The Poor Brothers of the Seraphic St. Francis (Latin: Congregatio Fratrum Pauperum Sancti Francisci Seraphici), abbreviated C.F.P.
The founder Johannes Höver (Hoever) was born in 1816 into a hard-working farm family in the hill country of Neuhonrath, now part of the town of Lohmar, Germany, near the city of Cologne.
Through his service in both organizations, he became aware of the terrible situation of poor and homeless boys in the cities of Germany at the height of the Industrial Revolution.
[2] Thus, on Christmas Eve 1857, he and four other tertiaries dedicated themselves to the service of God and of abandoned men, while living in community under religious vows.
[1] Within a few years, though, the pressures of leading the community and the demands of teaching, plus caring for his sons, led to the deterioration of Brother John's health.
Under the leadership of Brother John, and under the watchful eye and guidance of the diocesan clergy, to whom they were subject, the young Congregation grew rapidly and spread from its cradle in Aachen to other parts of Germany.
In 1866 the Congregation spread to the United States, where orphanages for boys were established in Teutopolis, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Cincinnati, Ohio (1868) and Cold Spring, Kentucky (1869), through a donation by Sarah Worthington Peter.
After 1888 the Brothers were allowed to return to Prussia and entirely new houses were founded: Hohenhof in Upper Silesia (1891); Dormagen on the Rhine (1902), Düsseldorf (1932), etc.