The Past and Present of SFO in India

The Patron of Ecology, the Second Christ, the Mirror of Christ, St. Francis of Assisi is the founder of three Orders: the First Order for Religious men (1209), Second Order for Cloistered sisters known as Poor Clares (1212) and the Third Order for lay faithful known as the Secular Franciscan Order (1221). The Secular Franciscan Order today is an international fraternity spread through out the world. Popularly today it is known as SFO. The SFO has been described as an “organic union of all Catholic fraternities scattered through out the world and open to every group of faithful” (Rule of SFO, art. 2). The SFO which is a public association in the Catholic Church is known as an Order because of the elements proper to a religious institute: it is an “organic union” (fraternity), “led by the spirit”(vocation), “striving for holiness” (perfect charity), “profession to the Gospel-life” and the “Rule” approved by the Church. Following these characteristics one can affirm SFO as an Order. The faithful join SFO for the attainment of evangelical perfection in their own secular conditions of life following the universal call for holiness of the Second Vatican Council. They make the Gospel as the source of their daily life-experience by “going from Gospel to life and life to the Gospel.”(SFO Rule, art. 4).

The SFo is not a religious movement though it shares the spirit of a religious Order (Canon 303). It is a lay movement in the Church. Secularity is its identity. The ecclesiology of the II Vatican Council, specially as elucidated by its documents Lumen Gentium and Apostolicam Actuositatem , affirms that the Laity are an essential part of the People of God, not because of their large number, but because of their dignity of consecration by baptism and confirmation (LG. 31). The Church, therefore, encourages the Laity to come together under the spirit and guidance of any institute and commit themselves with a sort of profession in a particular way of life. The present Rule specially the article 6a of SFO reflects the above purpose. Ever since the twelfth century the SFO is spread in more than one hundred countries in the world.

It was during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) who was a SFO member by himself that the SFO was officially implanted in India. On February 18, 1888, the Pope wrote to the Provincial minister of the Capuchins of Lombardy in northern Italy: “We wish the third Order to spread farther and farther, day by day. Let us propagate and propagate the Third Order. Let us take great pains to do so.” It was in response to this expressed desire of the Pope that the Italian capuchins, who worked as missionaries in north India during the latter part of the nineteenth century, under took the task of implanting the Third Order in several of the mission territories entrusted to them. With the departure of the Italian Capuchins, the Third Order fraternities, established by them, showed signs of decline and gradually became extinct. But, efforts to implant the Third Order in South India proved to be more successful.

Pope Leo XIII had addressed an encyclical to all the bishops, on September 19, 1882, in which he said: “It would be desirable that in many places have the power to receive the faithful into the Third Order. The ordinary faculties for this purpose are vested in the different Franciscan families. But at places, where there is no Franciscan friary, the bishops should apply to the Provincial ministers or General ministers, so that they may take the necessary steps, either by sending a religious into the parishes or by delegating the pastors. The delegated pastors should be obliged to send you the list of newly received members every three months, which list should then be sent to me.”

The wishes of Pope Leo XIII with regard to the spread of the SFO was faithfully carried out. Since none of the four branches of the Franciscan family had established their presence in South India during the pontificate of Leo XIII, several bishops of South India took the initiation of applying to the General Ministers of the Franciscan Order in Rome for necessary delegation and began to establish fraternities of SFO in their dioceses. When the Friars Minor Capuchins established their presence in South India in 1930, they were happy to discover the presence of SFO in the several dioceses of India such as Mangalore, Kerala, Tamilnad, Goa and Maharastra. As the Capuchins gradually opened their houses in the various states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnad, Goa and Maharastra, they not only took over the pastoral care of the existing SFO fraternities but also established new ones.

The one source (The history of Capuchin Provinces in India by Frs. Adolf and Fortunatus) says that the SFO was first started in Kerala under the authority of the conventual Franciscan Fathers, who however have never been in India. The propagation of it so was the result of the zeal of enthusiastic tertiaries themselves. Br. Thomas Puthenparambil now known as the Puthenparambil Thommachen was the first tertiary or the SFO member in Kerala. When the Capuchins arrived in Kerala the late bishop James Kalacherry of Changanacherry wrote to the then Capuchin General Minister, Most Rev. Fr. Clement of Milwaukee, in July 1949, for getting transferred the spiritual assistance of the SFO from the Conventuals to the Indian Capuchins and the General Minister by a letter, dated 5th October 1949, obtained the transfer of all the 146 Fraternities, having a membership of 10,000 at that time, to the spiritual assistance of the Indian Capuchins.

