"Celebrating God's presence and grace in everything, following the Poor Christ of the Gospels in lives of mutual care and accountability in harmony with the faith and practice of the whole Franciscan family, we are corporately the Franciscans of Divine Providence: a union of the Franciscan Friars of Divine Providence and the Franciscan Sisters of Divine Providence.

We seek to grow in the love and knowledge of God and to serve Jesus Christ in faithfulness to the spirit, ideals and example of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi through a life of simplicity and self-sufficiency.

We are a new Franciscan family of Friars and Sisters, who as Servants are committed to work in ecumenical ministries that foster Spirituality, Human Dignity, Diversity, Equality, Social Justice and Reconciliation among all of God’s people. We shall work in various ministries of love and stewardship on behalf of Christ’s poor, alienated and disenfranchised. Through our prayers and good works, we shall continue the primary mission and ministry of St. Francis of Assisi and Franciscans everywhere which is to: Repair the Church one human "Stone" at a time.

Jesus Christ, the Stone which the builders rejected, shall be our cornerstone. Our Lord once spoke to Saint Francis from the cross hanging in the ruins of the chapel of San Damiano and gave him this commission, "Repair My House, which is falling into complete ruin." In all that we do, this shall be the primary focus of our lives and our apostolic service."

We are asked this question frequently. We are not a Roman Catholic Religious Order. We respect the Roman Catholic Church and her traditions as well as all Catholic denominations and traditions which follow in the succession of St. Peter. We respect the Pope as the chosen successor to Peter and the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church. We value his contribution to the Universal Church and to world peace. However, we respectfully disagree with the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility and with statements and  positions of the Roman Church related to particular issues which have only continued to alienate and disenfranchise a great many of God's people from the Church and the Sacraments.

We are an ecumenical, inclusive, Independent jurisdiction, in the Catholic tradition. Our clergy are ordained within apostolic succession.

We celebrate the traditional seven Sacraments of the Church.

We ordain men and women.

Our liturgy is similar to those used in the Episcopal and Roman Rites.

We currently follow the Roman Church calendar. The Common Lectionary was adopted to determine all Sunday and Holy Day readings.

We use the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible for its inclusivity.

Our beliefs are creedal in nature. We are guided by the creedal statements of the Ecumenical Councils of the Universal Church. (Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon).

The Nicene Creed is accepted as our definition of Christianity.

The Athanasian Creed is the accepted definition of the Holy Trinity and the person of Christ.

The Apostles Creed provides us the apostolic teachings of the Christian faith necessary for salvation.

We abide by the Ecumenical Councils (Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon). The Canons resulting from these Councils guide our Order.

We strive to be ecumenical and inclusive in both our ministry and our membership.

We do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, racial, ethnic or national origin, physical challenges, marital status, sexual orientation, previous religious life experience, profession or ordination, work or professional background, socio-economic status, education, or place of residence.

We welcome all baptized Christians to communion. All of the Sacraments are offered to all baptized Christian persons.

We allow our lay members to maintain dual membership with the Church of their birth which means that a member may keep his/her ties to the Roman Catholic Church if that is their Church from birth.  Corporately, we are not affiliated with nor are we under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church. We are an independent jurisdiction, in the Catholic tradition. Through our Founder's priesthood, we have valid apostolic succession through both the Latin and Orthodox Rites of the Church. After he is consecrated to the Episcopacy, our Founder will become the Franciscan Ordinary for our Order.

Historians for the Roman Church do attest that the first band of "Little Brothers" (later known as the Friars Minor) founded by St. Francis of Assisi did become a Canonical Order within the Roman Church. It should be noted that there are differing explanations and accounts of exactly how this came to pass. A study of the life of St. Francis by the author, Julian Green, in his book, God's Fool, sheds some interesting light on this subject which is not influenced by a doctrinal or denominational perspective.

Nevertheless, the spirit, teachings and ideals of St. Francis of Assisi are universal and belong to the whole world. Today, there are many hundreds of Franciscan institutes, associations and Religious Orders around the world. Some are Canonical groups that bound to particular jurisdictions. They also exist in denominations other than the Roman Church. Some people choose to live as solitary Franciscans, while others band together to form a Community or an Order. We are Independent Catholics who have chosen to band together to serve the Church Universal and to minister to Catholic and Christian churches and traditions who proclaim in word and by deed to be "open and welcoming" to all of God's people.

