Franciscan Identity

How do I live, relate, and love?

Franciscan Identity’ is a unique way of viewing God, humanity, and all creation through a lens shaped by love and humility. This perspective forms the Franciscan mindset and character, where greatness is discovered in humility, power is found in serving others, and holiness is embraced within everyday life. St Francis chose to live a life of poverty, not as an abstract principle, but as a means to imitate Christ’s self-emptying love and to remain wholly reliant on God. He rejected any notion of domination, privilege, or superiority, and instead embodied a life of continual conversion. This ongoing transformation involves repeatedly turning the heart back to God through sincere prayer, repentance, and acts of love.

A genuine Franciscan identity reshapes the way people relate to one another. Authority and leadership become a service, and community is formed on a foundation of mutual belonging rather than fixed hierarchies. The Franciscan way resists the urge to compete or compare, and instead chooses humility, gentleness, and peace as guiding virtues.

St Francis viewed the world not as something to be dominated or exploited, but as a family to which all people belong. Central to Franciscan identity is the idea of fraternity: finding God’s presence in relationships and recognising every person, and even all of creation, as a brother or sister. This outlook inspires compassion, peace, and deep respect for both human dignity and all of creation.

To live out Franciscan identity today means translating faith into action by caring for the poor, striving for peace and justice, protecting the environment, and choosing kindness over division.

Ultimately, Franciscan Identity asks not only ‘What do I believe?’ but ‘How do I live, relate, and love?’ To live as a Franciscan is to trust that love, expressed in small, faithful ways, has the power to transform the world.