GUIDELINES FOR THE CARE OF INQUIRERS

Approved by the National Council SFO-Oceania, May 2006

I. CLARIFICATION OF CATEGORIES

ISOLATED TERTIARIES:

Persons professed in the Secular Third Order of St Francis (TOSF) before 1978 without connection with a local TO Fraternity. Profession of this kind was ruled out in future by the SFO General Constitutions of 2000 (GC 53.3: Insertion into a local fraternity and participation in fraternity life is essential to belonging to the SFO).

These persons come to our notice often when their scapular or their Franciscan Tertiaries Manual of 1952 has worn out and they ask for a replacement. If the items are still available, we can send them, even though they are out of date, because these items mean so much to their devotional and prayer life.

In any case, they need to be informed about the Secular Franciscan Order and that they will be recognized as professed members if they accept the Rule of 1978 and join a local fraternity actively.

If they do not want to accept the Pauline Rule, they can be offered membership in the Friends of St Francis. If they accept the Rule of 1978 but cannot join a local fraternity actively, they belong to the category of Non-active Secular Franciscans.

NON-ACTIVE SECULAR FRANCISCANS:

(1) Professed Secular Franciscans who cannot attend the meetings of a local SFO Fraternity because of distance or illness or age or any other valid reason. They remain members of the local Fraternity in which they were professed unless they transferred their membership later to another local Fraternity. They are expected to keep in contact with their local Fraternity, which has a duty to keep in contact with them (GC 53.3: Appropriate initiatives should be adopted according to the directives of the national statutes, to keep those brothers and sisters united to the fraternity who - for valid reasons of health, family, work, or distance - cannot actively participate in community life).

The National Statutes describe these as justifiably absent members (Nat.Stat. 8.5.1: The councils of fraternities with members who are unable to participate actively in fraternity life shall make specific provisions for the unity and care of these brothers and sisters which shall include provision for correspondence, visitation, and formation).

(2) Professed Secular Franciscans who no longer attend the meetings of their local Fraternity.

The National Statutes describe these as unjustifiably absent members (Nat.Stat. 8.5.2: The councils of fraternities with members who are unjustifiably absent (defined in GC 56 as "members in difficulty") shall take both pastoral and juridical action in accordance with GC 56-59).

(3) Professed Secular Franciscans who find themselves in difficulty may ask, with a formal act, temporary withdrawal from the fraternity (GC 56.1). They could be either justifiably or unjustifiably absent.

One who intends to withdraw definitively from the Order communicates so in writing to the minister of the fraternity (GC 58.1).

ADHERENT MEMBERS OF THE SFO:

Changes had to be made in the terminology, "Associate Members of the SFO", following a Practical Interpretation of Art. 53.5 of the General Constitutions given by the recent General Chapter, regarding "Application for Adhesion to a Fraternity". The Chapter replaced the term "Association", used in the General Constitutions, by "Adhesion". Perhaps better terms than "adhesion" and "adhesive members"are "adherence" and "adherent members", but it is still not satisfactory terminology. The reason given for the change in terminology is that the professed members are the associates of the lay association.

Adherent members are persons who want to share the experiences and activities of a local SFO Fraternity without being able to be professed in the SFO (GC 53.5: The national statutes can indicate special forms of association with the fraternity for those who, without becoming a member of the SFO, want to participate in its life and activities. GC 103.1: "They should welcome with pleasure those who, without belonging to the SFO, wish to share its experiences and activities").

Adherent members who are not Catholics cannot be professed in the SFO (Rule 2; GC 1.3: "Catholic fraternities"). Or they may be Catholics who for personal reasons cannot be professed. Adherent members need to be approved for admission by the Council of the local Fraternity responsible for them. They are required to complete the normal formation programme, without being professed, and to attend the meetings of the local Fraternity as regularly as professed members. They do not have active or passive voice in elections since they cannot be temporarily or perpetually professed (GC 77.1).

FRIENDS OF ST FRANCIS:

(1) Catholics and/or non-Catholics who belong to groups that have developed possibly without reference to Catholic Franciscan religious or to Secular Franciscans or even to the Catholic Church. (GC 103.2: The Fraternities will promote, wherever possible, fraternal relations with non-Catholic associations inspired by St Francis.)

(2) Individuals or Groups of Catholics and/or non-Catholics that a Secular Franciscan Fraternity fosters. The members need only to have a personal devotion to St Francis or an interest in him. They need to be approved for admission by the Council of the local SFO Fraternity responsible for them. Members are not required to attend meetings but need to receive Franciscan formation.

