In 1209, Saint Francis of Assisi received the permission of Pope Innocent III for his growing community of brothers, a small group of men from the Italian hillside city of Assisi who had abandoned family and former way of life to follow Francis. The earliest friars rebuilt chapels, ministered to the lepers, and preached penance.

Rather quickly, the Franciscan Order began to spread outside the boundaries of medieval Italy, eventually becoming a worldwide religious order of the Roman Catholic Church.

After the death of Francis in 1226, the friars began to discuss among themselves what the “authentic” shape of Franciscan life really was. What was Francis’ main vision and mission? Some friars emphasized a more eremetic lifestyle, believing Francis was more focused on solitary prayer in rural hermitages, while others put primacy of place on the common life lived in larger houses in populated urban centers. This latter group became known as conventuals (because of their emphasis on living together in large religious houses called convents). There was much historical division between these two approaches to the Franciscan charism. In 1517, this division was formalized as the Franciscan Order was officially divided—by papal decree—into the Conventuals and the Observants. The Capuchins were formed later, in 1525.

Thus, the Conventuals trace our heritage directly to Francis and his first companions. Indeed, Conventual friars have deep connections to some of the most important physical sites in early Franciscan history. Conventuals are the caretakers of the Basilicas of Saint Francis in Assisi and Saint Anthony of Padua (where those Saints’ bodies are entombed), and also serve as confessors in the Vatican Penitentiary. Five popes have arisen from the Conventual branch of the Franciscan family. It was Conventual Pope Sixtus IV who established the Vatican Archives and commissioned the construction of the Sistine Chapel. His nephew, Pope Julius II (also a Conventual) established the Vatican Museums, began the building of St. Peter’s Basilica, started the Swiss Guard, and commissioned Michaelangelo to paint the ceiling of the chapel built by his uncle Sixtus. In brief, the Franciscan Friars Conventual have been an important presence in the Church’s life for more than 800 years!

The first Conventuals came to the United States in the middle of the 19th century, eventually settling on the East Coast to minister to German Catholic immigrants. From those humble origins, the Order spread, now having four provinces across the country, with some 400 friars.