About Fraternitas
Principles.
Ten ways of being together, drawn from the Franciscan tradition, kept alive in our common life.
A shade of La Verna · Rupes Moss
Basilica di San Francesco · Assisi
Principle
01
Franciscan / Francis and Clare
Rooted in the Franciscan charism and tradition, in the footsteps of St. Bonaventure and Blessed Duns Scotus, we embrace the values of prayer, penance, and poverty. We understand them not as burdens, but as freedom. Following St. Clare’s way of prayer (Gaze, Consider, Contemplate, and Imitate), we seek to become active contemplatives in the midst of ordinary life.
Principle
02
Christocentric
Everything we do begins and ends with Christ. We are committed to deepening a personal relationship with Jesus and to making Him the living foundation of every gathering, every session, and every act of service within the fraternity.
Principle
03
Spirituality
We meet each member where they are. Spiritual formation is not a single path but a living response to the particular circumstances and seasons of each person’s faith journey. Patient, adaptive, and attentive.
Principle
04
Anchor
The fraternity is meant to be a spiritual home: a place to return to through all of life’s stages and transitions, knowing that the door remains open and the light is still on.
Principle
05
Hospitality / Inclusivity
We are a welcoming harbour. Every person who enters finds space not just to belong but to be fully themselves: a place where differences are honoured, and no one is made to feel they must earn their place.
Principle
06
Fellowship / Fraternity
Genuine fraternity is built in the in-between moments, in the conversations after formation sessions, in shared meals, in being present for one another. We seek connections that are real, not merely religious.
Principle
07
Respecting Individual Freedom
We honour the unique path each person walks with God. The fraternity accompanies and encourages, but never coerces, trusting that love, not pressure, is what draws a soul toward conversion.
Principle
08
Safe Space
What is shared in fraternity stays in fraternity. We are committed to holding one another’s vulnerabilities with confidentiality and care.
Principle
09
Missionary / Incarnational
The Franciscan spirit is outward-looking. We are sent into our workplaces, our families, our neighbourhoods, to bring Christ to others not through proclamation alone but through the quality of our presence and participation in the Church’s mission.
Principle
10
Collaborative
We do not exist in isolation. We seek to work alongside other groups within the Catholic community, maintaining synergy with the wider body of Christ and building the Church together.