Franciscan

Franciscans are people and groups (religious orders) who adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of St Francis of Assisi and of his main associates and followers, such as St Clare of Assisi, St Anthony of Padua, and St Elizabeth of Hungary, among many others. The term is usually applied to members who also adhere to the Roman Catholic Church. However, other denominations also have members who describe themselves as Franciscans. They include Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran. Franciscans observants in Poland and Lithuania are known as Bernardines, after Bernardino of Siena, although the term elsewhere refers to Cistercians instead.

The Franciscan Order is also sometimes referred to as the Seraphic Order.

Organization and names

There are three main orders of Catholic Franciscans, with their subdivisions.