St. Francis attracted many men and women to follow his way of life, and organizing his many followers was no easy task. In time, the men among them who wanted to live religious life became known as friars (from romantic languages for "brother) and belonged to what is called the First Order of Franciscans. Women, from the day of St. Clare's acceptance into the band of followers, comprised the Second Order. Lastly lay people, many of whom were married and wanted to belong to the Franciscan family, were accepted as sons and daughters of St. Francis and made up the Third Order, or what is known today as the Secular Franciscan Order.

Our study pertains exclusively to the First Order and, to make matters a little more confusing, to just one subgroup of the First Order: the Capuchin-Franciscans.

In short, about three hundred years after the death of St. Francis, some friars wanted to return to a life they considered to be true to the original vision of Francis. In the early 1500's the First Order was officially divided. Those who wanted a renewal of the spirit of St. Francis belonged to the "Observant" faction, as opposed to the "Conventuals." In a few short years, some among the Observants wanted an even more thorough reform, and in 1523 the Pope issued a decree, "Religionis zelus," that approved what would soon be called the Capuchin reform, and its members would be called Capuchin friars.

Today all three communities or Orders (Conventuals, Observants and Capuchins) make up the First Order of St. Francis. Obviously this is a focus on the Capuchins. Of course Capuchin history does not begin with the papal decree of 1523; it goes back to St. Francis himself. The Church's teaching about religious life, more correctly known as consecrated life, is essential to understanding Capuchin history. It would also be helpful to know about the life and spirit of the Capuchin friars, as well as the living history as shown in the lives of the Capuchin saints and "blesseds." All these areas of study are reachable at the menu on the left side of this page.