Like the Carmelites, there is not only one Franciscan Order, but rather a family of Orders which all derive from foundations of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). The distinctive feature of the Franciscan Rule is the obligation of poverty of dispossession. The friars were to own no property and to earn their living by manual labour and begging. Eventually three Franciscan Orders came into being which differed from each of the others in their interpretation of the obligation of dispossession. The Friars Minor allow no corporate ownership of property, the Conventuals permit corporate ownership of property, and the Capuchins who are the most austere.

Over 50 Franciscans have been canonised, including St. Maximillian Kolbe who gave up his life for that of another prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. The most famous Franciscan theologian is St. Bonaventure, known as the Seraphic Doctor of the Church.

The Franciscans were always strong defenders of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, even before the Church officially defined the dogma in the nineteenth century. They have also been associated with spreading the devotion of the Way of the Cross, of the recitation of the Angelus Prayer, and the custom of building Christmas Cribs.

For women there is a female Order of Franciscans known as the ‘Poor Clares’. This is because they were co-founded by St. Francis and St. Clare. This is a contemplative order.

There are many Franciscan communities throughout Australia and their special apostolate is to the poor and to the care of the natural order, including the conservation of flora and fauna. In many communities throughout the world on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi the Franciscans bless farm animals and pets.