Fraternity of the Holy Cross
Traditional Capuchin Fraternity of the Order of St. Francis

Customary

Work in progress…

Ordinary of the Day

Clerical Friars follow the Breviary, whereas Lay Friars (Conversi) recite the Pater Noster Office. We will give the latter in brackets.

00:00

06:30

11:30

17:00

Mental Prayer

The Brothers should dedicate at least two hours each day to mental prayer.

Const. 1925: “… we order that every day two hours, or two special exercises, one in the morning and the other in the evening, be devoted to it [prayer], according to the praiseworthy customs and schedule of each Province.”

Const. 1529: “… the more fervent and devout Brothers are not content with these two hours, but devote all the time that obedience leaves them to meditation and prayer; as true worshipers, they pray and adore God everywhere, in spirit and in truth. We exhort all the Brothers to cultivate these desires and to attend to these practices of prayer, chiefly because they ought to have in this world no other aim than to unite themselves to God through the bonds of true charity.”

Meal

The Brothers should be very cautious about what they eat, both in terms of quantity and quality. If they are in good health, they should avoid eating delicacies. Failure to observe this rule can become a major obstacle to prayer.

Const. 1925: “… Saint Bernard maintains that two things can stain and ruin religious people: familiarity with women and the pursuit of particular foods.”

Distractions

Besides intemperance and eating delicacies, another major obstacle to prayer is harmful distractions, such as the compulsive desire to know what is happening in the world or to spend excessive time reading or watching content of little or no importance.

St. John of the Cross: “Oh! If men only knew what divine light they are deprived of by the darkness caused by their evil inclinations and disordered affections! How many dangers and evils they expose themselves to every day by not mortifying them!”

Blessed Angela of Foligno: “Now here, my children, is what I have to tell you: Know (and remember it well) that you have need of nothing but God alone. To find God, to gather your heart and unite it to Him, this is your single task of consequence and necessity.

And here is what you must practice to reach this great point. First of all, in order to recollect your heart well and draw it closer to God, you must absolutely dismiss all your old customs and useless habits, all your friendships, visits, and vain conversations with either sex; all your learning and knowledge of the same sort, all curiosity, all desire for novelty and to know what is happening in the world, all unnecessary cares and occupations, in a word, you must rid yourself entirely of everything that only distracts and scatters the mind outward.”

Dormitory

The Brothers in good health should avoid sleeping on regular mattresses.

Const. 1529: “We decree that the Brothers who have neither frailty nor bodily illness shall sleep either on bare boards or on boards covered with a little straw, with a coarse cloth, without feathers and without mattresses; and those who wish may use vine branches instead of pillows.”

Const. 1536: “… it is ordained that all the Brothers, except the sick and the very weak, shall sleep on a bare board, a reed mat, or on a little straw or hay; and they shall not sleep on blankets.”

Charity

Charity is so essential that Our Lord has made it the second most important Commandment. It is a virtue that St. Francis was particularly eager to see in his Brothers, and he dealt severely with any transgression of it.

Our Fraternity is committed to promoting this virtue and ensuring it is practiced by all its members, whether between Brothers or in dealings with those outside the Fraternity.

Matthew 22:37-40: “Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 3: “When my Brothers appear in the world, I advise, warn, and exhort them in Our Lord Jesus Christ to avoid quarrels and disputes, and to refrain from judging others. Instead, they should be gentle, peaceful, modest, approachable, and humble, speaking respectfully to everyone in accordance with the rules of propriety.”

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 6: “Wherever the Brothers may be or meet, let them treat one another as children of the same household, so that they may confidently share their needs with one another. For if a mother nourishes and loves her child according to the flesh, how much more should each one love and care for his Brother according to the spirit? And if any one of them falls ill, let the other Brothers serve him as they would wish to be served themselves.”

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 10: “… let them reflect that they should especially desire to be filled with the Spirit of the Lord and His holy operation, to pray to Him always with a pure heart, to maintain humility and patience in persecution and illness, and to love those who persecute, rebuke, and blame us. For Our Lord says: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute and slander you. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. And he who endures to the end will be saved.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Go quickly, and examine this matter carefully. If the accused brother is innocent, correct his accuser so severely that it leaves a strong impression on the other brothers. Grave dangers threaten the religious life if those who denigrate others are not firmly opposed; the sweet fragrance of many will soon turn into the stench of death if we do not shut the poisoned mouths. I demand that you take the utmost care to ensure that this pestilent disease does not spread further. The brother who has robbed his fellow of the glory of his good name must be stripped of his habit and shall not lift his eyes to God until he has restored what he has stolen.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Listen, my brothers, to the message that God sends you from heaven through his poor little servant. Love all people, those who are favorable to you and those from whom you have to suffer discomforts; for some are clearly your friends, and the others are in no way your enemies. Those who love you serve you; they give you food and clothing, these do good to your body. Those who persecute you, become angry with you, and overwhelm you with insults bring goods of more than one kind to your spirit.”

Studies

Our approach places holy poverty, charity, humility, simplicity, mortification, and prayer above scholarly knowledge. We believe that the true test of the spiritual life is not the accumulation of books or intellectual mastery, but the practice of virtue.

