Eight hundred years ago, Francis of Assisi left this world. But the seed he planted continues to germinate. Today he reminds us that every day is an opportunity to start fresh, to renew our response to the call of the Lord. He sends us forth as brothers and sisters to the whole world, to bear witness to Him in word and deed, so as to draw everyone to the love of God (cf. Prayer Inspired by the Our Father 5, FF 270). It is also an occasion to remember that we are all called to holiness, and that like Francis, we are invited to reflect the beauty of the Gospel and of our Franciscan vocation, because “holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” (Gaudete et exsultate 9).
The celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Easter of Francis of Assisi invites us to contemplate our life, both personally and as a Franciscan Family, with the eyes of faith, and by doing so, perceive the divine presence and action in everything, even in the difficult and dramatic situations we have experienced or are experiencing now. It is an opportunity to thank God for all the gifts he has bestowed on us, particularly for the gift of Francis of Assisi and his evangelical life, which has become our charism, articulated in different nuances of discipleship and apostolate, and which today still has the strength to call out to women and men of all cultures, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.
Letter from the Holy Father Leo XIV to the Ministers General of the Franciscan Family Conference: Italiano - English - Español - Français - Polski - Português
Letter from the Franciscan Family on the occasion of the VIII Centenary of the Transitus of Saint Francis: Italiano - English - Español - Deutsch - Français - Hrvatski - Polski - Português - Magyar
Decree of the Franciscan Jubilee Year and Plenary Indulgence: Italiano - English - Español - Français - Português – Polski - عربي - Magyar – Deutsch
Pope Leo’s Prayer to Saint Francis: Italiano - English - Español - Français - Polski - Português - 中文 - slovenščina - Deutsch
Work sheets: Italiano - English - Español - Deutsch - Français - Hrvatski - Polski - Português - Slovenščina
Letter of the General Committee of the Franciscan Family (31/05/2025): Italiano - English - Español - Français - Polski - Português
Guidelines: Italiano - English - Español - Slovenščina
Charismatic nuclei: Italiano - English - Español
Logo: Italiano - English - Español - Deutsch - Français
Web banner: Italiano - English - Español
In view of the Centenary of St. Francis' Easter that we will experience in 2026, the General Committee of the Franciscan Family invites all national Franciscan Families to organize public events of various kinds to bring the Poor man of Assisi-Poverello to the streets and squares of the world, thus evangelizing through the spirituality of the Seraphic Father.
The Committee, through a letter addressed to all Franciscan Families, gives suggestions on how to organize an event and what to concretely devise even with a pinch of creativity.
Some practical tips:
Amongst the objectives to be achieved is that of making Francis known to those who have not yet "encountered" him in their lives: a beautiful opportunity for the Franciscan Family to make its own contribution to evangelization as an outgoing Church.
The theme suggested by the Ministers General of the Franciscan Family is "Francis, man of peace, brother of all", but each national Franciscan Family can evaluate other themes, considered more suitable for its own reality. The Guidelines of the Conference of the Franciscan Family and the Charismatic Nuclei provided by the General Committee in 2022 can be of help.
It is important to start working on this project a long time in advance, so that you can create good relationships between the members of the Committee and the other service groups, contact the people you want to get involved or the institutions to get the chosen locations, as well as to be prepared for the success of the event.
Contributions (articles, photos, short videos) on the events held will be published on the http://centenarifrancescani.org website.
For more information download:
Letter from the General Committee of the Franciscan Family Italiano - English - Español - Français - Polski - Português
In preparation for the Centenary of the Transitus of St. Francis, on behalf of our Minister General, the General Secretariat for Formation and Studies has presented three work sheets.
The Cards are designed as a useful tool both for individual work and for that in the Fraternities. In fact, they could be used in local chapters, in ongoing formation meetings, in spiritual retreats, in initial formation, and on many other occasions. In addition, the richness of the texts, taken from the Franciscan Sources and the Bible, allows each card to be used several times and in different ways, even in personal study or meditation.
The themes and most of the texts are taken from the Guidelines for the celebration of Franciscan Centenaries prepared by the Commission of the Franciscan Family. This is not to be understood as replacing the Guidelines. On the contrary, we invite everyone to deepen some themes by also drawing on that text.
The Worksheets remain on a general level to allow the Entities, Fraternities and individual friars to make them compatible with their context. This is why we send them to you in a format that allows for any adaptations.
May this last year of the great Centenary be for our whole Order with the Franciscan Family a fruitful opportunity for growth in the common charismatic identity.
Download the work sheets: Italiano - English - Español - Deutsch - Français - Hrvatski - Polski - Português - Slovenščina