The Order of Friars Minor is the largest of the contemporary First Orders within the Franciscan movement. Francis began preaching around 1207 and traveled to Rome to seek approval of his order from Pope Innocent III in 1209.

The Order of Friars Minor, founded by St Francis of Assisi, is a fraternity in which, through religious profession, the friars, following Christ more closely, moved by the Holy Spirit, give themselves totally to God loved above all things, living the Gospel in the Church, according to the form observed and proposed by St Francis.

The Marian Friars Minor is traditional Franciscanism inspired by St. Francis who begging Our Lady insistently and with tears to be his Advocate, who then granted him the true spirit of the Gospel, which by Her intercession, he brought it to fruition.

Founded in 1209 by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi, these orders include three independent orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contemporary male order), an order for nuns known as the Order of Saint Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis open to male and female members.

Today the Friars Minor Conventual wear a black habit, in those countries which had undergone a suppression, while, in the mission lands, and beyond, they have begun to return to the original color of the Franciscan habit: ashen grey.

The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are also known as Conventual Franciscans or …

Having gathered about twelve disciples around him (1207-08), St. Francis of Assisi appeared before Innocent III, who, after some hesitation, gave verbal sanction to the Franciscan Rule. Thus was legally founded the Order of Friars Minor (Ordo Fratrum Minorum), the precise date being, according to an ancient tradition in the order, April 16, 1209.

The Friars Minor, or Lesser Brothers, as they came to be known, were street preachers with no possessions and only the Porziuncola as a center. They preached and worked first in Umbria and then, as their numbers grew rapidly, in the rest of Italy.

Apr 4, 2025 · Periodicals of the Order of Friars Minor. Documents. Documents of the Order of Friars Minor. Letter and homilies. Letters and Homilies. Subscribe to the Newsletter. You can receive news and communications directly in your inbox and stay updated on all the events of the Order . REGISTER NOW. ABOUT US WHERE WE ARE THE CURIA

All three bodies today follow the rule of the Friars Minor, but whereas the Friars Minor and the Capuchins profess this rule pure and simple, differing only accidentally in their particular constitutions, the Conventuals observe it with certain dispensations lawfully accorded.