Bernardine of Siena
St. Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444) is the patron of the university. The original name of the university was St. Bernardine of Siena College and the friary is St. Bernardine of Siena Friary. St. Bernardine of Siena was a Franciscan Friar who lived at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries. He was a famous preacher who also risked his life to assist victims of the plague. He popularized devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus--thus the emblem of the Holy Name on the seal of the institution. Coincidentally, St. Bernardine's feast day is May 20 which often happens to be the day of Siena's commencement exercises.
Brother or Father?
The word "friar" means brother. All of us are therefore brothers. Some of the brothers choose to become clergymen. They have chosen a path that allows them to preach, hear confessions, and preside at the Eucharist. These men are generally referred to as "Father." Brothers and Fathers have equal status within the community; and no, there is no way to tell them apart without asking.
Clare of Assisi
St. Clare (1193-1253), the daughter of a noble family, was the first woman to join St. Francis. She was in many ways the co-founder of the Franciscan movement. Clare founded a community of sisters originally known as the Poor Ladies (now more commonly known as the Poor Clares). She was the first woman to write her own rule for religious women, a rule modeled on Franciscan poverty. She got it approved despite opposition from some well-meaning hierarchs, who did not think that it was practical for Clare and her sisters to live the vow of poverty in a cloistered community.
The building that houses the Religious Studies Department at Siena is named for St.Clare. Every year, the Department sponsors the Clare Center Lecture, which explores the implications of the Franciscan Tradition for higher education.
Francis of Assisi
St. Francis (1182-1226), the son of a wealthy merchant, is one of the world's best known saints. He is noted for his single-hearted dedication to the imitation of Jesus Christ and for his appreciation of the sacramental nature of all creation. Francis is also known for his humility, and for being a promoter of peace and reconciliation in a time of many wars and conflicts.
Feast of St. Francis
The Feast of St. Francis is celebrated each year on October 4th, the day after his death (Oct. 3). Every year, Siena University holds a number of activities during the first week of October to commemorate the life and work of St. Francis. These include a Feast Day Mass to which the whole campus is invited.
Franciscan Family
The Order of Friars Minor is one part of the Franciscan Family. Other large branches include the Order of Friars Minor, Conventual (OFM, Conv.) ; the Order of Friars Minor, Capuchin (OFM, Cap.); The Third Order Regular (TOR) and the Poor Clares. The first three are orders for men. The Poor Clares are a community of contemplative women. There are numerous other orders for women (for example, The Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny (OSF).
The largest branch of the family is the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) which is comprised of several million lay persons who belong to local fraternities and may be married or single.
San Damiano Cross
The San Damiano cross holds profound significance for all Franciscans as it is the cross before which St. Francis of Assisi received his divine commission. Francis was praying before this cross that hung in an abandoned chapel in Assisi when he heard the voice of God commanding him to "rebuild My church." All Franciscans cherish this cross as the symbol of their mission from God to commit their lives to renew and rebuild the Church through the power of Christ.
IHS monogram
The IHS monogram is an abbreviation derived from the first three letter of Jesus' name in Greek. In the 15th century St. Bernardine promoted the use of this symbol to encourage devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. The IHS symbol serves as a visual representation of the centrality of Jesus in the lives of Franciscan Friars and their mission to promote devotion to His Holy Name.
Tau Cross
The Tau cross is a significant symbol for Franciscan Friars. AT-shaped cross, it was adopted by St. Francis as a symbol of his devotion to Christ and his embrace of a life of poverty and service. On some documents he signed his name with the Tau.
Friary
The building in which the friars live. Our friary is named for St. Bernardine of Siena.
Habit
This is the name given to the garb that is worn by the friars. It consists of a long robe, a "capuche" or hood that is removable, and a rope around the waist. The rope has three knots which represent the three vows that are taken by all friars: poverty, chastity and obedience.
Mendicant
A Mendicant is an itinerant who is regularly on the road. The Franciscan Friars are itinerants and mendicants--a fancy way of saying that we move around and engage in begging. Few friars are actually engaged in begging today, but we do take a vow of poverty, which entails turning over the ownership of all our possessions to the order. Please note that we are NOT monks, though this word is often used inappropriately to describe us. One of the main differences is that monks are attached to one monastery for their entire lives. Most friars live in a number of different houses during their lifetimes.
O.F.M.
Letters appearing at the end of a friar's name. O.F.M. stands for Order of Friars Minor, roughly speaking the Order of Lesser Brothers (in Latin, fratres minores). St. Francis wanted his brothers to identify with the lesser ones (minores) of society, and not with the rich and powerful.
Province
The Franciscan Order (Order of Friars Minor) is divided into jurisdictional and geographical entities known as Provinces. The Friars at Siena University belong to the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The head office of our province is in Atlanta, Georgia. We are sometimes referred to as the New York Province. There are approximately 700 friars in our province (18 at Siena). We minister to people from our friaries across the country and some members of our province work in countries outside the borders of the United States.
Transitus
This word refers to the death, or "passing to eternal life"of St. Francis. Franciscan communities celebrate a special prayer service called The Transitus on the evening of his death on October 3rd.
Minister General
Often referred to as the Minister General, is a friar who leads the Franciscans and is the successor of St. Francis. He has as his charge the oversight of the entire order. He resides in Rome.
The current Minister General is Br. Massimo Fusarelli from the Province of Rome, Italy. He is the 121st successor to St. Francis. A previous Minister General was Fr. Giacomo Bini, O.F.M., also of Italy. Several years ago, we were honored by a visit from Fr. Giacomo. At that time he received an honorary degree from Siena. Most recently, the Minister General was Br. Michael Perry, who now resides at the Siena friary and serves as the Director of the Laudato Si' Center for Integral Ecology.
Provincial Minister
The provincial minister is the friar who is responsible for the spiritual and administrative leadership of the province. The current Minister of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is Br. Lawrence Hayes, O.F.M.
The Provincial Minister is assisted by a Provincial Vicar and a Council of seven friar advisors.
Guardian
The Friar charged with oversight of a local community. St. Francis wanted to speak of "guardians" and not of "superiors" because all of the friars are lesser brothers. Thus Francis says in his rule that "No one is to be called prior." The guardian serves the spiritual and material needs of the community and is its official spokesperson.
The Guardian of the Siena Friary is currently Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M.
Vicar
The friar who oversees the local friary in the absence of the Guardian. The vicar also assists the Guardian in the management of Friary affairs. Siena Friary currently has three vicars, Br. Brian Belanger, Fr. Ken Himes and Fr. Dennis Tamburello.
Laudato Si'
Laudato Si' is an encyclical of Pope Francis published in May 2015. The title translates to "Praise to you", taken from "Canticle of the Creatures", a prayer/lyric poem written by St. Francis of Assisi. The encyclical focuses on care for the natural environment and all people, as well as broader questions of the relationship between God, humans, and the Earth. The encyclical's subtitle, "Care for our Common Home," reinforces these key themes. Pope Francis lays out the current situation of the planet and its ecological and human crises and then guides through a Christian perspective on creation.
FRATELLI TUTTI
This is the third encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled "on fraternity and social friendship." The encyclical calls for more human fraternity and solidarity, and is a plea to reject wars. The document was signed on October 3, 2020, on the occasion of Pope Francis' visit to the tomb of his namesake, Francis of Assisi, and was published the following day on the saint's feast day. In English, the Italian translates to "All Brothers and Sisters".