Order of Friars Minor Conventual

The Order of Friars Minor Conventual, abbreviated O.F.M. Conv. and also called Conventual Franciscans or Minorites, is a male religious fraternity of the Catholic Church and one of the three branches of the Franciscan Order founded by Francis of Assisi in 1209. The Conventuals emerged as a distinct branch after disputes within the Franciscan movement over the interpretation of the vow of poverty, accepting papal dispensations that permitted corporate property ownership and community based urban ministry, and became formally established as a separate fraternity in 1517. Friars typically wear black or grey habits with white cords and engage in missionary, educational and parish work through provinces dating to the thirteenth century, with the order's headquarters at Piazza SS. Apostoli in Rome and about 4,076 members, including 2,803 priests, as of 2020.