The Testament of St. Francis as signum distinctivum of the Capuchin Reform
Every July, we celebrate Capuchin Family Day, coinciding with the date of the approval of our Reform, which was ratified by the papal bull Religionis Zelus on July 3, 1528. Therefore, every July 3—or on a nearby date if necessary—we gather to celebrate and give thanks to God for the gifts received by our spiritual family and its shared history.
We want to rekindle the sense of belonging to our spiritual family by fostering encounters, sharing, and practical collaboration among its members, both at the general level and within our local and regional communities.
The Capuchin family, in communion with the wider Franciscan family and with the whole Church, feels called to give thanks to God for its shared history; it sets out to strengthen mutual bonds and to live the present with greater passion, and earnestly invokes the power of the Holy Spirit to embrace the future with hope.
In 2026, as part of the Franciscan Holy Year marking the 800th anniversary of the passing of St. Francis, the Capuchin Day takes on even greater significance, as we are well on our way toward the 500th anniversary of the Reform (1528–2028). The spiritual pilgrimage toward such a significant milestone is not merely a commemoration of the past, but a living inspiration to rediscover the freshness of our origins and the awareness that we are still on the journey (Mentem illuminare et cor inflammare, p.7).
As we prepare for the 500th anniversary of the Reform, this year also marks the 800th anniversary of the writing of the Testament of our Seraphic Father, composed shortly before his death. Therefore, on the tenth Capuchin Family Day, we invite you to reflect on the vital importance of St. Francis’s Testament in our spirituality as a Capuchin family.
Let us, then, reflect on that very Capuchin aspect that enriches the great Franciscan tree. We remember with gratitude that we are an extended family, united by a spiritual bond that encompasses some one hundred institutes of consecrated life, along with lay institutions and affiliated groups. We are all a living part of the same history of creative fidelity and continual renewal.
With this resource, we offer a simple way to facilitate gatherings for prayer and reflection as the Capuchin Family, drawing on the Testament of St. Francis. This resource is shared with the entire Capuchin Family throughout the world, wherever we serve and bear witness to the Gospel.
Every friary and convent, every fraternity, every community, every specific place is the setting in which to allow this simple initiative to keep alive the gift of being a family, adapting to different circumstances—even adjusting the date if necessary—while remaining attuned to the same spirit of communion and mutual support.
