The Agents and those Responsible for Formation

I. The Agents

A. The Holy Spirit

B. The Candidate

II. Those Responsible

A. The Fraternity

B. The Minister and the Council

C. The Master of Formation

D. The Spiritual Assistant

"The brothers and sisters are responsible for their own formation, developing in an ever more perfect way the vocation received from the Lord" (Const. 37, 3).
"Mindful that the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of formation and always attentive to collaboration with him, those responsible for formation are: the candidate, the entire Fraternity, the Minister with the Council, the Master of formation and the Assistant as spiritual guide" (Const. 37, 2).

I. THE AGENTS

A. The Holy Spirit

"It is not only through the sacraments and the ministrations of the Church that the Holy Spirit makes holy the People of God, leads them and enriches them with his virtues. Allotting his gifts according as he wills (cf. 1 Cor 12, 11), he also distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church, as it is written, 'the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for profit' (1 Cor 12, 7)" (LG 12).
The Holy Spirit is the source of the vocation, the principal agent of formation, and the soul of fraternal living (cf. Const. 11; 37, 2).

It is the Holy Spirit who:
- brings to birth the new life which makes us sharers in the divine life, and testifies that we are children of God (Jn 3, 5-8; 2Pet. 1, 4; Rom. 8, 14-16);
- reveals and communicates the fundamental vocation, which is the vocation to holiness (Eph. 1, 4-5), and it is he who is the principle and source of the realisation of that vocation, conforming us to Christ and making us partakers of the filial life of Christ: love of the Father and of the brethren. (Gal 4, 6; 5, 25); - teaches what is necessary for the following of Christ (Jn 14, 26; 16, 13-14);
- strengthens the interior life, making us comprehend the greatness of the mystery of Christ and of his love, which surpasses all knowledge (cf. Eph 3, 16-19);
- enriches us with gifts and special graces which make us able to assume offices and services for the common good (l Cor 12, 4-11);
- gives us strength to bear witness to Christ, and teaches us how to behave and what to say in emergencies (Acts 1, 8; 8, 14-17; Lk 12, 11-12);
- consoles, counsels, assists and sustains us in the various circumstances of life; helps our weakness and intercedes for us (Jn 14, 16-17, 26; Rom 8, 26-27);
- makes us share in the resurrection of Christ (Rom 8, 11).

St Francis

In life, Francis was full of the Holy Spirit and acted and spoke under his influence (2Cel. 46, 52).

He always bore in mind that:
- like Christ, his brothers were born of a poor mother by the power of the Holy Spirit, whom he considered the General Minister of the Order (2Cel. 193; LM III, 10);
- to follow in the footsteps of Christ demands that we be interiorly purified, enlightened and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit (Letter to the Order VII);
- that the new man, who sees with the eyes of Christ and acts in the spirit of the Gospel, is one who has "the Spirit of the Lord and his holy operation" (Regula Bullata X);
- the Spirit brings us to the knowledge of spiritual realities even without human instruction (2Cel. 191), unites the faithful soul to Jesus Christ and makes that soul the spouse of Christ (cf. Prologue to the Rule).

The Rule

The Rule describes the action of the Holy Spirit in relation to the candidate, as:
- prevenient : it prepares for each one the "welcoming family", the Franciscan family raised up by him in the Church (cf. Rule 1);
- instigating : it "moves" the candidate to enter that Family in order to follow Christ in the manner of Saint Francis (cf. Rule 2);
- illuminating and strengthening : it introduces the candidate into the truth, into the mystery of Christ, in the Church, in liturgical actions, especially in the Eucharist (cf. Rule 4, 5); as Saint Francis writes: "The Spirit of the Lord dwells in the faithful who receive the most holy Body and Blood of the Lord; all those who do not partake of the same Spirit and presume to receive the Lord, eat and drink their own damnation" (Admonitions I, 12).

B. The Candidate

The candidate is the chief agent and centre, the subject and the object, of formation; it concerns each one directly, it involves each one personally.
The result of the formative process is bound up with the candidate's cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit on each one, and with the candidate's active collaboration with the work which those responsible in the Fraternity are doing for the candidate's good.
Moved by the "impulse" of the Holy Spirit which invites the candidate to seek the perfection of charity in his/her own state of life by living the Gospel in the manner of St Francis along the lines laid down by the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (cf. Rule 2), the candidate enters on the formative way which leads to the clarification of ideas and prepares each one to make the choice of vocation, a choice sanctioned by the promise to lead a gospel way of life, i.e. by Profession, which seals the candidate's "membership" of the Secular Franciscan Order.

