First Order
Cultivation of the sciences
The order has always devoted itself diligently to the cultivation of sciences, and, although St. Francis is to be numbered rather amongst the divinely enlightened than among the academically trained, he was neither a declared enemy nor a despiser of learning. to qualify themselves for the tasks assigned in ever-increasing numbers to their rapidly spreading order – which was revered by rich and poor, was employed by popes and kings on missions of every description, and was to labour for the social betterment of every section of the community – the Franciscans were early compelled to take advantage of every possible source of scientific culture, and, within thirty or forty years after their founder's death, they shared with the Dominicans the most prominent place in the revival of learning.
This place has been retained for centuries with distinction and brillancy, especially in the domain of theology and philosophy. A list of Franciscan scholars and their works would fill volumes, while many of their writings have exercised an abiding influence in the realms of science, on the religious life of the people, and on the whole human race. Mention may be made of only a few of the eminent dogmatic and moral theologians, philosophers, writers on ethics, historians, linguists, philologists, artists, poets, musicians, geographers, etc., whom the order has produced. Formerly Franciscans lectured in many universities, e.g. parish, Oxford, Bologna, Cambridge, Cologne, Toulouse, Alcala, Salamanca, Erfurt, Vienna, Heidelberg, Fulda.
Saints of the Order
The number of Friars Minor who have been canonized or beatified, is – even if we exclude here as throughout this article, the members of the other orders of St. Francis (Conventuals, Poor Clares, Tertiaries and Capuchins) – extraordinarily high. In this enumeration we further confine ourselves to those who are officially venerated throughout the Church, or at least throughout the whole order, with canonical sanction. These exceed one hundred in number, the names, dates of decease, and feast of the best-known being as follows:
Francis of Assisi, d. 3 October 1226 (4 October);
Berard of Carbio and four companions, martyred 1220 (16 January);
Peter Baptist and twenty-fve companions, martyred at Nagasaki, Japan, 1597 (5 February);
John Joseph of the Cross, d. 1734 (5 March);
Benedict of San Philadelphio, d. 1589 (3 April);
Peter Regalda, d 1456 (13 May);
Paschal Baylon, d. 1592 (17 May);
Bernardine of Siena, d. 1444 (20 May);
Anthony of Padua, d. 1231 (13 June);
Nicholas Pick, hanged by les Gueux at Gorcum (Holland) in 1572 with eighteen companions, of whom eleven were Franciscans (9 July);
Bonaventure of Bagnorea, d. 1274 (15 July);
Francis Solanus, the Apostle of South America, d. 1610 (24 July);
Louis of Anjou, Bishop of Toulouse, d. 1297 (19 August);
Pacificus of San Severino, d. 1721 (25 September);
Daniel, and seven companions, martyred at Ceuta 1227 (13 October);
Peter of Alcantara, d. 1562 (19 October);
John Capistran, d. 1456 (23 October);
Didacus (Diego), d. 1463 (12 November);
Leonard of Port Maurice, d. 1751 (26 November);
James of the March (Monteprandone), d. 1476 (28 November).
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- This is the picture of the Church of St. John of Dukla in Zhytomir, which belongs to Franciscans.
- The statistical information about the Orders, the number of the members, the territories where they are spread is maintained in the section about the Orders.
- About the founded of the Order of St. Francis and St. Clare read in the section «Personalities»
- All illustrations in the site (in the text, in design) are gathered in the section «Miscellanies > Illustrations»
The lines from the text on the picture were taken from the hymns or from the prayers of St. Francis. Read them. Francis wrote them, looking at the environment. He found the hand of the God in everything.
