Members of the St. Mary Frances Secular Franciscan Fraternity meet monthly on the campus of St. Matthew Church in Forestville to participate in prayer, song and discussions.

Story by Karen A. Avitabile

About a dozen women and men meet monthly in Forestville to honor St. Mary Frances, who in her lifetime was a professed member of the Franciscan family.

St. Mary Frances was a member of the Third Order Secular, founded by St. Francis of Assisi during his lifetime more than 800 years ago. The order was canonically established in 1221 by Pope Honorius III.

Today, the overall organization, now referred to as the Secular Franciscan Order, is a worldwide lay community of Catholic men and women who are professed members of the Franciscan family. The goal of the Secular Franciscan Order is twofold: for members to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their everyday life and to help others grow in faith and discipleship.

In 1995, the local St. Mary Frances Secular Franciscan Fraternity was established at a Bristol church as part of a larger international community to live out the charisms of St. Mary Frances. For the past several years, local members have gathered in fraternity one Wednesday a month on the campus of St. Matthew Church in the Forestville village of Bristol. 

Each meeting begins with prayer followed by readings and general discussions taken from resources pertaining to the life of Franciscans in general, Franciscan saints and St. Mary Frances. The hourlong meetings also consist of responsories, intercessions and time for private prayer and reflection. 

Marcia Dungan, a member of the group since 1998, recently led the meeting in prayer. As a child, she learned about St. Mary Frances Secular Franciscan Fraternity from her grandmother who became a lay Franciscan at a young age.

“We feel the Franciscans will save the world,” Dungan says. “We pray, we send out messages to the parish to come and see us.”

An hour before the meetings begin, the fraternity’s formation director usually spends time with interested inquirers and candidates in the process of discernment with a goal of becoming a member of St. Mary Frances Secular Franciscan Fraternity. The formation process ranges from six months to a year.

Robert Sizemore oversees the formation process for the local group. “We bring the Gospel to life,” he says.

Evelyn “Ellie” Bialobrzeski is in her seventh month of formation. “I felt it was a call from the Holy Spirit,” she says. “He wanted me to be here.”

Oftentimes, as part of St. Mary Frances Secular Franciscan Fraternity, members contribute food to parish ministries, materials to schools, baby items to non-profit organizations and monetary donations for scholarships and other worthwhile causes. 

St. Mary Frances was the first woman from Naples to have been declared a saint by the Catholic Church. She is recognized as the patron saint of expectant mothers and women seeking to have children. She was beatified by Pope Gregory XVI, and canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867. Her feast day will be marked on Oct. 6.

St. Mary Frances Secular Franciscan Fraternity meets every third Wednesday of the month, 6 p.m., in the convent on the campus of St. Matthew Church, 120 Church Ave., Forestville. The meetings are open to the public. Anyone interested in becoming a member can call 860.585.0166. For more information about the Secular Franciscan Order, visit secularfranciscansusa.org.