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 10: “Those who do not have an education should not worry about studying; instead, let them reflect that they should especially desire to be filled with the Spirit of the Lord and His holy operation, to pray to Him always with a pure heart, to maintain humility and patience in persecution and illness, and to love those who persecute, rebuke, and blame us.”

Const. 1529: “We order that no one presume to establish studies, but that only the Holy Scripture and some pious authors, who show how to love God and bear the Cross of Jesus Christ, be read.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “I, too, was tempted like you, to have books. Wishing to know God’s will on this matter, I prayed earnestly for enlightenment. In doing so, I opened the book of the Gospels and came across these words: To you, it has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to others, it is only spoken in parables. There are so many people who aspire to knowledge that I consider truly blessed the one who knows only Jesus Christ crucified.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Their study should not be so much about knowing what to say, but about knowing what to do, so that their actions precede their words and they teach only what they themselves practice.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “My brothers, those who allow themselves to be led by a frivolous love of knowledge will find their hands empty on the day of tribulation. That is why I would like to see all my brothers strengthen themselves in the practice of virtues so that they may have the Lord with them in their distress during times of trial.

Tribulation will come, know this, and then books, being of no use, will be thrown out the windows or relegated to some corner.

I do not want my brothers to be passionate about knowledge or books; I want them to be rooted in holy humility, to imitate pure simplicity, sacred prayer, and the poverty of the Lord.

This alone is the sure path for their own salvation and for the edification of others. Jesus Christ, whom the brothers are called to imitate, has shown us this single way; He has taught it to us both through His words and by His example.

Many brothers, under the pretext of edifying others, will set aside their vocation, that is, holy humility, pure simplicity, prayer, devotion, and the poverty of the Lord.

They will think that by delving into the Scriptures, they will be filled with greater devotion, inflamed with love, and illuminated with the knowledge of God. Yet, in doing so, they may find themselves becoming cold and empty in their souls. They will no longer be able to return to their original vocation because they will have wasted in vain and fruitless study the time that should have been spent living according to that very vocation.”

Being useful to ourselves

We believe that true service to others begins with the pursuit of virtue. When people focus on serving others while neglecting their own growth, they fail to receive graces that would both aid their own salvation and enhance the good they can do.

1 Timothy 4:16: “Keep watch over yourself and over the teaching; persist in these things, for by doing so you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

Blessed Giles of Assisi: “Do not be overly anxious to be useful to others, but rather be eager to be useful to yourself. We sometimes wish to know many things for others, and very little for ourselves. The word of God does not belong to the one who hears it or preaches it, but to the one who puts it into practice.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Christ has deigned to pour out upon His servants, the greatest is to conquer oneself and to willingly endure, for love of Jesus, hardships, insults, humiliations, and the most urgent needs…”

Holy poverty

Franciscan poverty requires a radical and total renunciation of all forms of property and usage rights, both individual and collective, contenting itself with the mere factual use of goods necessary for subsistence and the fulfillment of religious duties.

Such renunciation is holy and was taught and practiced by Jesus Christ, as declared by Pope Nicholas III.

Pope Nicholas III, Exiit qui seminat, 1279: “We declare that renouncing all forms of property, both individually and collectively, for the love of God, is meritorious and holy, that Jesus Christ taught it through His words and confirmed it by His example, when He showed the way of perfection…

When the Council decided to grant all religious orders the right to possess immovable property, a Capuchin friar stood up and objected. His intervention was a formal refusal of the privilege on behalf of the Capuchin Order.

Council of Trent, Sess. 25: “The holy Council grants permission, for the future, to all monasteries and houses, both of men and of women, and to the Mendicants, to possess immovable property, except for the houses of the brothers of Saint Francis, the Capuchins, and those called the Observant Minorites…”

Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 6: “Let the Brothers own nothing, neither house, nor place, nor anything else…”

St. Francis of Assisi: “You know, my beloved Brethren, that Poverty is the queen of virtues, because it shone so brightly in the King of kings, and in the Queen, His Mother. Know, my Brethren, that Poverty is the straight road to salvation, the nurse of humility, the root of perfection ; its fruits are numerous, but hidden.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “This evangelical Poverty is the foundation of our Order, on which the whole structure of Religion so depends, that by its solidity it is sustained, and by its weakness it is overturned. Inasmuch as the Brethren turn away from holy Poverty, so much will the world turn away from them ; they shall seek for its help, but not find it. If they embrace my Lady Poverty, the world will nourish them ; because they are sent for the salvation of the world. This is the treaty between the Brethren and the world : they owe good example to the world, and the world owes them their necessary subsistence ; but if they cease to give good example, the world will justly refuse to support them.”

Meditation on the Passion of Christ

The Fraternity places particular emphasis on meditation on the Passion of Christ and desires that, following the example of St. Francis, all Brothers adopt it as their ordinary meditation.

1 Corinthians 2:2: “For I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ crucified.”

St. Francis of Assisi: “Know, my Brothers, that I have nothing sweeter or more delightful than the memory of the Passion of my Savior, which is the subject of my ordinary meditation, and if I were to live until the end of the world, I would need no other reading.”

Blessed Angela of Foligno: “… it is by contemplating the Cross through continual prayer… that one receives full knowledge of one’s sins, as well as the sorrow and contrition one ought to have for them, together with the divine light that produces in the soul deep and true humility.”

0%