Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate
What We DoOur Life
The Rule of the Friars Minor is this, namely, to observe the Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity. ( Rule of St. Francis, 1223)
Ours is a community life of Prayer, Poverty, and Penance, in the spirit of the vow of total Consecration to the Immaculate, so that She may transform us into Jesus Crucified in the likeness of St. Francis and make us her instruments in the conquest of all souls to God.
Our convents are called “Marian Houses” for the friars and “Houses of the Immaculata” for the nuns. Larger complexes, where apostolic works of a certain importance also arise, with an important number of religious, are called “Marian Cities” following the example of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe.
Like Jesus with his apostles, we harmonize contemplation and action in the spirit of the most authentic Franciscan tradition.
Zeal for the salvation of souls commits us, by virtue of the unlimitedness of the Marian vow, to undertake missionary activity ad gentes, in territories of first evangelization and in developing countries. Like Mary we want to bring Christ to the world.
We have inherited from St. Maximilian M. Kolbe the importance of the use of media in evangelization. Therefore, we engage in television, radio, film, editorial and various internet apostolates in the different regions of the world where we are present.
To make Mary known and loved is our main mission. That is why we also promote studies on her Mystery, in Christ and in the Church, through research activities and academic teaching.
We have the pastoral leadership of several Marian shrines around the world, where we offer the numerous pilgrims: sacraments, preaching and spiritual assistance.
We have been promoting for several years the initiative “First Saturdays with Mary,” which is a Marian day of prayer and reflection that takes place in parishes and shrines around the world, centered on Our Lady’s message at Fatima.
Where there is a pastoral need, we also welcome the request of diocesan bishops to lead parishes, although we favor helping parish priests in a spirit of Franciscan service and humility.
Those who join our religious family spend their first years of religious experience in our houses of formation: postulancy and novitiate, receiving a solid foundation for a mature and conscious choice of a life consecrated to God within a religious family and in the service of the Church.
Even though our first vocation is to the Franciscan-Marian religious life, those who are also called to the priesthood are formed according to the procedure laid down in the Ratio Formationis Sacerdotalis.
Upon completion of studies in philosophy and theology, attended at pontifical universities in Rome, students can request ordination first as deacons and then as priests.
In service of the Church and for the challenges of the New Evangelization, some of our friars, after ordination, specialize academically in different disciplines: Sacred Scripture, Dogmatics, Morals, Bioethics, Philosophy, Canon Law, Social Communication, Youth Ministry, Formation for Religious Life etc. Earning doctorates and master’s degrees that also make them suitable for university teaching.
Prior to the profession of perpetual vows, a missionary tirocinium (internship) is offered to the students with the opportunity to learn foreign languages, have a frontier experience among the poorest or the sick, and/or technical and journalistic experience in editorial publications
The rules of life of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, is contained in the “Book of Sanctification” which consists of the Approved Rule of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Constitutions of the Institute.
