Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis.
Congregatio Fratrum Pauperum Sancti Francisci Seraphici | |
Abbreviation | C.F.P. |
---|---|
Formation | December 24, 1857 |
Founder | Br. John Höver (Philip Martin), C.F.P. |
Type | Lay Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right (for Men) |
Headquarters | 3405 190th St., Wever, Iowa, USA |
Membership | 37 members (includes 6 priests) as of 2019 |
Superior General | Br. Lukas Jünemann, C.F.P. |
The Poor Brothers of the Seraphic St. Francis (
Foundation
The founder Johannes Höver (Hoever) was born in 1816 into a hard-working farm family in the hill country of Neuhonrath, now part of the town of
Höver became a
Blessed
The Brothers obtained a home in Aachen in 1860, where they began their work of service to the poor and homeless men of the city. On 5 January of the following year,
Expansion
Under the leadership of Brother John, and under the watchful eye and guidance of the diocesan clergy, to whom they were subject, the young Congregation grew rapidly and spread from its cradle in Aachen to other parts of Germany. In 1866 the Congregation spread to the
In 1869 the Congregation also received the charge of a Catholic orphanage in Moabit, near Berlin. During the Austro-Prussian war in 1866, and in the Franco-Prussian war, 1870–71, the Poor Brothers helped in the field hospitals. However, the policy of Kulturkampf by the German government led to the loss of all their houses in Prussia during 1876–77. They then moved to Bleijerheide on the German-Dutch border, where the new motherhouse was erected.
After 1888 the Brothers were allowed to return to Prussia and entirely new houses were founded: Hohenhof in Upper Silesia (1891); Dormagen on the Rhine (1902), Düsseldorf (1932), etc. At the last location, they currently run a senior housing complex for 189 residents,[3] and various social services and a trade school.[4] Foundations were also made in Belgium at Völkerich (1900) and in the Netherlands at Roermond (1903).
The Constitution of the Congregation was approved by Pope Pius X in 1910. With that, they became a congregation of Pontifical (international) right, generally free to conduct their affairs without the supervision of local bishops.
In 1921 the American Brothers began to work in Arkansas, where they established several institutions over the next fifteen years. They also expanded to Iowa, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and South Dakota, mostly in the field of youth work. In 1986, they purchased the Woodlands Treatment Center, a facility for drug and alcohol dependent youth in Burlington, Iowa.[5]
By 1998, through the steady retirement and departure of members, total membership of the American province sank to 24 professed members dispersed across several assignments at schools, prisons and hospitals. The Morris School for Boys, established in 1922 near Searcy, Arkansas, continues to be the brothers' primary ministry.[6] The order's motherhouse remains in Aachen and the order maintains houses in Brazil, Holland and the United States.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Oliger, Livarius. "Poor Brothers of St. Francis Seraphicus." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 18 June 2016
- ^ a b ""History", Congregation of the Brothers of the Poor of Saint Francis". Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
- ^ Ordenswirken in Düsseldorf html Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine(in German)
- ^ "Streetwork und Nachtunterkunft" (PDF). Ordensgemeinschaft der Armen - Brüder des heiligen Franziskus, Sozialwerke e.V. Archived from ordensgemeinschaft.de/pdf/streetwork_unterkunft.pdf the original (PDF) on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
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value (help) - ^ "Woodlands website". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
- ^ findaids/ead/xml/psf.xml "Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis Records", University of Notre Dame archives
Sources
- Der selige Br. Johannes Höver und seine Stiftung (Aachen, 1896);
- Max Heimbucher , Die Orden und Kongregationen, II (Paderborn, 1907), s. v. Armen-Brüder des hl. Franziskus.
External links
- Official International Website [en/de/pr]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Poor Brothers of St. Francis Seraphicus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.