You will notice in this edition of the magazine that all the friars have been identified with the prefix Br. only. Up to now we have been using the prefix Fr. for friars who are priests and Br. for friars who are lay brothers. Going forward, we will be referring to all the friars with the prefix Br. Why the change?

Well, in a sense, nothing has changed. Our friars who are ordained to the priesthood are still priests exercising their office in parishes, chaplaincies, and so on. But we have made the decision to use the courtesy title “brother” for all the friars, both lay and ordained, in order to highlight their common vocation as Capuchin Franciscans. This is the standard practice in most other circumscriptions of the Capuchin Order around the world as well as in our headquarters in Rome. In religious life, what distinguishes the Capuchins and indeed all Franciscans from all other groups is our charism to live the Gospel in a spirit of evangelical brotherhood. In other words, it’s all about being a brother in the Church and to the world that matters most. The ministries we hold, including those offices of the Church conferred on us by the sacrament of holy orders, are secondary to our fraternal way of life.

Don’t worry—when you see our friars who are priests celebrating Mass at your parish, you can still call them Father. But if you really want to make their day and show them how much you respect their core vocation to live the Gospel like St. Francis of Assisi, call them Brother.