Faith and women in the Franciscan tradition

On the evening of February 13, Darleen Pryds, associate professor of Christian Spirituality and History, introduced Franciscan women of the past and how they persevered through the consequences of conversion, and how those women are still being remembered today.

Through an event of storytelling, truth telling and personal challenges, the leadership of lay women in the Franciscan Tradition was explored. Pryds focused also on the interactions of group in theology known as the Anonymous Laity, or those who interact with saints such as St. Francis and St. Rose behind the scenes and allow them to fulfill certain aspects of their lives.

Pryds emphasized the importance of faith and accountability of that faith through her various stories, including her first one, regarding St. Rose. She explained Rose as a young innocent child, courageous enough to ask her parents for a friar outfit, so she may preach in the streets.

“I gave extra credit to anyone in my graduate class who would take to the streets and preach like St. Rose did,” explained Pryd. “She was willing to be vulnerable and not only preach, but sing, and debate and just talk to those who traveled by.”

Pryd explained this is the reason St. Rose is so important. She was willing to take to the streets, bring home strangers she had met for what we now know as Bible study, and stick to her role as a radical truth-teller.

“What happens if we think our faith has room for leading and speaking women?” Pryds asks the crowd. She explains the answer is that faith now also has room to not only change, but grow and recognize these women speakers.

She went on to discuss Margaret of Cortonna. The story encircles this women who was in a domestic partnership with a man who was outside of her social status. She would never be able to marry him and yet she had a son with him. One day, after he had not come home from work, she followed a dog to the man’s beaten and lifeless body.

Margaret experienced a deep trauma that day. Because she had not been married to him, she was now completely disenfranchised. Even her parents would not take her back. Soon after, two strangers took Margaret and her son in and not only took care of them, but also listened to them and their trauma.

“I have no doubt that their deep listening and conversation are the things that let her to conversion,” explained Pryds regardimg what happened to Margaret soon after. In the end, Margaret grew to be a midwife, a spiritual director and a woman with a prominent role in Cortonna. So significant of a role, that the friars in the city became upset and found any reason they could to deem her unworthy of her position.

Margaret moved locations in the end, away from the friars. She worked through this difficult decision and simply moved on with her life.

Next, Pryds explained Angela of Foligno. Angela endured a challenging conversion to faith that left her family in shambles.

“Sometimes conversion completely disrupts relationships,” said Pryds. She explained Angela’s husband wanted life to be as it was before her conversion and the rest of her family shared similar feelings.

In a text that has been carried on through generations, Angela tells a truth and explains that when her family all died not long after, that she had secretly prayed for their deaths and regretted it in reflection later. It took courage for Angela to share this, for she had everything to lose at the time.

“I think if we’re going to be honest about Franciscan values and honesty, we have to include this,” said Pryds.

Pryds closed her event with three last significant figures, Veridiana, Margaret of Citte di Castello and Jacopa dei Settsoli. Each were women of great Franciscan conversions and truth.

Veridiana was a hermit in Florence with pet snakes. She encountered visits from St. Francis, who shared a mutualistic and deep understanding with her. In this case, Veridiana just wanted to be seen, and perhaps with Francis’ help, the two of them were able to be witnessed together.

“The human soul just wanted to be witnessed, seen and heard,” explained Pryds. “The art of listening deeply is so completely underrated nowadays.”

Margaret of Citte di Castello was abandoned multiple times in her life and it was until she was taken in by anonymous neighbors that listened to her, showed her compassion and took care of her, that she came to actually live.

“They did nothing less than save her life,” said Pryds.

Finally, Pryds mentioned Jacopa, who was a close friend to Francis of Assisi and took care of not only him, but also his funeral, when he died. On top of this, after she was widowed, she refused to re-marry and worked all on her own to raise money and help the friars. In the end, she bought them their first home and is known for baking Francis cookies often.

Fryds took into account all of these stories as she explains that in present day, we forget to tell these stories and therefore forget our past, which leads us to forgetting our present and future.

“We give away our spiritual authority,” Pryds stated. “I think when this happens, we do all of us a great disservice.”

In other words, we forget about the authority and strength which is possible through faith.