I will admit it is a lonely calling that has been placed on my heart as I live in Calgary. See, God has called me to serve as Third Order (or Secular) Franciscan. There is a small Roman Catholic group in the city I am attempting to get in touch with, but as to the Ecumenical or Anglican Orders-I am it.
See this is a calling that God formed in my heart over the years since I returned to the structured church at 19 years old. Not being able to find answers to simple questions like how do I pray or what does it mean to be a Christian I went to Chapters to explore. Shoved in a dark corner of the religious book section, rather dusty and pages yellowed by ignore I discovered a little book by John Michael Talbot (yes the musician) titled ominously The Lessons of St. Francis. Flipping to the table of contents it did cover the questions I wanted answered about prayer, spirituality, service, creativity, simplicity, etc…
It was an easily devoured book that challenged me in a lot of areas of my life, but left me wanting more. I would easily go back over the book two or three times a year trying to figure out what calling God was laying on my heart, with my time in the Catholic Church I tried to join their third order but could never quite complete the two+ year journey of church membership.
But just over a year ago I discovered a community of Franciscans, an ecumenical movement that had spun off from The Society of St. Francis. It was with them that I took the first step of inquiry into what it meant to live out a Gospel Life. It was under their guidance I entered a postulancy and began to develop my Rule of Life Ministry and deepen my understanding of call on my life and how God was calling me to live.
This summer, as my postulancy was officially coming to a close I felt a strong call of the aspect of simplicity of life since I was brought back into the Anglican Church, to transfer orders, and moved from the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans to The Third Order Society of St. Francis and re-wrote my rule, starting to prepare to take my noviate vows this fall within the Order.
It is a long process, inquiry and postulancy can take upwards to 1-1/2 years; noviate takes 24 months and then the Order takes you to prayer for whether or not you are meant to take a life profession. To simplistically understand what it means to be a Franciscan, there are three simple aims:
To make our Lord known and loved everywhere. By word and example, Tertiaries witness to Christ in their daily lives. By prayer and sacrifice, we help forward God's work wherever He has called us. To spread the spirit of fellowship. By working happily with people of different race, color, creed, education and opportunity, Tertiaries seek to break down the divisions in the world. We try to live in the spirit of St. Francis' prayer: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace." To live simply. Acknowledging that everything belongs to God, we seek to use His gifts wisely and to be good stewards of this fragile earth, never destroying or wasting what God has made. We provide the things necessary for our families and ourselves without demanding luxuries. We seek never to forget the needs of others.
It is a lonely call as I traverse this path in community, but no other members within the Calgary, but it is an enriching calling as God has called me to the religious life and to be able to make a positive change in His Kingdom.
-Hoody in AB
See this is a calling that God formed in my heart over the years since I returned to the structured church at 19 years old. Not being able to find answers to simple questions like how do I pray or what does it mean to be a Christian I went to Chapters to explore. Shoved in a dark corner of the religious book section, rather dusty and pages yellowed by ignore I discovered a little book by John Michael Talbot (yes the musician) titled ominously The Lessons of St. Francis. Flipping to the table of contents it did cover the questions I wanted answered about prayer, spirituality, service, creativity, simplicity, etc…
It was an easily devoured book that challenged me in a lot of areas of my life, but left me wanting more. I would easily go back over the book two or three times a year trying to figure out what calling God was laying on my heart, with my time in the Catholic Church I tried to join their third order but could never quite complete the two+ year journey of church membership.
But just over a year ago I discovered a community of Franciscans, an ecumenical movement that had spun off from The Society of St. Francis. It was with them that I took the first step of inquiry into what it meant to live out a Gospel Life. It was under their guidance I entered a postulancy and began to develop my Rule of Life Ministry and deepen my understanding of call on my life and how God was calling me to live.
This summer, as my postulancy was officially coming to a close I felt a strong call of the aspect of simplicity of life since I was brought back into the Anglican Church, to transfer orders, and moved from the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans to The Third Order Society of St. Francis and re-wrote my rule, starting to prepare to take my noviate vows this fall within the Order.
It is a long process, inquiry and postulancy can take upwards to 1-1/2 years; noviate takes 24 months and then the Order takes you to prayer for whether or not you are meant to take a life profession. To simplistically understand what it means to be a Franciscan, there are three simple aims:
To make our Lord known and loved everywhere. By word and example, Tertiaries witness to Christ in their daily lives. By prayer and sacrifice, we help forward God's work wherever He has called us. To spread the spirit of fellowship. By working happily with people of different race, color, creed, education and opportunity, Tertiaries seek to break down the divisions in the world. We try to live in the spirit of St. Francis' prayer: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace." To live simply. Acknowledging that everything belongs to God, we seek to use His gifts wisely and to be good stewards of this fragile earth, never destroying or wasting what God has made. We provide the things necessary for our families and ourselves without demanding luxuries. We seek never to forget the needs of others.
It is a lonely call as I traverse this path in community, but no other members within the Calgary, but it is an enriching calling as God has called me to the religious life and to be able to make a positive change in His Kingdom.
-Hoody in AB
posted by T @ 8:19 PM
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