Joining OFS and Formation
“Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.”
Official membership is a gradual process of discernment and study called initial formation, which typically takes 2 to 3 years to complete.
| Stages |
|---|
| Duration | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | 3–6 Months | An informal “come and see” period to get to know the fraternity and the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare. |
| Inquiry | 6 Months (min.) | Formal initiation involving in-depth study of the Franciscan charism and history. |
| Candidacy | 18–36 Months | The final formal period preparing for permanent commitment through immersion in fraternity life and study of the Rule. |
What Happens After Formation?
The process culminates in a Permanent Profession (full membership) during a Mass. In this public act, the member promises to live the Gospel for life according to the Secular Franciscan Rule. After profession, members:
- Ongoing Formation: Continue to attend regular fraternity meetings and study for lifelong spiritual growth.
- Fraternity Life: Participate in the local fraternity’s missions and apostolates.
- Service: May be elected to leadership roles within their local, regional, or national fraternity councils.
Taking the Next Steps
If you are interested to start your journey towards being a permanent member of the Secular Franciscan Order, you can reach out to the National Minister of the OFS in Singapore, Janet Lim, via email: <ofs.sg.contact@gmail.com>, or leave us your name, contact, and your expressed intentions to do so. We will connect with you to arrange an interview.
Thank you for your response. ✨
The Story of The Peacemaker
“Unless we learn to understand one another, we will not be able to honour or appreciate one another.”
St Francis understood this concept well. That is why, when most people would fight in the war to show who is more powerful, or who is right and wrong, St Francis chose to see the bigger picture.
He saw every person as God’s beloved creation. Whether we like it or not, we were created by the same God. The one who created that annoying, disturbing, disrespectful, ungrateful person is the same God who created me, If I am grateful to God for my life, how can I not try to love everyone and everything that God has created.
St. Francis understood this and chose the way of dialogue with Sultan Malik al-Kamil. Sultan al-Kamil was the powerful Ayyubid ruler of Egypt and Syria whom St. Francis met during the Fifth Crusade in 1219; he was a respected, pious Muslim leader known for his culture, who engaged in a famous peaceful dialogue with Francis, seeing him as a man of deep faith, leading to mutual respect, a shared understanding of prayer, and an unexpected moment of interfaith connection amidst war.
Their encounter is still the inspiration for the interfaith dialogue, and today, Assisi is recognized as the city of interreligious dialogue, the city of dialogue as St John Paul II brought all the world’s religious leaders together to speak about peace in 1986.
We are God’s people. We are created in God’s image and likeness. We are created to be loving and forgiving. Are we living it?
Reflection
- With the people that you have difficulty to be at peace with, do you have a chance to get to know him/her? Do you understand why he/ she is ‘like that”?
- How about your friendship with yourself? Have you made peace with yourself? How much do you know about yourself?
Secular Franciscan Order - Singapore 