The word "Catholic" really means "Universal." The "Catholic Church", therefore means the Universal Church: the Church founded as a result of the evangelization done by the first Apostles based firmly upon the words and teachings of Jesus Christ. The word "Catholic" can apply to anyone whose tradition or denomination can be traced back to the unbroken priestly lineage known as the Apostolic Succession, which began with St. Peter. While the Church of Rome is most commonly thought of as "The" Catholic Church, in fact there are many denominations whose lineage began with those first Apostles. They still profess to be Catholic but are not Roman Catholic.

Anglicans, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Old Catholics, Eastern and Orthodox Churches as well as many of the Independent and Autocephalous Catholic denominations around the world profess their belief in the "Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church" in their creeds. These Churches have valid Apostolic Succession because of their connection to a line of valid Episcopal Consecrations which can be traced back to the first Apostles or especially to Peter. It is this historical lineage and tradition of Catholicism that we claim and embrace. We claim our right as members and believers of the "Universal" Church to which Christ has called us to heal and "repair."

The Franciscan Friars of Divine Providence is an autocephalous, inclusive, ecumenical, Independent Catholic Religious Order.

Until May 0f 2004, we had been under the Episcopal protection of the Free Christian Catholic Orthodox Church through The Most Rev. Michael Ronald Steinhardt and the Most Rev. Raphael Byron Solano, who co-ordained and subsequently Consecrated our Founder.  Through them and also through our Bishop, our Order has valid Canonical status and valid Apostolic Succession through both the Latin and Orthodox Rites of the Church. Our primary ministry is to serve Jesus Christ as an Episcopal Jurisdiction within the Independent Catholic movement under the spiritual leadership of our Presiding Bishop and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We strive to establish and maintain a stewardly relationships of mutual respect and cooperation with other "open and affirming" Churches and denominations. As a Canonical Order, we promise to follow the temporal leadership of our Bishop and Founder according to the Canon Laws under which we abide. As a Canonical Order under the leadership of a valid, Independent Catholic Bishop our mission to serve Our Lord, Jesus Christ and the whole of His Church is ensured into the future.

We exist as a "Church without walls". Our Missions are best described as our collective ministry to our communities as opposed to a physical place. The residence of Bishop-elect Coates, our Guardian General, is the Mission of St. Francis Seraph. It serves as Friary, Provincial Center and Episcopal Chapel. The Province of Our Lady of Divine Providence extends from New England to all parts of the United States and also to locations around the world. The localities in which we live and serve are only limited by the number of dedicated people whom God sends to us. We presently have four other Missions: one in Maryland, one in Arizona, a second Mission in Connecticut, and our newest Mission in South Africa. We are in dialogue with Churches internationally and hope to establish new Missions in other states and countries in the near future.

A Friary or a Convent is more or less a home that provides space for living and prayer for one or more of our Friars or Sisters. For now, we neither own nor maintain any traditional, communal Friary or Convent residences. We pray that we may be blessed with the donation of a common residence someday, if that is God's will, where we could have a common Friary, Chapel, retreat center and offices from which to work. Today our members live within their respective communities. They may reside by themselves (solitary) or with another/others (communally) in a house or an apartment for which they are individually responsible. A Friary or Convent for us is the place where we live, pray and worship. The Mission of Saint Stephen, in Jessup, MD is a "Friary" residence. We also have a Friary in Connecticut, Arizona, and another in South Africa.

Members of the Franciscans of Divine Providence engage in a variety of ministries in keeping with the Mission Statement and the Rule of our Order. Apostolates include, but are not limited to the establishment of mission parishes, prayer groups, educational programs, outreach and ministry to the elderly, the poor, to youth, to disenfranchised and alienated people and people living with HIV and AIDS.

Other apostolates include active participation in groups and organizations that promote prayer, faith, ecumenism, spirituality, reconciliation, social action, equality, civil/human rights and humanitarian relief. We strive to repair the Church through simple acts of kindness and reconciliation and by direct outreach to the fragmented and often divided families of God which are His Church.

Beginning in 2004, the Order will have a "corporate funds" account into which charitable monetary donations will be deposited. The Order does not use corporate funds, donations or other common resources to financially support any of its members. Each member is required to be self-sufficient through various forms of employment or other personal resources. The Order does not fund nor is it financially liable for any member's individual expenses or ministries. Each member further agrees to be personally responsible for any expenses he/she incurs related to education, travel or ministerial needs as related to participation in the Order.

