Franciscans Care Agreement

As members of the USF community we commit, not only to our mission and Franciscan Values, but more importantly, to each other. St. Francis of Assisi, that perfect follower of Jesus, showed that our lives are intertwined, inter-dependent and grounded in Jesus’ commandment of love:

Let [us] love one another, as the Lord says: “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” Let [us] express the love [we] ​​​​​​​have by our deeds…[1].

As we have adapted our personal lives during the pandemic, we have new opportunities to express our care, concern and compassion for each other in a workplace influenced by COVID-19. Let us re-commit to our Franciscan Values in the following ways to express our “Franciscans Care” approach to this moment as members of the USF community:

​​​​​​​As a sign of my care for the well-being of myself and my co-workers, I will attempt to:

Reverence the unique dignity of each person by

• Finding creative and touchless ways to greet others
• Respecting the personal space of others and practicing social distancing

Encourage a trustful, prayerful community of learners by

• Prioritizing email and conferencing requests to co-workers during work hours unless absolutely necessary
• Prioritizing virtual or walking meetings with social distancing

Serve one another, society and the Church by

• Practicing good hygiene: frequent hand washing/hand sanitizing, coughing/sneezing into the bend of the arm or a tissue
• Daily disinfecting my workspace
• Being willing to wear a face covering if required (available in Trinity Mail Room)

Foster peace and justice by

• Self-monitoring daily for COVID-19 symptoms
• Staying home if I exhibit COVID-19 symptoms and reporting to my immediate supervisor
• Journaling general activity at each day’s end for potential contact tracing

Respect creation by

• Mitigating surface contact with doors, railings and other high contact areas
• Ensuring the safety of children and pets by not bringing them to the campus

In these ways I will show that Franciscans care.

Download Franciscans Care Agreement

[1] The Earlier Rule XI:5-6a (adapted) as found in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Vol. 1: The Saint. Armstrong, Hellmann and Short, eds. New York: New City Press, 1999, p. 72.