On this page, you will find information about our way of life and the procedures towards becoming a Greyfriar. Follow the links to the contact details of our vocation ministers!

What is Conventual Franciscan life?
It is total commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ and living His Gospel, for it is in Jesus that we meet God. It is a complete commitment to Christ for a lifetime. It is a journey toward the total development of the human person through the living of the Gospel. This is the foundation of the Conventual Franciscan way of life.
It is a life of penance through poverty, humility and minority. It is a life centered on the Holy Eucharist.  It is a life of prayer, of being brother to all, and being totally Catholic, apostolic, and devoted to Mary the mother of Jesus and the spouse of the Holy Spirit.  It is a style of life that first showed itself on English, Scottish, and Irish soil in the 13th century.  The early Franciscans were called "Greyfriars."
Franciscanism, in the Conventual traditional, is characterised by a fraternal life of community, in which each local fraternity has a friar-guardian, and gives primacy of place to the regular friary chapter as the forum for sharing spiritual concerns and regulating the friary's internal life and external ministries. Conventual Franciscans are attentive to the needs and requests of the Church, and loyal to the pope. They do not divorce themselves from ordinary life, but are dedicated to living where people are, usually in towns and cities. The friars are heavily involved with intellectual thought, both theological and secular. They encounter the same daily problems as others, but find answers in the Gospel life style.

Admission
Entry into the Order is through initial contact with a friar, usually the Director of vocations. After this first contact, the enquirer, who must be a practising Roman Catholic and be at least eighteen years of age, meets the Vocation Director several times. If matters proceed positively, he may fill out an enquiry form. His signature gives the Order permission to keep a file always in accordance with the data Protection Act. During this period the candidate is under the direction and care of the Director of vocations.  An aspirant should have a realistic view of our way of life.  To facilitate this, he is invited to participate in "Come and See" programmes held at various friaries in the Delegation of Great Britain and Ireland.  If all proceeds well, the aspirant may fill out a full Application Form, with accompanying documents, including a medical report, psychological report, and appropriate letters of reference.  The Greyfriars' Admissions Board (consisting of the Delegate, his two Council Members, and the Delegation's Prefect of Formation) carefully reviews the application, and after prayerful appeal to the Holy Spirit, and to Mary Spouse of the Holy Spirit, makes a decision.

Postulancy
Once accepted for Admission, the aspirant to the Order then begins a period of Postulancy, which normally lasts one or two years.  On a fixed date, in a formal yet simple ceremony, each Postulant is given a Tau cross to be worn around his neck -- the Tau being one of the original Franciscan symbols adopted by St. Francis himself as a sign of his vocation.  The Greyfriars of Britain and Ireland send their Postulants to the Order's Order's Formation House at  Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury. Each Postulant is given proper spiritual direction to learn more about the Conventual Franciscan way of life. He lives a life of prayer, study and community.  He is introduced to the Liturgy of the Hours.   He becomes more deeply grounded in the Sacred Scriptures, in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, and fidelity to the Church. under proper direction.  He has an opportunity to do some limited work with the poor.

Novitiate & Profession
If the Postulancy goes well, the next stage of initial formation as a friar is Novitiate.  This is an intense  year of formation in the consecrated Franciscan life of poverty, chastity, and obedience.  The English-speaking Provinces, Custodies, and Delegation of the Order have a common "Inter-Province Novitiate" in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA.  The Novitiate year begins with the ceremony of Investiture in the Franciscan habit, which for novices of the Delegation of Britain and Ireland is a grey colour (Since the 13th century, the Franciscans of these Isles were known by the informal title "Greyfriars.").  The Novitiate year ends with the Profession of Simple Vows.  Simple vows normally last for three years, after which the friar professes Solemn Vows, which are perpetual.  Whether a friar is preparing for life in the Order as an ordained priest or as a religious brother, his post-Novitiate formation programme takes place at our Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury, Kent, England and  in Rome, Italy.   The formal studies undertaken there lead the friar towards that full membership in the Order which occurs when he professes his Solemn Vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. These studies, which can last from five to six years, most importantly prepare the friar to be a holy and effective instrument of gospel charity in the active apostolate.  The Franciscan International Study Centre is world-renowned for Franciscan Studies, as well as its Ministry courses towards Priesthood and the fostering of Consecrated Life.

Any Catholic man serious about his vocation is welcome to come and see!

Contact us at:

England and Scotland:
Fr. Gregory OFMConv
26 Cornwall Road
SE1 8TW London
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Ireland
The Greyfriars
Fr. Antony Nallukunnel OFM Conv.
Visitation of BVM Friary
Fairview Strand, Dublin 3
Ireland
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