Fratres Minores

Order of Friars Minor

Ordo Fratrum Minorum
A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis' arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
Abbreviation	O.F.M., Franciscan
Motto	Pax et bonum ("Peace and the good")
Formation	February 24, 1209; 808 years ago (1209-02-24)
Founder	Francis of Assisi
Parent organization	Catholic Church
Subsidiaries	Secular Franciscan Order (1221) Third Order of Saint Francis (1447)
Secessions	Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1517) Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (1520)
Affiliations	Order of Saint Clare (1212)

The Franciscans are a group of related mendicant religious orders within the Catholic Church, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. These orders include the Order of Friars Minor, the Order of Saint Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis. These orders adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of the founder and of his main associates and followers, such as Clare of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, and Elizabeth of Hungary, among many others.

Francis began preaching around 1207 and traveled to Rome to seek approval from Pope Innocent III in 1209 to form a new religious order. The original Rule of Saint Francis approved by the Pope disallowed ownership of property, requiring members of the order to beg for food while preaching. The austerity was meant to emulate the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Franciscans traveled and preached in the streets, while boarding in church properties. Saint Clare, under Francis's guidance, founded the Poor Clares (Order of Saint Clair) in 1212, which remains a Second Order of the Franciscans. The extreme poverty required of members was relaxed in the final revision of the Rule in 1223. The degree of observance required of members remained a major source of conflict within the order, resulting in numerous secessions.

The Order of Friars Minor, previously known as the "Observant" branch, is one of the three Franciscan First Orders within the Catholic Church, the others being the "Capuchins" and "Conventuals". The Order of Friars Minor, in its current form, is the result of an amalgamation of several smaller orders completed in 1897 by Pope Leo XIII. The latter two, the Capuchin and Conventual, remain distinct religious institutes within the Catholic Church, observing the Rule of Saint Francis with different emphases. Franciscans are sometimes referred to as minorites or greyfriars because of their habit. In Poland and Lithuania they are known as Bernardines, after Bernardino of Siena, although the term elsewhere refers to Cistercians instead.