Becoming an Associate
- Do you desire to deepen your connection with God and others?
- Do you value mutual support on your spiritual journey?
- Do you long to collaborate with others who seek to make the world a more loving, just, and peaceful community?
- Does your spirit resonate with the Franciscan charism: continual gospel conversion, contemplation/prayer, simple living, and humility/minority?
If you answered yes to the above questions, you may have a call to the Associate vocation.
Process to becoming an Associate
- Express a desire to join in the spirit and vision of the Franciscan family.
- Interview with the minister of associates or one of the co-ministers.
- Begin a period of inquiry.
- Discernment
- Make a commitment to live the values of Saint Francis.
The process for becoming a Franciscan Associate begins with responding to an inner call to deepen your spirituality, sensing that you resonate with the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare. You are invited to do this in relationship with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, sharing in their spirit and mission. If you desire to grow spiritually in relationship with the Franciscan Sisters, please contact the Office for Associates. Feel free to call the minister of associates. This expression of interest will be followed up with conversations about the associate relationship and your needs and interests.
The period of inquiry, during which time you are called an applicant, is a time of exploring and learning. You will explore the life and spirit of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi. You will also become familiar with Franciscan spirituality, values and the community of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota.
Reflection through conversations, orientation and formation sessions as well as retreats helps in the discernment process. These are opportunities to contemplate becoming an associate through prayer and sharing with the sisters and with other applicants and associates. This is the final step before making the commitment to become a Franciscan Associate.
Commitment Ceremony
The commitment ceremony is the time to proclaim “Yes!” to an ongoing growth in Franciscan spirituality in relationship with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Minnesota. Associates strive to bring Franciscan values to all whom they contact in their daily lives. The commitment statement is as follows:
“I desire to be an Associate of this Franciscan Community of Little Falls, Minnesota, because I wish to be a sister/ brother to all of you and to all of God’s creatures. With you and with God’s help, I want to make the world a more loving, just and peaceful community. Together with you I want to carry the spirit of Francis and Clare into our world.”
Franciscans enlivened by Spirit is who we are.
To weave and nurture relationships amongst Associates and Sisters living throughout the United States and 4 other countries is what we love to do. The Franciscan Associate Co-Ministers work together and gather regularly with Sisters and Associates to ignite our hearts and imaginations with the prophetic potential of the associate relationship. Whenever and wherever we gather in prayer and celebration, we discern how we are being called to incarnate the Franciscan Spirit and Gospel mandates in our personal lives, within our Franciscan Community of Little Falls, MN, and throughout our global community. To minister means to serve and live the Gospel values, and that is our joyous mandate.
