Franciscan Studies

Introduction: Apparent Dedication

The Franciscan Movement in the Netherlands (1967-) is an association of people who are moved by the evangelical ideal of Francis and Clare of Assisi. Its members are lay and religious people who aim to live a spiritual life characterized by solidarity and simplicity. In this article, I will describe the lively spirituality of the "Franciscaanse Beweging" (FB), a movement that started as a "Franciscan Cooperation" seeking to deepen Franciscan spirituality within religious communities in the 1950s but that changed its course and expanded rapidly after the Second Vatican Council.⁶³ [End Page 245]

In 1987, Gerard Pieter Freeman, staff member of the Franciscan Cooperation, explained in an article on Franciscan spirituality and involvement what he considered to be the true nature of Franciscan spirituality:

One text of Francis, in particular, I find important […], inspiring, and illuminating. It reads as follows: "As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that greater peace is in your hearts. Let no one be provoked to anger or scandal through you, but may everyone be drawn to peace, kindness, and harmony through your gentleness. For we have been called to this: to heal the wounded, bind up the broken, and recall the erring. In fact, many who seem to us to be members of the devil will yet be disciples of Christ." In this text I find all the elements that I find important for Franciscan spirituality in relation to involvement: [End Page 246] the care for interiorization, which is necessary for your credibility and endurance. The "strategy" of seduction by friendliness and innocence. The great confidence in the goodness and the resilience of man. And the acknowledgement of your own limited possibilities: Franciscan people do not have to take over the good work of others.¹

In this article, written in response to the conciliar process for justice, peace and the integrity of creation,² Freeman interprets spirituality as "direction and interior organization of life" and as "life dedicated to the Lord in loving care of the world which needs salvation."³ Although Franciscan spirituality is a "one-piece spirituality," it consists of several essential elements. Among these we find: conversion, modesty, credibility, experientiality, interiority, openness, fraternity, care of one's tradition, and storytelling. Franciscan spirituality, Freeman concludes, is "a way of seeing and a way of being in the world" in which "nice words and deep thoughts become visible in concrete deeds, in apparent dedication."⁴ [End Page 247]

I will take these striking qualifications as a point of departure for my analysis of the spirituality and self-understanding of the Franciscan Movement in the Netherlands.⁵ How did this "living" spirituality, a spirituality of "direction and interior organization of life," of "dedication to the Lord and the world," of "seeing and being in the world," develop in terms of self-formation and self-awareness, especially against the background of the institutional and spiritual renewal brought by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)?⁶ In order to answer this question, I will study the contents of the movement's monthly magazine Franciscan Monthly (Franciscaans Maandblad), which first appeared in 1971.⁷ This internal communications medium offers a perfect reflection of the concerns, views, and sentiments of the members of this unique Franciscan association throughout these years. Like Freeman (above), the editors of the magazine – central figures in the world of Franciscan spirituality – are particularly dedicated to spiritual credibility, attentive to prevailing attitudes, and open to experiences and stories. Like their authors and readers, they too lead a life "in apparent dedication" that is colored by strong personal choices and experiences. Nevertheless, a closer look at FM over a timespan of four – quite different – decennia will offer a good overall impression of the "direction and interior organization of life" of thousands of Franciscan and Franciscan-inspired people. It will show which [End Page 248] practical obstacles had to be overcome and which spiritual experiments developed into enduring practices...