The Brothers and Sisters of Penance of St. Francis
aka the BSP is a private Association of the Catholic Church whose members strive to model their lives according to the Rule and Statutes of the Primitive Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, which was written for lay people in 1221 at the request of St. Francis of Assisi. Christ said: "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me." We take it seriously.
The Brother and Sisters of Penance of St. Francis is headquartered in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and listed in the Official Catholic Directory.
The Association was founded in 1996 with the blessing of Archbishop Harry J. Flynn of St. Paul/Minneapolis for the express purpose of promoting the life of penance among lay people after the manner and according to the example and wishes of St. Francis of Assisi.