The Franciscans of Divine Providence has it's own Rule. It is governed by a set of guidelines which are influenced by the Rule of 1221 which Saint Francis wrote for the guidance of the Brothers and Sisters of Penance (the original Third Order). We do not observe this early Rule to the letter, but rather "in spirit" as that it was written specifically for those who were under the jurisdiction of the Roman Church.

In accordance with our Rule each member of our Order is asked to incorporate into his personal life the following:

1.  Worship: daily devotions, Liturgy of the Church, Eucharist, Scripture reading

2.  Prayer: conversation with Christ through meditation, contemplation, solitude, retreats, fasting and related disciplines and personal actions

3.  Penitence: acts of daily conversion, self- inventory, acts of reconciliation

4.  Work: occupation, avocation, study, duty, earning one’s daily bread

5.  Stewardship: expressions of faith and love as labor on behalf of God’s people, sharing personal gifts, time and talents with one’s neighbor.

6.  Daily Life: simplicity, conversation, peace- making, alms-giving

7.  Mission: charity, justice, peace, equality, respect for neighbor and earth, outreach , self-less service

8.  Obedience: humility, accountability, submission, “listening” to God, living the Gospel message

9.  Community: family, extended family, the Church, Franciscans of Divine Providence

The development of each one's acceptance of the Rule is a major aspect of the formation process. From the first moment that one embraces the Rule, a process begins like the planting of the seeds of personal renewal which will grow within us provided that we give them loving attention and nourishment; ever growing, ever reaching upward toward God.

We will consider adult candidates who are at least 18 years of age. We have no age limit for admission as do some other religious Orders. We believe that "the Spirit of God breathes where It will and uses the weak things of the world". We do not discriminate against qualified candidates for admission to the Order based upon a candidates age.

Any member of the Franciscans of Divine Providence who satisfies the educational and training requirements for Holy Orders set forth in our training program or from an approved, accredited Seminary may become a validly ordained Catholic priest to our Order in accordance with the Canon Laws under which we abide. Our educational requirements are neither negotiable nor replaceable. They generally conform to, but are not limited to, the required course of studies offered by many other Independent Catholic denominations. Our claim to valid and legitimate Apostolic Succession can be traced back from our Founder to the Episcopal ordinations performed by Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa (b. in 1888; d. in 1961) which lead to the founding of other Independent Catholic churches.
 

Many traditional religious Orders have a Formation House or a Seminary school for the training of their Novice members. Their candidates leave home and reside in the Formation House or Seminary, wherever it happens to be located. Like many small, contemporary religious Orders, we do not have a physical place to use as a house for formation. We don't expect you to leave home to do your preparatory training. How does that work, you must be wondering?

For the most part, we seek to attract people who are sincere, mature and stable candidates for religious life. You would have a means of support, a place to live and have relationships which are important to you. You may even be married or have a life-partner. You are a person who is connected in some way to the Church either through parish involvement or personal ministries. In other words, you are someone who has begun your journey toward a life of service to God.

We will work with you as you are to help guide you on your path of service to God. Our Formation program is simple and can be completed where you presently live. It allows you to grow spiritually and knowledgeably at your own pace. How you proceed is all a part of your personal commitment to God, your neighbor and the Order. Candidates to our Order who wish to pursue Holy Orders must successfully complete the proscribed course of studies and also show evidence of an on-going ministry and a sacramental need for their ordination.

When a Novice has completed the expectations of the Formation period, he/she may make a public Profession of Vows, within the context of a special Profession Mass. We profess vows or promises to live our lives according to the Gospels, the Rule and the spirit of the Evangelical Counsels of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Simple Vows may be followed by Life Vows which are professed only after a member has spent a specified, minimum period of time living under Simple Vows. We also profess and promise to be Self-Sufficient. All Professed Members publicly renew their vows every year. A vow of Celibacy is optional for those who wish to profess it.

As a Canonical Order, our members promise to abide by our Canons and the Rule and Constitutions of the Order. We welcome candidates regardless of age, gender, racial, ethnic or national origin, physical challenges, marital status, sexual or affectional orientation, prior religious life experience, prior profession or ordination, work or professional background, occupational/employment status, socio-economic status, degree of education, physical challenges or place of residence. Non-ordained members may hold dual church membership.  Ordained clergy to our Order must profess their total allegiance to our ecclesial jurisdiction.

We do not seek those who believe they are perfect, but rather those who believe they are imperfect and are seeking to renew their relationship and stewardship to God and the people of God. We believe that 'the Spirit of God breathes where It will and uses the weak things of this world.' Together, in the Spirit, we work as St. Francis did, to: Repair the Church which still remains in great need of repair. With God's help we will work to

 
"Repair the Church . . . one human Stone at a time."

