Consecration

God the giver of all gifts is the origin of our consecration through baptism, and it is through His help that we live perfect charity by radical following of Christ as we make the profession of the evangelical counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience through public vows.

By consecrating ourselves in a religious institute we unite more closely to the Lord in the mystery of love and grace which enriches us as we grow in the virtues lived by St. Francis of Assisi, as wonderful witnesses to the Trinitarian communion, and a sign of hope in the world.

Chastity

We choose the evangelical counsel of chastity, and embrace it for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,as a surpassing gift of grace and a sign of the world to come.

We welcome consecrated chastity to liberate our hearts in a unique way from earthly pleasures, and as the most suitable way through which we spend ourselves in God’s service and in works of the apostolate.

We live in chastity to grow constantly in service and love for God and our brothers and sisters with total commitment.

Imitating Christ by living the vow of chastity, we undertake the obligation of perfect continence in celibacy and we commit ourselves to avoid engaging in any internal or external acts contrary to chastity and to renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

To live the vow of chastity in a fruitful way, we embrace the following means; Prayer; personal meditation; Reading spiritual books; spiritual direction; fidelity to fraternal life in community; avoid circumstances that may compromise our ability to persevere in chastity; promote physical exercises; discipline of the senses; self knowledge; counselling; discipline in the use of social media; avoid use of harmful substances.

In pursuit of perfect continence, we support the growth of each other towards maturity of senses and self-control by embracing a trusting, caring, loving and healthy relationship with everyone and in communities where God is sought and loved above all things.

Poverty

In following the example of Christ who though rich became poor to enrich us9 and who totally depended on the Father with trust, we choose voluntary poverty so as to bear witness to values beyond materialism as a better way of expressing our religious consecration.

We take the vow of poverty to be free from all attachment to material possessions, self-interest and profit, and to be completely at the disposal of Christ and the Church.

By our vow of poverty we commit ourselves to embrace a way of life which is poor in fact and in spirit in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi as we adhere to the dictates of our Institute’s rule of life.

We accept to depend willingly on our superiors in the use of temporal goods, limitation in the use and disposition of goods, to share all that we have and receive,10 to be frugal and choose work as our ordinary means of support.

By embracing the vow of poverty we retain the rights to acquire, retain, administer and alienate temporal goods as an Institute and its other entities allowed by the Institute’s law. Brothers are, however, obliged by the virtue of this vow to cease to administrate temporal goods under their proprietorship and to dispose of their use and usufruct. Novices entrust these rights before temporary profession in the Institute to whomever they prefer. Before perpetual profession, brothers are to make a will of their assets which is to be valid also in the civil law of their country of origin.

As brothers who have chosen voluntary poverty, we live and bear witness by: being sensitive to the environment and God’s creation; identify ourselves with the poor of our society as we restore their hope by being in solidarity with them; sharing what we have among ourselves and between our communities with transparency and without discrimination; allocate with due diligence our goods for the needs of the Church and divine worship; embrace at all times a simple and unpretentious life style; respect to the wills of the faithful who give and leave their resources to the Institute by greatest diligence in their fulfilment and even as regards the mode of administration.

As an outward sign of consecration, and witness to poverty, our habit is simple and modest, poor and at the same time suitable to the circumstances of time and place.

Obedience

By embracing the vow of Obedience we surrender our own will to the legitimate superiorsof the Institute by emulating Jesus Christ who came to do the will of the Father.

Following the example of St. Francis who was obedient and reverent to the Supreme authority of the Church and who constantly encouraged reciprocal fraternal corrections among the friars, we choose the vow of obedience so as to bear witness of fraternal communion, by caring, accompanying and encouraging one another in observance of the laws of our Institute and obedience to the Superiors.

Bound by the vow of obedience we obey the Supreme Pontiff as the highest Superior, the Local Ordinary of our Principal house and the other Ordinaries in our places of ministry, and submit ourselves to their guidance in the service of the Church.

We live our obedience through obeying the orders of the Superior General and other Superiors when they command in accordance to the rules and constitutions, who stand in the place of God, when they command according to the proper constitutions.

The means by which we search for the will of the Lord through the vow of obedience are: Prayer and meditation on the word of God; submission of our own will and listening to legitimate superiors; respect to the Church hierarchy; humility; listening to our conscience; following community schedules and bearing our everyday burdens with serenity, fraternal consultation and dialogue; fulfilling in a responsible way mandates entrusted to us; spirit of fraternal collaboration.