Main Stream: Franciscans

To live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, emphasizing: Poverty, humility, and simplicity; Fraternal life and fraternity; Evangelization, preaching, PASTORAL MINISTRY and service to the poor and marginalized. The OFM emphasizes living close to the people, witnessing Gospel values through personal example, prayer, and service.

After the death of St. Francis of Assisi (1226), the Franciscan movement quickly expanded across Europe. As it grew, tensions emerged over how strictly to interpret Francis’s ideal of poverty, especially communal poverty and ownership of property. By the 13th century, two main tendencies appeared: Conventuals, who accepted moderated poverty and stable convents. Observants, who sought a stricter observance of Francis’s Rule, especially radical poverty.
These differences became institutionalized, and in 1517, POPE LEO X officially separated the Franciscans into two orders: Order of Friars Minor (OFM – Observants) Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv.). Within the Observant family, further reform movements arose between the 15th and 18th centuries. Each aimed to recover Francis’s original spirit but developed distinct customs and governance. Major groups included: Observants proper, Recollects, Discalced Franciscans (Alcantarines), and Reformed Franciscans. Though all followed the Rule of St. Francis, they functioned almost as separate orders, with different constitutions, houses, and superiors. This fragmentation weakened unity and complicated governance, especially in mission territories. By the 19th century, the Church recognized that the multiplicity of Franciscan reform groups hindered: Effective missionary work, Formation of friars and a Clear Franciscan identity.
There was growing desire—both from Franciscans and the Holy See—to restore unity while preserving the Franciscan charism.
POPE LEO XIII, himself deeply sympathetic to Franciscan spirituality, acted decisively. On 4 October 1897, he issued the apostolic constitution Felicitate Quadam, which: United the Observants, Recollects, Discalced, and Reformed Franciscans, Formed one single Order: the Order of Friars Minor (OFM). He established a common government, constitution, and general minister. This act did not abolish diversity, but it restored juridical and spiritual unity among the reform groups.

From 1897 onward, the OFM became the unified Franciscan body representing the mainstream tradition of St. Francis—distinct from the Capuchins (OFM Cap.) and Conventuals (OFM Conv.), who remained separate orders.

📍 OFM Postulancy House — Mwanza / Ngudu • P.O. Box 1539, Mwanza, Tanzania — Franciscan postulancy house and vocation starting point. 📞 +255 757‑806132 — phone contact listed for the postulancy house in Mwanza. ✉️ International OFM Vocations Contact: • vocations@ofm.org — Email for inquiries about joining the Order of Friars Minor as a priest or brother.