The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (“the Capuchins”) is a male religious order in the Roman Catholic Church. The vision of the Capuchins is to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi. As stated by Francis himself it is a call “to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without anything of our own, and in chastity.” In 1528, nearly 300 years after the death of Francis, a group of friars was given permission to form a new community, seeking to reignite the fervor of Francis and live a more austere and contemplative life. Both then and now, the brothers have been distinctly mission-oriented, overcoming oppressive forces both inside the Church and out, in an effort to follow the Gospel. They became known as Capuchins due to the large hood of their habit, the capuche. Today there are approximately 11,000 friars worldwide.
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The Secular Franciscans is a lay movement that follows in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi.