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Lecture 23 Francis and Dominic

Dr. Ann T. Orlando23 October 2014

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Spiritual Movements: New Orders Franciscans Dominicans Both start as mendicants,

very different from Benedictines

Not in a monastery Vocation is among God’s

people Both approved by Innocent

III Augustinians and

Carmelites

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Franciscan Basilica Begun immediately after

Francis’ death in 1226 One of Francis’ earliest

followers supervised beginning of Basilica

Really two basilicas, an upper and a lower one

Site of Francis’ tomb This is the ‘Mother House’

of Franciscan order Many famous Italian

artists, including Cimabue and Giotto, painted frescos

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Assisi at the Time Francis was Born (1181) Wealthy hill town in

Tuscany Francis’ father was a

cloth merchant Assisi was often at war

with other nearby towns

Francis joined the Assisi troops as a young man and was captured in a skirmish with Perugia

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Francis Begins His Spiritual Journey After returning to Assisi in a prisoner

exchange, Francis started to pray and look for a different way of life

He went to Rome on a pilgrimage and on returning stopped to pray at the deserted church of St. Damiano

A voice tells Francis to ‘rebuild my Church’

Francis used money from his father’s business to buy materials

His Father, angered by this, brought Francis before the bishop to be admonished

Francis stripped himself naked, saying he wanted nothing from his father

Francis starts to lead a mendicant life, saying he would be poor as Christ was poor

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A Group Gathers Around Francis Some people were shocked

by Francis’ life-style But some wanted to join him

in his way of life Francis’ holiness and

gentleness with all God’s creatures led to many stories about Francis

Francis and the wolf of Gubbio

San Damiano became the Church for St. Clare and her followers, the ‘poor Clares’

Feast Day for St. Clare is August 11

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Francis’ Spirituality

Total embrace of ‘Lady Poverty’, not ‘Lady Wisdom’ as way of life

Francis’ Rule emphasizes walking in poverty in the footsteps of Jesus;

Pilgrimage to Holy Land; Met the sultan Rules for Franciscans to live in

Holy Land with Muslims Emphasis on tangible religious

experience: Christmas crib Stigmata as a sign of Francis’

identification with Jesus Francis was most famous man

in Europe in his lifetime; his order grew explosively

Poet: Canticle of the Sun, Prayer of St. Francis

Feast Day is Oct. 4

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Franciscan Rule Actually two Rules written by Francis, the

Longer and the Shorter Encourage mendicant lifestyle and adoption of

complete poverty Deemphasizes study, even literacy Deemphasizes ecclesial offices Rule revisions

Even before Francis dies, control of Franciscans is given to others

Franciscans become more organized, intellectual, wealthy

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Franciscan ‘Schism’ Shortly after Francis dies, the order

becomes conflicted about its future ‘Conventual’ Franciscans relax some

aspects of Francis’ extreme poverty ‘Spiritual’ Franciscans continued to live

as Francis had Some become engaged in apocalyptic

warnings Followers of Joachim of Fiore (1132-1202)

and were deemed heretics

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St. Dominic (1170-1221) Born in Spain; he

traveled to southern France to preach against the Albigensian heresy

Founded a school for French women

First order of Dominicans were nuns

Received permission from Innocent III to found an order of preachers to preach Catholic orthodoxy

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Albiginsians Named for town of Albi, France where

heresy was centered Also known as ‘Cathars’ from Greek for pure

Beliefs Two gods, one evil the other good Material evil Two classes of believers Special knowledge given to believers

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Dominican Spirituality Rule based on Augustine’s

Rule: clergy who lived together but worked among lay people

Also basis for other Medieval Orders

Dominican Rule emphasized study and preaching

Rosary was and remains especially important to Dominicans

Mary appeared to Dominic and gave him a rosary

Established the form the Rosary has today

Feast day is August 8

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Dominicans in 13th C

Order started as mendicants Quickly became centered in cities

and especially universities Focused on education for lay and

secular clergy

The Rosary

History of the Rosary as a popular devotion probably dates to around 10th C

Early use of prayer beads of varying lengths used by monks and others as an aid to meditation

Bead is from the old German word meaning “to pray”

Repetition of familiar prayers a way to move beyond immediate circumstances and enter into mysteries of faith

In early forms of rosary, there were varying numbers of decades, but almost always a decade was 10 Hail Mary’s

The early practice was to use the decade as a way to remove oneself form immediate circumstances and enter into a particular mystery of the faith

Mysteries of Rosary

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Other Orders Augustinians and Carmelites were both granted

dispensations by Pope Innocent IV from degree of IV Lateran Council

Augustinians (Order of Hermits of St. Augustine) Organized from a group of hermits living in northern Italy Followed ‘Augustinian Rule’

Carmelites (Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) Claim to descend from followers of prophet Elias Actual start seems to be around the Crusades, Christian

hermits living on Mt. Carmel Rule of St. Albert of Jerusalem c. 1210 Migrated to Europe in mid-13th C Lay ‘third orders’ became very popular

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Assignment

Francis’ Rule, available at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/stfran-rule.html