By Anthony Barich
THIRTY nine year old Anthony Porrins became the youngest person currently to be professed into the Third Order of St Francis at the Redemptorist Monastery Retreat House Chapel on 17 September.
His profession represents a new wave of renewed interest to a committed spiritual life among a younger generation, with several people in their 40s now professed in the Order, compared with most members who are over 50.
The Secular Franciscan Order has produced many saints, including St John Vianney, whose life and teachings Pope Benedict XVI held up as a model for the recent Year for Priests. This shows it is “a proven path to sanctity”, Anthony said.
Anthony told The Record that the Order’s spirituality, which “blew him away” during his formation stage, is attractive to young people as it brings them to a closer relationship with Christ, with St Francis as a model. St Francis founded the Third Order in 1221 as the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, known as tertiaries, as a middle-state for those who, due to marriage or other ties, are barred from entering the first two Orders for professed Religious.
“Francis saw both Christ’s divinity and humanity, as a person he could relate to. When Francis saw a leper, Bishop or the Pope, he saw Christ in them,” Anthony said.
“Francis was truly Catholic as he was able to take the connection between seeing Our Lord in the Body and Blood of Christ and ‘enflesh’ this belief through actual charity and relating to others.”
Like Francis, Secular Franciscans live a life of simplicity and must have an ‘apostolate’ – working somehow for the Church – which Anthony is still discerning. Some do prison visitations, others are involved lobbying for the rights of the family, among other pursuits.
They also pledge loyalty to the Pope. This is reflected in one of the Third Order’s mottos, which is to go from the Gospel to life and vice versa, by bringing Christ into the workplace and family situations by being a witness to others; not by preaching but by touching others in everyday life. This model of life was a radical calling for people in the Church during St Francis’ time, Anthony said. Prior to the 1200s, the Benedictine model of establishing monasteries which drew people in was the dominant method of evangelisation. Francis turned it around and instead went out into the streets to bring the Gospel to the people, Anthony said.
Though he was attracted to Francis from a young age, why Anthony joined the Franciscan family is a mystery to him.
“I’ve always been aware of Francis from a young age; people often associated me with Francis growing up; people often spoke to me about him and introduced me to Franciscan Friars, but becoming a Franciscan was something I was drawn to in a mysterious way,” he said. “When I saw Francis and his relationship with Christ, and how intensely he lived it, I wanted a bit of that in my life.”
His profession has sparked a renewed urgency in him to promote vocations awareness – not just to the priesthood, but to all ways of life. The Secular Franciscan Order is also open to diocesan priests.
“As Catholics, we have all made a baptisimal vow to become holy. The Secular Franciscan vocation helps you live that more intensely day to day,” he said.
The Secular Franciscan life for the professed entails morning and afternoon praying of the Divine Office, monthly meetings with fraternity groups that consist of up to 15 people, and an annual retreat.
Anthony’s profession during a Mass celebrated by Brisbane Franciscan Capuchin Fr John Spiteri, was held during the annual retreat.
Anthony, a marketing officer for a Kelmscott roof restoration company, was professed after three years of formation with the Perth fraternity.
There are also fraternities in Midland, Dardanup and Balcatta.
He spent months with the Perth fraternity as an “enquirer” before working with a formator and was received into the Order’s novitiate for a year studying a formation manual under guidance before the fraternity council deemed him ready for final profession.