Secular Franciscan Order  (Lay Franciscans)

The Secular Franciscan Order is one of three Orders in the Catholic Church which were founded by St. Francis of Assisi. It is the Order for lay people. (The other Orders are the Friars Minor and the Poor Clare Sisters.)

St Francis is remembered because of his devotion to God, his humility, his love for creation, and his ability to see Christ in every person, including the lepers of his day. He is an inspiration to many people around the world.

In his own time many people wanted to join Francis and he was inspired to form an Order for lay people who had homes and families and were not able to live his itinerant lifestyle. It was originally known as the Order of Penance and then later as the Third Order of St. Francis. Since 1978 it has been known as the Secular Franciscan Order, emphasizing that the members are secular and active in all spheres of life.

Secular Franciscans meet regularly, at least monthly in groups known as Fraternities. They aim to live a simple and prayerful lifestyle based on the values of the Gospels.

If you would like to learn more about the Secular Franciscan Order please contact the fraternity nearest to you, as listed below.

Fraternity	Time & Place of Monthly meeting	Minister Contact details
Br. Jacoba Fraternity	Last Sunday         11.00am	Alice Frazer
Northland	Various Members Houses	09 409 4747
	Kaitaia	karogrove@xtra.co.nz
Corpus Christi Fraternity	3rd Thursday        7.30pm	Alex McGinley
Hibiscus Coast	Catholic Church	09 426 5253
	180 Centreway Road	alex.mcginley@xtra.co.nz
	Hibiscus Coast
Lady Immaculate	2nd Friday          7.30pm	Terry Buckley
Conception Fraternity	Catholic Church	09 415 9853
North Shore	395 East Coast Road	jerivis@slingshot.co.nz
	Mairangi Bay
Holy Spirit Fraternity	2nd Monday           7.30pm	Lloyd de Melo
Mount Roskill	Franciscan Friary	09 626 0478
	50 Hillsborough Road	demelo@xtra.co.nz
	Mount Roskill
Our Lady Help of	2nd Sunday         2.30pm	Monica Donohue
Christians Fraternity	Franciscan friary	09 834 4847
West Auckland	14 Lavelle Road
	Henderson
St. Anthony of Padua	2nd Wednesday      7.00pm	Emil Oldehaver
Fraternity	Catholic Church	09 636 2268
Mangere Bridge	20 Kirkbride Road	satoger@xtra.co.nz
	Mangere Bridge
Our Lady Of Peace	3rd Saturday         9.30am	Estelle Batten
Fraternity	Parish House	09 817 4649
South Auckland	21 Carruth Road	chris.simmons@orcon.net.nz
	Papatoetoe
St. Clare's Fraternity	1st Sunday         10.30am	John Thompson
Waiheke Island	St. Peter's Church	09 372 2419
	Oneroa	dunkbp@xtra.co.nz
St. Anthony's Fraternity	3rd Monday         3.00pm	Cecily Parker
Hamilton	8 Pearsons Avenue	07 856 7088
	Hamilton East	parkerville@xtra.co.nz
St. Maxmillian Kolbe	3rd Monday       7.00pm	Cathie Richardson
(Emerging) Fraternity	Parish Centre	07 846 0486
Frankton	50 Rifle Range Road, Frankton	cathie.richardson@clear.net.nz
St. Juliana Fraternity	2nd Wednesday     1.30pm	Imelda Benton
Palmerston North	22 Forbury Avenue	06 356 9327
	Palmerston North
St. Anne's Fraternity	1st Sunday         2.00pm	Clare McClean
Wellington	Franciscan Friary	04 236 0275
	1 Childer's Tce	tbaymccleans@clear.net.nz
	Kilbirnie
Blessed Virgin Mary	Last Sunday         10.00am	Anne Williams
Fraternity	3/78 Sewell Street	03 755 8707
Hokitika	Hokitika	leask@xtra.co.nz
Holy Spirit Fraternity	Last Saturday   8.30am	Chantal Healy
Christchurch	Sacred Heart Parish	03 338 3119
	70 Spencer Street, Christchurch	glcmhealy@xtra.co.nz
Our Lady Queen of Angels	Last Sunday       2.00pm	Andrew Newbury
Fraternity	St. Patrick's Parish Centre	03 478 1085
Dunedin	42 Macandrew Road	newburydna@gmail.com
(Emerging) Fraternity	South Dunedin