We would not consider any candidate to be acceptable for admission to our Order, who has been convicted of a serious crime or offense. This rule includes those, with or without a conviction, who are or who have been involved in: 1) illegal narcotics activities, 2) illegal and immoral activities with minor children, 3) ongoing activities which violate civil laws. In all such cases, we strictly follow this rule without exception. Any candidate who is unsure of the meaning of this statement should ask for a further clarification.

Since we firmly believe that "the Spirit of God breathes where It will and uses the weak things of the world", we accept qualified candidates without discrimination and regardless of one's sexual orientation. We feel that all people who feel duly called to love and serve the Lord and who meet our requirements should be given the opportunity to do so. We want the world to know that we are neither a "Gay" Order nor a "Straight" Order, but rather, we are an "open and welcoming" Order of Christian Catholics who strive to live as modern day Franciscans in the secular world.

Our first Order was founded as a Religious Order for Catholic men so that we might share the special gifts and spirit which grows from Christian, male fellowship. It follows in the tradition which began with the Friars Minor. Beginning in 2003, we decided to transform our Order by expanding it into a union of two Orders: one for men and one for women. We never wanted to exclude any qualified candidate based upon gender, so we decided to establish a women's Order. Our thinking on this is that women understand women's spirituality much better than men do therefore we do not want a man to lead the women's Order. Our hope is that a qualified and dedicated woman will come forward to work with us to grow this new Order. It is important to us that a woman found the new Order and that women have control over the affairs of their Order. We are very interested in hearing from Women who are interested in following our Franciscan way of life. We encourage you to contact us.

Yes, we do wear traditional Franciscan Habits. Our Habit is comprised of 5 parts: a dark Brown, monastic-style tunic, a dark Brown Capuche with a hood, a rope cincture tied with 3 knots (representing the Vows we profess), sandals for our footwear, and either a San Damiano cross or a Franciscan "Tau" cross worn over the Capuche. Novice and Professed members are allowed to wear the habit, which they would purchase. We found a great company who can make Habits for us at a reasonable price. (We'd also like to hear from anyone else who might be willing to make them for us at a reasonable cost.)

General street attire for our Priests, Brothers and Sisters would include wearing a "clerical" shirt for activities when representing the Order. Clerical shirts come in a variety of colors however we have chosen to be identified by either a Brown, Gray or Tan clerical shirt. The traditional Black clerical shirt may be worn by Priests or Deacons or by other members with permission.

We all wear appropriate secular clothing while at out places of regular employment. As an external sign, we encourage our members to wear either a small "Tau" cross or a San Damiano cross over our street clothes. The Habit is usually worn for liturgical purposes, parish activities, visiting other Churches, during meetings of the Order, while on retreats or other occasions where it seems appropriate.

Because there is a personal cost involved in obtaining a Habit, we do not require anyone to purchase one.

The Franciscans of Divine Providence are dedicated to serving the whole Church. We are committed to performing joint ecumenical ministries in union with other "open and affirming" Christian denominations which make up the Universal Church.

One such ministry is called the "Joshua Ministry", which was inspired by the writings of Father Joseph Girzone in his book, "Joshua and the Shepherd". We highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ecumenism. Fr. Girzone's book is one of the required readings for all of our members.

The simple answer is "yes" and "no". There is a hierarchy of sorts, but our Order does not have what traditional Orders call "Superiors". We will soon have a Franciscan Ordinary who will be our Bishop-protector and by virtue of Canon Law will have ecclesial authority over the Order. We have a Guardian General who serves as our principle guide in terms of the mission, direction and spirit of the Order. His office is defined in our Constitution. Local Guardians will be appointed who will be responsible for the Friars or Sisters who live within their defined area.

Everyone is bound to live by the spirit of the Gospels, our Rule and Constitutions and the Canon Laws under which we abide. Every member has a voice in the government of the Order, by way of their participation in regular, local Chapter meetings and General Chapter meetings.

Local Guardians are not members with more authority, but rather they are members with more responsibilities. We all must live our lives as "servants to servants".

The Order was founded with the intentions of its members "giving", rather than "receiving" so we did not give much thought to accepting donations or charitable gifts. From time to time, generous people have tried to give us donations of money. If they insist that we take it, we did so only if it used for the poor or in the service of others.

