Scheduled Meetings: First Saturday of each month – 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. - St. Andrews Chapel in Bluffton, SC.
Are you looking to deepen your relationship with Jesus? You are invited to a monthly Gathering of the Order of Secular Franciscans (OFS). We meet on the first Saturday of every month, mostly at St. Andrew's Chapel and meeting room in Bluffton, SC, or at St. Francis by the Sea Church and Family Center, Hilton Head Island, SC. We gather for Holy Mass, a light Breakfast and spiritual enrichment. Come and see what the Holy Spirit has in store for you on your journey! We would love to meet and welcome you.
Mission Statement: The Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) is a canonically established order for the laity who have a desire to live more fully a Gospel way of life in imitation of St. Francis of Assisi, who founded the order more than 800 years ago. There are more than 15,000 members in the United States.
Secular Franciscans believe they have been called by the Spirit of God to live the Gospel, a vocation lived out in fraternity and through the support of shared prayer and Christian service. Professed members are not called to leave the world but to transform it. We remain in our families, in our work, and maintain and deepen friendships, striving through our lives to become proclamations of the Gospel, challenging us, and those around us, to change.
Our Secular Franciscans come from parishes in Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and Georgia. We welcome anyone who would like to “come and see.” Gatherings begin with Holy Mass, followed by morning prayer, breakfast, reading and reflections on a gospel passage, with study time focusing on Franciscan spirituality.
They are a community of Catholic men and women who seek to pattern their lives after Christ in the spirit of St. Francis. They devote themselves to careful study of the Gospel, going from Gospel to life, and life to Gospel. The Seculars, together with the First (Priests and Friars), and the Second Order (the Nuns), form the international Franciscan Order with over four million members.
Current Activities: The Franciscan fraternity has apostolates in which members serve others:
Current Membership Opportunities: Please contact the Ministry Head by using the contact form below.