The Fasfhic – the Secular Franciscan Hospitaller Family of the Immaculate Conception – is the lay expression of the Franciscan Hospitaller Charism. It is an association of lay people who, inspired by the spirituality of Blessed Maria Clara and Father Raimundo, commit themselves to living their Christian vocation in the world, becoming an active presence of mercy and bearers of the joy of “doing good wherever there is good to be done”, being “leaven of hospitality” within families, workplaces, and communities.
Its Members are called to “be leaven”, assuming that the world is their field of mission and Hospitality their way of living. But what are the traits that define the face of a Member of the Secular Franciscan Hospitaller Family?
They live discipleship in the following of the merciful Jesus, becoming a presence that enlightens and warms the realities of daily life; they are a link that prolongs the Altar into life: beginning from communion, they “share the bread” at the table of their brothers and sisters, especially the most fragile.
Has Hospitality as a Life Project: Not only does one welcome, but one makes one’s own heart a “place of shelter and encounter”. To be FASFHIC is to live the Works of Mercy in the simplicity of daily life, transforming ordinary service into an encounter with God Himself.
Is Leaven in the Dough: Inspired by the boldness of Father Raimundo and the gentleness of Blessed Maria Clara, one sets out to “Do Good wherever there is Good to be done”. Where there is cold, one brings warmth; where there is darkness, one brings the clarity of the Gospel, lived with the simplicity of those who walk upon the ground of reality.
Lives an Open Door Fraternity: As a layperson, one is called to build communion. Their mission is to be a presence that looks and listens, treating everyone with kindness and strengthening, through Hospitality, fraternity with their brothers and sisters, especially the loneliest and most forgotten.