In 2004 we will establish a corporate bank account in order to accept charitable monetary donations which we will use only for the purpose of our ministry. Our Franciscan concept of Poverty still applies to our members, but we have come to realize that we need to beg for alms in order to further the work of Jesus Christ in our world. There is too much work to be done and too few laborers in the field to continue to expect our members to fund their ministries from their own limited resources. Anyone who would like to make a monetary donation to our Order is asked to send it in the form of a check or money order made out to: Franciscans of Divine Providence.

We further realize that it would be greatly beneficial to the future of our Order if we had a physical place or places to care for and operate which might serve as a Provincial Center, Friary/Convent and an Ecumenical Retreat Center in Connecticut or in the Southern New England area as well as similar facilities in the other States and places where our Friars and Sisters reside. If generous benefactors were to want to donate such suitable living spaces to us, we would gladly accept such a great blessing with open arms. If you are such a person, please contact us.

For other forms of donations or gifts, please go back to our Donations page to see how you might help us to help others.

The first thing you should do is to write us a detailed letter or e-mail message expressing your desire to become a member of Franciscans of Divine Providence. You should outline who you are and tell us about your background and faith journey. Please keep in mind that this is the first step in your ongoing relationship with the Friars. Brief or one line messages are not what we are looking for.
 
We value and expect your openness and honesty in the pursuit of your vocation. It is important that you tell us something about yourself and your faith journey as completely as you can. Don't forget to include your address and a phone number. Feel free to ask specific questions. Once we review your initial correspondence, we will mail you an application for admission or tell you how you can download it from the Internet. Read the application thoroughly. The application process requires that you have no less than three people mail us letters of recommendation on your behalf. These people may not be family members, or present members of our Order. Fill out the application and return it to us as soon as you can. After we have reviewed your application, we will advise you further as to your potential vocation within our Order.

We are frequently asked if we ever waive the application process. The answer is that we do not waive this process for any candidate regardless of prior training or education. Your response to the application and questionnaire gives us our first real understanding of who you are, how you think and what your motivation is for joining us. We consider this to be very important.

It's not always possible to answer every question on a web site. If you live within driving distance of any of our Missions, write to us and we will set up a time to meet with you or chat with you by phone.

Letters related to admission to either the Franciscan Friars of Divine Providence or to the Franciscan Sisters of Divine Providence may be E-mailed to: Franciscans@excite.com

The ecumenical outreach of the Order continues. Except for those in Holy Orders specifically to our Jurisdiction, our religious Brothers and Sisters continue to have the option to hold dual Church memberships if they so desire. A Priest, Brother of a Sister, who is presently under vows to another religious Order or to another Bishop must make this fact known to us. Such circumstances open the door for problematic issues related to Canon Law, Episcopal jurisdiction and filial obedience and must be reviewed on a case by case basis. Anyone who joins our Order but later enters into Holy Orders with another Jurisdiction with Apostolic Succession could not simultaneously hold valid Holy Orders to our Jurisdiction nor be given priestly authority as a representative of the Franciscans of Divine Providence. In the Catholic tradition, valid priestly faculties can only be extended to a priest or a Deacon from one Bishop of a particular Jurisdiction at any given time. The Church will ordain qualified women and men to Holy Orders for both the religious life and for the secular priesthood.

We do not have any serious issues with the practice of dual membership for laity, however, your denomination may, so you should keep this in mind. Most Churches have no restrictions on lay members who wish to join ecumenical groups. The real issues happen if you decide to apply for Holy Orders outside of your Church or religious Order

We frequently get requests from clerics and lay people who belong to other denominations who wish to join our Order. Your Bishop and the Canons of your denomination or jurisdiction must always be consulted if you are presently in Holy Orders with valid faculties from a Bishop. Our hope and prayer is to see our Order's ministry grow beyond our original boundaries to every corner of the planet. To accomplish this, we are ready and open to enter into dialogue regarding the establishment of our Order within other jurisdictions.

From the standpoint of Canon Law as we know it, a priest may not serve more than one Bishop or denomination simultaneously. This is due to the fact that priestly faculties are always extended to a priest from a particular Bishop to whom he pledges or promises his filial allegiance. The traditional practice is that Bishops, who have the full priesthood, extend particular faculties to the priests within their diocese or jurisdiction so that they share the Bishop's sacramental duties in very specific ways. This may present some unique challenges to membership in our Order, but we are open to discuss these obstacles as they apply to each person.

Our hope is to extend our Franciscan family into new areas wherever it is possible to do so.