CYBER FRIENDS OF ST FRANCIS:

The idea of a network of cyber Franciscans surfaced during the National Chapter 2005. The participants could be active or non-active Secular Franciscans, or not Secular Franciscans but persons attracted to St Francis, including Inquirers. Their networking does not constitute them as an SFO Fraternity. To join the SFO, insertion into a local Fraternity and participation in its meetings are essential. But people can be formed in the spirit of St Francis without being able to join a local SFO Fraternity. A professed Franciscan, religious or secular, would have to conduct the chat room. Ray Ainsworth is willing to host a cyber site for Friends of St Francis, with the approval of the National Council. Fr Norbert Pittorino's course on Secular Franciscan Spirituality could provide input. It is available on the SFO FILES web site: http://www.franciscans.org.au/sfo/sfo22/spirituality.htm

INQUIRERS:

(1) Persons asking for information about the SFO or about the Franciscans generally. They need to be answered promptly or to be referred immediately to the appropriate source of information. The SFO National Secretariat at Edgecliff needs to be organized so that handouts are readily available.

(2) Catholics who are interested in being Secular Franciscans and ask for directions to a local Fraternity. The Directory of Fraternities of the SFO in Oceania is very helpful and needs to be kept up to date.

(3) Catholics who are interested in being Secular Franciscans but who cannot attend the meetings of a local Fraternity because of distance or illness or some other reason. They need to receive Franciscan formation by themselves or with others, from an appointed Secular Franciscan contact. This third category of Inquirers needs special care.

II. CARE OF INQUIRERS

The National Council and Executive, the Regional Councils and Executives and the local Fraternity Councils all have an important role to play in the care of Inquirers and of the others included in the categories described above.

The National Council should confirm a set of Guidelines for the Care of Inquirers that have been approved by the National Executive.

(1) The National Executive should communicate the confirmed Guidelines to the Regional Executives and, through them, to the local Fraternity Councils.

The National Executive needs to appoint a National Carer and to designate a National Assistant to work with the National Carer as a Committee for the Care of Inquirers. If necessary, the Committee could coopt other persons approved by the National Executive to work with them.

The National Carer would not necessarily be an elected Councillor but rather a person able and willing to take on the role for a longer time than a term of office.

The National Carer should make personal contact with each Regional Executive and ensure that they appoint a Regional Carer who may not necessarily be a person elected by the Regional Chapter. The National Carer should direct Inquirers who contact the National Executive to the appropriate Regional Carer.

The National Executive already publishes a Directory of Fraternities. It includes information about the date, place and time of the monthly meetings of the local Fraternities. This information is necessary when one is advising Inquirers who ask about the local Fraternity closest to them. The information needs to be kept up to date.

The National Executive should adopt the guidelines for the "Friends of St Francis" approved by the Presidency of the International Council in 1996 (available on http://www.franciscans.org.au/sfo/sfo2/outreach/friends_of_st_francis.htm). The National Executive, especially through the National Carer, should organize "Friends of St Francis" at the national level for those, whether Catholic or not, who cannot belong to a local SFO Fraternity. The members, whether solo or in groups, are to be made to feel that they are dear friends of St Francis and that they belong to the wider Franciscan Family.

The National Executive should decide on a programme of formation for "Friends". The National Carer should communicate the programme to the Regional Carers and ensure that the programme is followed, while asking for feedback and improvements.

The National Executive should set up and maintain the store room of the National Secretariat at Edgecliff. It should purchase formation material and have it readily at hand for when requests from Inquirers are received by the National Executive, directly or through a Regional Executive or a local Fraternity.

(2) The Regional Executive needs to appoint a Regional Carer. The Regional Carer should put Catholic Inquirers and Catholic "Friends" in touch with an SFO local Fraternity who will maintain at least postal correspondence with them.

The Regional Carer should put immobile Inquirers in touch with a local Fraternity who can visit them and provide some Franciscan formation and literature. If there is no local Fraternity nearby, the Regional Executive, through the Regional Carer, should provide Franciscan information and formation for these immobile people.

(3) The local Fraternity Council should appoint a local Carer. The local Fraternity Carer should maintain contact with local Inquirers and "Friends" at least by correspondence on St Francis feast day and perhaps at Christmas or Easter, and ask them whether they wish to receive material such as the Oceania Newsletter, the regional newsletter, the Monthly Spiritual Message, or the news sheet of the local Fraternity. The local Carer should distribute any material that is requested.

(4) Practical Guideline for all levels of Fraternity:

(a) Reply to Inquirers immediately. Provide the address and phone number of the Minister of a suitable Fraternity.

(b) Maintain readily available stocks of information about the SFO, including the twelve promotion pamphlets, as well as "Do You Want to Live the Gospel?", "Living the Rule", "Come As You Are", and "Who Are the Secular Franciscans?"

(c) Be prepared to cover initial expenses if the Inquirer does not cover the costs of communication and of formation material.