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National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order - USA

Mission Statement - 1990 (revised 1998)

The Peace and Justice Commission of the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order in the United States has the prophetic and fraternal mission to call all people to a deeper experience of, and commitment to, the reign of God. This call to live in love and humility and to confront gently all who deny human dignity and freedom comes from the Gospel. In living their evangelical vocation fully the Secular Franciscan brothers and sisters, individually and corporately, are challenged -

"...to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim to the captives release and sight to the blind, to set at liberty the oppressed." (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1-2)

The same call is stated in their Franciscan Rule of Life:

Let them individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public life they should make definite choices in harmony with their faith. Mindful that they are bearers of peace which must be built up unceasingly, they should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and i the transforming power of love and pardon. (The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, Articles 15 & 19)

Goals

• Goal 1: Affirm and challenge the Secular brothers and sisters in their efforts to re-explore and re-think the basics of the Rule (e.g. sacraments, prayer, scripture, poverty, penance) from the perspective of peace and justice.
  
  
• Goal 2: To help with the ongoing identification of systems which deny human dignity and freedom, and adopt focused and nonviolent confrontation of those systems as an aspect of Secular Franciscan ministry at the national, regional and local levels.
  
  
• Goal 3: Encourage the Secular brothers and sisters to collaborate fully in the peace and justice mission plan of your local church.
  
  
• Goal 4: Integrate and coordinate the peace and justice efforts of the Secular Franciscan Order with the other branches of the Franciscan family in North America.
  
  
• Goal 5: Affirm and challenge the Secular brothers and sisters to recognize, understand and embrace peace and justice ministry as an essential element of their Franciscan evangelical vocation through the process of initial and ongoing formation.
  
  
• Goal 6: Assure that the brothers and sisters are informed of the ways the Franciscan vision of peace and justice is being specifically, prophetically enfleshed by friars, sisters, seculars, and others who are not formally joined to the Franciscan family, in the United States and around the world.

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Chairperson:
	Carolyn Colburn, SFO 726 Marlin Avenue #2 Foster City, CA 94404 Phone: 650-570-5043
Commission members:
	Jo-Ann Hardwick, SFO 21650 Temescal Canyon #68 Corona, CA 92883 Phone: 909-277-0306		Ray Hardwick, SFO 21650 Temescal Canyon #68 Corona, CA 92883 Phone: 909-277-0306
	Patricia Mulligan, SFO 828 Shady Avenue Sharon, PA 16146 Phone: 724-346-4981		David Moczulski, OFM Franciscan Friars 232 South Home Avenue Pittsburg, PA 15202-2804 Phone: 412-761-2550

Last updated: November 30, 2007

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