franciscan - January 2001
© The Society of Saint Francis, 2000
Community Routes
Canterbury hails
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The Franciscan International Study Centre at Canterbury had a group of nine Anglican Franciscans in residence for the Michaelmas term. The brothers and sisters, pictured above, representing four Provinces (six SSF Brothers, one CSF Sister and two members of the Third Order), all studied at the Centre and lived as a household on the campus bringing together their different experiences of living in community. Fellow students were from many parts of the world including Poland, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, India and Ireland, over twenty nationalities being represented between staff and students. Benefits were not only the excellent courses but also a much wider appreciation of being part of the Franciscan family. They had “not only a home of prayer but also a home of learning” for a season |
Sharing love
Kairos is the prison version of Cursillo, a weekend of talks, meditation, worship, creative activity and loving
care, designed to share God’s love with those in prison.
Jennie CSF recently took part in a Kairos
weekend at Highpoint North prison for women. A team of twenty women spent four days with eighteen residents who
had chosen to live in a Kairos wing of the prison – committing themselves to looking at their way of life with
the possibility of a new beginning. Some prison officers gave up their weekend off to make the Kairos weekend possible,
and the course was supported by people all over the country, who prayed for the event, and wrote personally to
each resident taking part. Training days beforehand had helped to unite the team for their work, and a support
group outside the prison ensured that a meal was ready for the team and relaxation possible after the pressures
of a day inside. Jennie values the opportunity to let people in prison know that there are people who care for
them, and the excitement of seeing them begin to open up and change, and she hopes to take part in other Kairos
weekends in the future.
Exciting mission
In September Reginald and Sue were
privileged to be the chaplains for ‘Exciting Mission’, the Canterbury Diocesan
Conference at the University of Sussex, SSF having been approached for an ordained sister
or brother. The 400 participants enjoyed varied worship and excellent input: Bishop John Taylor’s bible studies,
Yale’s Professor Lamin Sanneh on ‘Mission and the Birth of World Christianity’, as well as contributions from Revd
Alison White of Springboard, and diocesan staff.
Sue and Reginald were invited to a lunch hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Both of them found the conference
enriching, and their presence was clearly valued.
Life Profession
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Rose made her profession in life vows on 9 September at St Matthew's Church, Brixton; Rose expects to
be
moving to live in the San Francisco house early in 2001. Desmond Alban made his profession in life vows on 24 September at St Michael's Church, Bartley Green, Birmingham; Desmond continues to live and work at the SSF house in Birmingham, though the whole Council estate is gradually being pulled down (and sometimes less gradually!) so the Brothers expect to me moving shortly. |
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Glasgow bound
Moyra writes:
In January 2001, I will be moving to Barrowfield, Glasgow, for a year, to share the life and ministry of Brothers
Amos and Robert Coombes, who are currently living there. The brothers will be in one flat, and I will be next door,
but we’ll be sharing common facilities between the two flats. I’m not going with any great plans for what I will
be doing there, but rather am waiting to see what I could best be involved in when I get there. I am very much
looking forward to this new and exciting project. As to what happens after this year, watch this space!
Cambridge ministry
Anselm left Cambridge on 1st November, as he retired from eight years of full-time parish ministry at
Saint Bene’t’s, and is spending six weeks at Saint Deiniol’s Library, Hawarden on a Franciscan bursary – taking
advantage of Bishop John Moorman’s collection of Franciscan books. After that, he is looking forward to being with
the brothers at Glasshampton for Christmas, and then to a spell at Freeland with the sisters – before moving to
Birmingham at the end of March.
Samuel, after a sabbatical spent largely in his old parish in Liverpool, will be moving to Saint Francis
House in January, where Corpus Christi College, the patrons of the living of Saint Bene’t’s, have nominated him
as vicar.
Franciscan Pilgrims’ Way
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On Sunday 17 September, the feast of the Stigmata of our holy father Francis, several hundred Franciscan brothers and sisters of the First Order and the Third Order of SSF, together with their Roman Catholic counterparts, walked as pilgrims from Saint George’s Cathedral, Southwark to Westminster Cathedral, with a pilgrim station at Saint Margaret’s Westminster en route. Damian SSF led an ecumenical service in Saint Margaret’s. They are here seen crossing Westminster Bridge. On arrival at Westminster Cathedral, prayers were led by Father Philip Docherty OFM Conv. |  |
The Year of the Millennium has been celebrated by Franciscans around the world through prayer and witness, and through a re-appraisal of our life as followers of Francis, the man of the Millennium.
Round up
Anselm moves to Birmingham in March ... Christopher moves to Glasshampton in January ... Malcolm
moves to Alnmouth in January ... Moyra moves to Glasgow in January ... Rowan Clare moves to Birmingham
in January ... Samuel moves to Cambridge in January.
The Editor humbly apologises to the five men who were admitted as novices at Glasshampton on 25 January 2000 but
not previously noted here: Stuart, Lincoln Harvey, Jason Matthias, Stephen and
Edward James; Stuart and Jason Matthias subsequently withdrew from the noviciate.
Wayne Martin was re-admitted as a novice at Alnmouth on 29 April 2000: he had previously been a novice
six years ago. f