The Franciscans
St Francis of Assisi (1182–1226). The founder of the Franciscan order, St. Francis was born at Assisi, in central Italy, in 1182. He was baptized Giovanni.
In 1224, during a 40-day fast on a mountain, Francis had a vision and received the “stigmata”—the marks of the nails and the spear of Jesus’ passion—on his own body. Francis died on Oct. 3, 1226, at Assisi. Two years later he was canonized, or declared a saint, by Pope Gregory IX.
Twenty years after the death of St. Francis his order had grown so large that 9,000 religious houses had been built. The Franciscan friars at one time numbered more than 100,000. Differences about the rules brought divisions of the order. In missionary work, in caring for the poor, in education, and in other good works, the Franciscan order is still active.
Francis of Assisi 2016. Britannica School.
The Poor Clares
The Order of Saint Clare, the Poor Clares, is part of the Franciscan family. It was founded in 1212 by St Francis and St Clare, to follow Christ in Gospel living with an apostolate of prayer.
The Gospel life was the centre and heart of Clare’s spirituality and she lived this life within a specifically contemplative setting, in the little monastery of San Damiano outside the walls of Assisi. For Clare, to follow Christ meant to contemplate Christ and to imitate him.
Other women, inspired by the same Spirit, soon joined her. Today there are Poor Clares in most countries of the world seeking to live the same Gospel life in the footsteps of Francis and Clare.
http://www.poorclare.org.au/beginnings.html
The Dominicans
Saint Dominic (1170–1221). The founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, also called Dominicans, was Domingo de Guzmán. He is now known generally as St. Dominic. The members of the order were mendicant friars, or traveling preachers.
As a member of a religious order, Dominic went to the south of France in 1203 to investigate the threat to the Roman Catholic Church posed by a heretical sect called Albigensians. He proposed to combat the threat by founding an order of wandering preachers. This work began in 1206, and Dominic’s order was formally sanctioned by Pope Honorius III at Rome on Dec. 22, 1216. The order’s two principal houses were established near the universities of Paris, in France, and Bologna, in Italy, with the stipulation that they set up schools of theology.
Dominic spent the rest of his life in Rome or traveling to the houses of his order. He died in Bologna on Aug. 6, 1221.
Dominic 2016. Britannica School.
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Reformation
One of the greatest of all revolutions was the 16th-Century religious revolt known as the Reformation. This stormy, often brutal, conflict separated the Christians of western Europe into Protestants and Roman Catholics. So far-reaching were the results of the separation that the Reformation has been called a turning point in history. It ushered in the Modern Age because, once the people’s religious unity was destroyed, they began to think in terms of their own regional interests. From the diversity of those interests arose new political, social, and economic problems and beliefs.
Reformation 2016. Britannica School.
The Great Schism
During the period in the history of the Roman Catholic church called the Great Western Schism, there were often two, sometimes three popes, each with his own following. The schism, or split, lasted from 1378 until 1417. The major cause of the schism was the move of the papacy to Avignon, France, early in the 14th century.
In 1414 the Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund, pressured John to call a conference to resolve the schism. This gathering, the Council of Constance, met from 1414 to 1418. By this time the old and traditional means of resolving church conflicts by means of a council had come into favour again. Having rid itself of all reigning popes, the council then unanimously elected Martin V on Nov. 11, 1418. It became his responsibility to restore confidence in the church at Rome, after more than a century of division, dissent, and strife. He established his residence in Rome, ensuring that it would be the headquarters of the church. He also rejected the notion that church councils had a higher authority than that of the pope. He asserted supremacy for the papacy in all matters relating to the church. By the end of his reign in 1431 he had consolidated the power of his office and ended the divisions within the church.
Great Western Schism 2016. Britannica School.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (1483–1546). The Protestant Reformation in Germany was inaugurated by Martin Luther in 1517. It was his intent to reform the medieval Roman Catholic church, but the firm resistance of the church to Luther’s challenge led instead to permanent divisions in the structure of Western Christianity.
Martin Luther 2016. Britannica School.
John Calvin
John Calvin (1509–64). When John Calvin was a boy in France, Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation in Germany. Two decades later Calvin became the second of the great 16th-Century reformers. His work and teachings had a profound impact on the development of Christianity.
John Calvin 2016. Britannica School.
King Henry VIII
(1491–1547). Reigning from 1509 to 1547, Henry VIII was one of England’s strongest and least popular monarchs. He is remembered for his six wives and his quarrel with the Roman Catholic church, which led to the creation of the Church of England.
Henry VIII 2016. Britannica School.
The Council of Trent
By the time of Paul III, who was Pope from 1534 to 1549, the demands for reform were too intense and the Protestant threat too substantial for the church to delay housecleaning any longer. There were persistent demands for calling a council to deal with all of the church’s problems. Popes had never looked favorably upon councils because there was real difference of opinion in the church over whether a council had greater authority than a pope when it came to deciding and enforcing matters of doctrine and practice.
Paul III became convinced that only a council could deal with the crisis. He therefore convened the Council of Trent in northern Italy, which opened officially on Dec. 13, 1545. In spite of the diversity of views represented in the council, Paul III and his successors succeeded in dominating it. The results assured papal supremacy in the church.
The council met in three different sessions from 1545 to 1563. During its sessions the council succeeded in redefining its doctrines and in overhauling the institutional structure of the church.
Counter-Reformation 2016. Britannica School.