The SFO in India is very much grateful to Br. Puthenparampil Thommachen. The first SFO brother of Kerala, a shining example of a lay faithful Puthenparampil Thommachen was born on 8th July in 1836 in Edathua, Changanachery, Kerala. At the age of 29, he began a penitential life in 1865. Thus he got vested as a SFO brother in St, Antony’s Church, Kurumpanadam. In the same year he called together a few of his like-minded friends and started living like a fraternity. The brotherhood wore a cord of coir around the waist to remind them of their self-imposed obligations. At the same time he came across the rule of SFO given by Fr. Ottappunnackal of Thottakad. He found a close similarity between this rule and the self-imposed regulations of his fraternity. The devout exercise of the parishioners exerted its influence far and wide and several fraternities were formed all over Kerala, which came to be known as “ assemblies of the roped”. Thus Thommachan turned out to be a remarkable pioneering lay apostle or the second Francis propagating the Franciscan message in Kerala. He had to struggle much for getting his association recognized. From 1868 to 75, it had no recognition at all. It was only in 1889, finally the Vicar Apostolic of Kottayam formally approved the Order and appointed him as the common head of the SFO in Kerala. He built a centre for SFO at Poonthope. Now it is a church dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and given to the Archdiocese of Changanacherry. There were about 35 SFO fraternities getting spiritual assistance from CMI and diocesan clergy. The centenary of the SFO in Keral was celebrated on a grand scale in January 1969. Now there are 48 SFO regions in Kerala. Out of which Nineteen are in Kerala Latin and twenty nine in Kerala Syro-Malabar provinces.

In Mangalore SFO was started in 1936 even before the coming of the Capuchins. In St. Joseph Seminary there was a SFO fraternity of seminarians. These seminarians after their ordination started SFO in their parishes. Only after the coming of Capuchins the Capuchins took over the spiritual assistance of SFO. Under the able spiritual assistance of Rev. Fr. Vincent Lobo who was also a national Spiritual Assistant, the SFO in Mangalore grew and spread to many of the parishes of Mangalore diocese. Now the Mangalore diocese has given birth to seven SFO regions animated by four Franciscan Capuchin spiritual assistants. In Karnataka we have eleven regions: Seven in Mangalore, two in Chikmagalur, one in Bangalore-Mysore and one in Karwar diocese.

SFO was first started in Maharastra in Kirol at Fatima Frirary. In December 1964, an All-Indian SFO Convention was held in Mumbai at Fatima Friary. At present we have only one region in Maharastra.

SFO in Tamilnadu too is fast growing. In 1933, Rt Rev. Dr. Francis Carvalo, Bishop of Chennai first started SFO in Chennai. On the occasion of the silver Jubilee of Amalashram, in May 1968, Tamilnadu had its first Tamilnadu SFO Congress in Trichy. At present we have 15 regions in Tamilnadu doing lot of good work to the poor. They played a remarkable role during the Tsunami in 2005.

The book The Ancient Franciscan Provinces in India written by Fr. Achilles Meersman, OFM make mention of Monte Guirim, St. Francis Friary of OFM was functioned as the residence of the Commissary of the Third Order for the many tertiaries in Bardez in 1770. Now we have two regions in Goa: South Goa and North Goa under the spiritual assistance of Capuchins.

We have one region in Bihar-Jharkand under the spiritual assistance of TOR. Recently we have started four new fraternities in the diocese of Shillong and declared it as a provisional region.

In 1974 SFO in India was systematically organized in national level. The first national council of SFO was formed in 1974. Br. Chevalier K.C. Chacko MA, BE, MS, FE, KCSG has made a unique contribution to the SFO in India. He was the first national president in 1974and Rev. Fr. Vincent Lobo was the first national spiritual assistant. Thereafter Br. Victor Singarayar from Tamilnadu, Sr. Celine Wilfred from Kerala Latin province, Br. L. Joseph from Tamilnadu, Sr. Judith Mascarenhas from Karnataka and Br. P. P. Joseph from Kerala Syro Malabar province became the national presidents. Br. L Joseph and Br. P. P. Joseph were presidents for two terms. Br. K. C. Chacko, Br. Victor Singarayar, Sr. Celine Wilfred, Br. L. Joseph were the international councillors. Fr. Vincent Lobo, Fr. Mariadas, Fr. Mathew Kodaikanal, Fr. William Andrade, Fr. Jesudas were the national spiritual assistants. Fr. Mohandas OFM., Fr. Gerry Lobo, OFM., Fr. Ferdinand, OFM Conv., and Fr. Marion TOR were too the national spiritual assistants from other obediences. Earlier SFO in India had six regions then 27 regions and now we have seventy-eight regions comprising of more than eight hundred local fraternities in India. We have forty-six regional spiritual assistants comprising of thirty-nine from the obedience of Capuchins, four from Conventuals, two from OFM and one from TOR. At present Br. John Fernandez is the national minister, Br. P. P. Joseph is the international councillor and Rev. Fr. Rocky D’Cunha, Cap. is the National Spiritual Assistant in India.

The significant effect of the S.F.O. lies in the fact that St. Francis still continues to be the sign of guidance to many on their way to Christ. The question, which Br. Masseo asked to St. Francis, is still revolving in our mind: “Why after you?” Millions of people follow St. Francis’ simplicity and poverty in their own state of life. Today in the world there are nearly one million of secular Franciscans who admire at St. Francis and take him as their patron and guide. Let there be many more to follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Francis. Long live the unique Secular Franciscan Order in India.


Br. Rocky D’Cunha, Capuchin,
National Sp. Assistant, SFO. India.

^TOP