’ll be received into the community as a postulant and can expect to progress through formation in the following stages:
Postulancy: A period of at least three months. These months allow you to transition into our rhythm of prayer, work, and study.
Novitiate: If both you and our community discern that it is fitting, you’ll be formally admitted into the novitiate. As a novice, you’ll receive a habit and a new religious name. For the next 12 months, you’ll spend most of your time in prayer, study, and ongoing discernment of God’s will.
Temporary Profession: At the end of your novitiate, you may request to make temporary promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience. These promises are then renewed at least twice before final profession. After three years of temporary profession, you may request to make your perpetual profession (final vows). Perpetual Profession may be granted sooner in special circumstances.
Do We Accept Belated Vocations?
Yes: On an individual basis.
Steps to Discernment
BE QUIET
To know if God is calling you, take time to pray and meditate in silence about your vocation.
FIND A SPIRITUAL ADVISOR
Seek out someone who can help you to develop your relationship with God.
ASK
Ask a religious in your parish to put you in touch with the vocation director or contact us directly.
READ UP
Study what it means to be a member of a religious community.
WRITE
Write to us and other communities that might interest you.
VISIT
Visit us or the communities you feel God is calling you to.
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP
Spend time with us or whichever community interests you, and form a bond with the community you feel you’re interested in and wish to call home.
LISTEN TO GOD
Discerning one’s vocation is a process and can take time, let God guide you.
If you are interested in the Franciscan Friars of the Forsaken, you may wish to spend time with our community as a volunteer during a retreat,
CONTACT THE VOCATION OFFICE BELOW.