The candidate's commitment should lead each one to work so as to:
- act responsibly towards God, oneself, and the Secular Franciscan Order, by analyzing calmly and seriously the motives which impel one to begin the Franciscan experience, by examining one's capabilities and character, and by taking into account future difficulties, whether subjective or objective, which may arise as a consequence of one's choice;
- open oneself with complete docility to the light of the Holy Spirit and to the assistance offered by those responsible, so as to judge the genuineness of the "impulse" to the Franciscan way of life and its significance for the candidate, the discernment employed in making this assessment, and the responsibility to correspond with it;
- acquire and use evangelical discernment - which results from the light and power of the Gospel and from a gift of the Holy Spirit. As a principle of knowledge this discernment allows the candidate to see God's call in the various circumstances of life; as a criterion of interpretation it helps each one to choose among the diverse values which can present themselves and among the maze of difficulties and possibilities, negative elements and reasons for hope.
This discernment allows the individual to avoid separating positive indications from one another, regarding them as absolutes, in such a way that they seem to be in contradiction and to conflict with one another. It also helps one to perceive, even when the indications are negative, whatever is of value which may be waiting to be extracted and used to the full;
- cultivate those human qualities necessary for the development of a balanced personality tending towards human and Christian maturity, marked with a profound harmony within the person, with a rich and conscious possession of the truth, with a capacity for giving oneself, with a full awareness of one's precise responsibilities as a member of both civil and church communities, and as a genuine witness to the faith in every part of life: familial, professional, social and political.

This requires of the candidate an openness to love through truth; to loyalty, to respect for others, to fidelity to their pledged word, to harmony, to balance in one's judgement and conduct, to a capacity for relating to others. This last is especially important for one who wishes to become a member of the Franciscan Fraternity.

II. THOSE RESPONSIBLE

Those responsible for formation must be people capable:
- of supporting without dominating;
- of providing conditions in which each candidate may find himself/herself;
- of performing both duties of action and of reflection.

A. The Fraternity

The Fraternity, with a life-style which is intensely communal, profoundly ecclesial and dynamically missionary, "is called to help the brothers and sisters in this journey by means of a warm welcome, prayer and example" (Const. 37, 3).
For this reason it must be like a school equipped to develop the Franciscan vocation and the ecclesial sense of the candidates; and to animate the apostolic life of its members, so as to make genuine Secular Franciscans out of those it has borne into the Order.
To foster such a way of life, it is recommended that they also look after the environment in which their meetings take place.

B. The Minister and the Council

The animator and guide of the Fraternity is the Council, of which the Minister is the one primarily responsible (cf. Rule 21).
It is the duty of the President (cf. Const. 50, 1) to:
- fix the programme in conformity with higher directives;
- support the Master of Formation and follow his work so as to be able to judge its results and be in a position to accept or reject candidates for Admission and Profession;
- arrange the meetings;
- promote the renewal and foster the growth of all the members.

C. The Master of Formation

The Master of Formation must be (cf. Const. 52, 3):
- qualified for the office and readily available, with the ability to communicate and possessing the learning which he is called upon to pass on;
- always mindful of the charism of the Founder and the profound roots which sustained it, interpreting this charism in the light of the signs of the times and of the new demands of Church and society;
- conscious of his position as being deputed by the Fraternity;
- ready to foster the full and joyful incorpora-tion of the candidates into the Fraternity;
- careful about the way he relates to each individual;
- able to understand his own experiences and motives;
- capable of choosing appropriate ways and times for correcting wrong conduct;
- in constant communication with the Assistant and with other people who have responsibility in the Fraternity.

To summarise, this sister or brother must be totally dedicated to the work as a personal response to the confidence placed in him or her and to the powerful plea for help.

D. The Spiritual Assistant

The Spiritual Assistant is the concrete sign of the communion and the co-responsibility that exists between the First Order and the Third Order Regular in their relationships with the Secular Franciscan Order (cf. Rule 26).
In the Fraternity he serves as a brother in Saint Francis and as a teacher and guide "in the person of Christ" and "in the name of the Church" (cf. Pdv 20).

(1) As a brother, he shares the same ideal; partakes, though in a different way, of the same charism; and shares in the same mission of Saint Francis.
In this way he lives and facilitates that vital and mutual communion among all the followers of Saint Francis (cf. Const. 89, 3).

(2) As a teacher and guide, he reveals the Christ who saves, and through his sacerdotal ministry, communicates to the candidates the grace of Christ, so that they may be able to exercise their common priesthood, the gift of all the baptised (cf. PO, 6; Pdv 16, 17).
In this way he fosters communion with the Church, guaranteeing the integrity of the faith and of ecclesiastical discipline (cf. CIC 305; Const. 85, 2; Statutes for the Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance to the Secular Franciscan Order, Rome 1992).