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The Franciscan Tradition of Service
The Franciscan Tradition of Service
The Franciscan Tradition of Service
As a member of the Franciscan Friars Conventual, you will have an opportunity to meet your community’s needs. This might involve running a soup kitchen, teaching at a school, advocating for justice as a lawyer, or serving as a parish priest, all of which reflect the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi and the diverse Franciscan vocations available.
Franciscan Friars Conventual in Canada
The Franciscan Tradition of Service
The Franciscan Tradition of Service
The first Conventual Franciscans arrived in Canada in 1915. Franciscan Friar Conventual Franciszek Pyznar settled in Montreal, Quebec, where he began serving the spiritual needs of the local Polish community.
Today, the Franciscan Friars Conventual continue their mission by serving parishes and communities in Toronto, Kingston, and Otta
The first Conventual Franciscans arrived in Canada in 1915. Franciscan Friar Conventual Franciszek Pyznar settled in Montreal, Quebec, where he began serving the spiritual needs of the local Polish community.
Today, the Franciscan Friars Conventual continue their mission by serving parishes and communities in Toronto, Kingston, and Ottawa. They express their gratitude to God for their Franciscan vocations, drawing daily inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi.
Let's Talk
The Franciscan Tradition of Service
Let's Talk
Friar Reto Davatz serves as the vocation director for the Conventual Franciscans in Canada. He takes pleasure in introducing individuals to the teachings and life of St. Francis of Assisi, inspiring interest in Franciscan vocations. You can reach him at Phone: 613-546-6900 ext. 205 or via E-mail: friar.reto@gmail.com.
St. Francis of Assisi - His Beginning
Francis was born in 1181 in Assisi, Umbria, to Pietro di Bernardone, a wealthy cloth merchant, and Pica de Bourlemont, a French noblewoman. Pietro and Pica doted on Francis, who enjoyed a life of privilege. As he grew up, he lacked for nothing and spent his days in idle celebration with friends, indulging in good food, music, and laughter. His early life foreshadowed his later association with the Franciscan Friars Conventual, as he eventually embraced Franciscan vocations that would lead him to become St. Francis of Assisi, inspiring many to follow similar paths.
Francis Gives Money to the Beggar
Francis had no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a merchant, much like the Conventual Franciscans who dedicated their lives to service rather than trade. One day, while selling his father's cloths in an Assisi market square, he chose to give them to a beggar free of charge, embodying the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. The beggar appreciated this act of charity, reflecting the core values of Franciscan vocations and the compassion of the Franciscan Friars Conventual.
Francis the Knight
Deciding that he would become a knight, which would have been a step upwards in social mobility, Francis joined a military excursion from Assisi that attacked the nearby city of Perugia. The excursion failed, and Francis spent one year in a Perugian prison. During this time, he came to realize that he was not meant to be a knight, but rather, he felt a calling towards a different path that would eventually lead him to explore Franciscan vocations. His transformation would later inspire the Conventual Franciscans and the Franciscan Friars Conventual, all deeply connected to the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi.
The Lord Speaks to Francis from the Cross
Some time after St. Francis of Assisi returned to Assisi, he took a walk just beyond the town gates to the rundown and abandoned San Damiano Chapel. He was alone with God's creation around him - the fertile Umbrian Valley down below and the imposing Monte Subasio up above. Inside the chapel, Francis knelt and prayed quietly. At one moment, Christ on the crucifix above the altar said the following to Francis: "Go and repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin."
The young man initially understood Christ's command literally. Helped by men who were impressed by the simplicity of his life and the power of his faith, including the Franciscan Friars Conventual, Francis rebuilt San Damiano Chapel. He then understood that the Lord wanted him to rebuild the Church inside people's hearts and inspire them to greater faith. This realization led to the emergence of various Franciscan vocations, including the Conventual Franciscans, and marked the beginning of the Franciscan Order.