WHAT WE DO
The brothers and sisters seek to serve their Master by the life of devotion, by sacred study and by works. In the life of the community as a whole all three of these must find full and balanced expression . . . room must be found in the lives of all for at least some measure or each of these three employments.
The Principles Day 13L
THE FRANCISCAN WAY
Sometimes, Religious Orders are categorized as being either "Active" or "Contemplative." Like many Franciscan orders, we try to live a "middle way" life, balanced between the life of Contemplation and the life of Action. Our own Principles describe this in terms of three ways of service:
PRAYER
The pattern of our life is built around the daily "offices" or prayer services that we share together: Morning, Midday, Evening, and Night Prayer. Whenever possible, we share in the Eucharist together daily as well. Our life includes times of silence, daily private prayer and meditation, and community quiet days, retreats, and opportunities for reflection.
STUDY
The other side of our contemplative life consists of dedicated time for study of the Scriptures, spiritual writings, and various other disciplines of interest to each individual Brother. Novices in particular engage in regular group study of the Bible, Theology, Francis, and Franciscanism, but ongoing learning (whether formal or informal) is never ending for us all.
WORKS
Since the time of St. Francis himself, Franciscans have lived lives of service to the poor and marginalized. While some of our houses are dedicated to a specific work, each Brother is also encouraged to find ministries that suit his particular gifts and passions. Brothers engage in charitable work, direct service, advocacy and activism, often in partnership with other agencies, parishes, or charities. Those we serve alongside are often populations neglected by others: the poor, homeless, at risk youth, elderly, disabled, mentally ill, dying, ethnic, racial, religious or sexual minorities. We seek to be the incarnate presence of Christ in our communities.
Whew! Sounds busy, doesn't it? We do keep full schedules, but we try to avoid the press of urgency in our daily activity. Those who share our prayers with us may notice that we conduct our liturgies just a bit more quietly and a bit more slowly than most are used to. Similarly, we try to conduct our lives the same way. When the contemplative meets the active, it reminds us: a little quieter, and a little slower.
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We also insist on maintaining regular habits of rest and refreshment. The Brothers have one full day "off" from community commitments each week, and are also expected to take an annual individual retreat and a proper vacation (the community sets aside funds for these priorities).
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Brothers are encouraged to develop and/or maintain hobbies and creative interests which serve as healthy recreation, and often as forms of ministry, prayer and study in and of themselves!
Be sure to learn more about who we are and the principles that guide our lives.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Schedules vary from house to house and Brother to Brother, but an ordinary day might look something like this:
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Breakfast:
DIY at time best for you
8:00 AM
Morning Meditation followed by Morning Prayer at 8:30, concluding with a short planning meeting for the day ahead.
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9:00 AM-12:00
Brothers get busy; going out for ministry, catching up on studies or household tasks.
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12:00 noon
Midday Prayer followed by Holy Eucharist.
Lunch DIY
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1:00-5:45 PM
Daily activities as in the morning, including preparation for the Community dinner.
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6:00 PM
Evening Prayer followed by dinner together.
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7:00 PM
Night Prayer
Evenings free for study, relaxation or other activities.
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Weekends are different!​
From Friday afternoon until Monday morning, each Brother says the Offices privately. Evening meals are prepared, but may be eaten at any time. The Community Sabbath time (i.e. free day) is from Friday evening until Sunday morning. Sundays, the Brothers seek to support the work of the diocese. We attend church services in various parishes around the city and offer various ministries in those parishes. Sunday activities can extend into the early evening.​​