Description:

From the time St. Francis dressed as a hermit and began rebuilding
churches to the present day, the lure of the hermitage has played a
significant role in Franciscan history. His writings, the official and
unofficial biographies, and various tales and songs about the Poverello
testify to the love the Saint had for the eremitical life throughout his
life. Many founders of religious communities began as hermits before
establishing their communities. Francis also embraced the eremitical
way, and he bequeathed a love for this manner of life to generations of
Franciscans.
The attraction of the hermitage life was not confined solely to the
various branches of the Friars Minor. The Third Order of St. Francis
was also drawn to the hermitage, particularly during the early centuries
of its development. From the beginning of the Order, without being
incorporated into the Friars Minor or the Poor Clares, many men and
women embraced the eremitical life as tertiary Franciscans in imitation
of the Saint from Assisi. This includes communities of male eremitical
tertiaries in Italy that were united by Pope Nicholas V in 1447 with his bull
Pastoralis officii. The first General Chapter of this group took place in
Montefalco in 1448 with the election of Bartolomeo Benamati as the first
Minister General.
This book explores the history of the eremitical life in the Church, its
influence on Saint Francis of Assisi, and how his influence affected the
birth of the male branch of the Third Order Regular.

Michael Higgins is the former Minister General of the Third Order Regular
and a doctoral graduate from the Antonianum in Rome.

By Michael Higgins

ISBN 978-1-57659-486-5

E-ISBN 978-1-57659-487-2