Franciscan Spirituality

Father Edward Francis Daems, who was inspired to found our Community, desired that we live simply, humbly, and joyfully. He believed that the rule of St. Francis would be most appropriate for us.

St. Francis embraced four basic values for himself and his followers:

• Conversion: To turn to the Lord Jesus Christ daily, and to strive to show the face of Jesus to all, especially to the poor;
• Contemplation: To live with an awareness of God's presence and action in the world, and to rejoice in the goodness and love of God reflected in one another and in all creation; to make prayer a priority;
• Poverty: To be poor in material goods in order to desire God alone, and to depend on God to fulfill spiritual and material needs;
• Minority/Service: To be sister and brother by humbly serving one another, and by loving and caring for all God's creation.

Cross, Word and Eucharist
Three mysteries of our faith support us in our efforts to make these four Franciscan values a reality in our day-to-day living. These are the mysteries of the Cross of Jesus Christ, the Word of God as found in Sacred Scripture, and the gift of Christ's own Body and Blood in the Eucharist.