Hilfield Camps 2010
'August is the month of the Camps at Hilfield - first the Families' Camp and then the Hilfield Youth Camp - and the big white marquee occupies it's place on the field above the Friary. Both of these camps have been going for many years and over this time we've been through a few generations of marquee canvas - in some cases three generations of families, too, as those who came to the first camp for families in 1970 are now coming with their grandchildren. For the Friary Community it's a time of relaxation as the Guest House is closed for the duration and we share in something of the holiday spirit of those living in tents. If you are interested in either the Youth or Families' Camps for 2011 please get in touch via the Friary office: hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk '

CSF House Metheringham - An Update
Work has begun at last on the new CSF house in Metheringham, which will be known as San Damiano.
Sr Liz has spent the last couple of weeks in Metheringham, organising some of the work that needs to be done on the house.  Builders, plumbers and electricians in abundance! Replastering of walls, replacement of drains and the installation of a damp proof course a but a few of the jobs that need to be done.
There has been fervent cleaning amidst the steady flow of workmen and never a dull moment, as drains overflowed and wires were accidently cut!  In the midst of the activity, the investigation of a rustling sound below the kitchen window revealed our very own hedgehog fighting its way through the undergrowth, which since our last visit in May has flourished with great vigour!  There will be much work in the garden to bring it under control!

Over the next few months one of the sisters will be ‘camping’ at the house to supervise the ongoing works and refurbishment. It certainly feels good to have begun at last and we hope that it will not be too many months before the house is ready for the three sisters (Judith Ann, Liz & Maureen) to move in; to begin to find their way around the locality and diocese and to make new friends as the house is blessed and opened for ministry.

'Br Maximilian was ordained to the diaconate on 1st July at Hilfield Friary by Bishop Michael Perham, the Bishop Protector of the European Province. On a gloriously sunny day, the ordination was attended not only by brothers and sisters from Hilfield and Compton, but also by 24 ordinands from the Diocese of Salisbury who were having their retreat at the Friary prior to their own ordinations to the priesthood in Salisbury Cathedral on the 3rd July. Maximilian was licensed to serve within the Society of St Francis and is presently based at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham where he lives and works with Br Paschal.'

CLARC Conference
Samuel SSF and Joyce and Helen Julian CSF were among two dozen leaders of Anglican religious communities who met for their annual conference recently in Whitby.
The conference was led by Stephen Ortiger OSB, a former abbot of Worth, who spoke from his own experience of being a leader of a religious community, and sparked some very worthwhile discussion.
As well as the input, and business sessions, the leaders visited Rievaulx, (pictured) where they celebrated the eucharist in the abbey ruins, and were also welcomed to the new monastery of the Benedictine nuns who have recently moved from Stanbrook to Wass, only a few miles from Rievaulx.

Annual Brothers Meeting 2010
Forty brothers from around the European Province, including our five novices, assembled at Hilfield Friary from the 1st till the 4th June for the Brothers' Meeting, an annual event to share news, to worship and pray together, and to discuss matters of common concern. This time we were looking at the subject of 'leadership' - what sort of leadership we hope for, and how we can share responsibility more widely among us. It's also our custom at this meeting to have a 'Franciscan Lecture' given either by a member of C/SSF or by some eminent visitor. On this occasion Br Nicholas Alan lectured on the spirituality of Angela of Foligno, a Third Order contemplative and mystic of the 14th century. We came away from the meeting encouraged and with renewed vision for the future.

From the UN Website:
World Environment Day (WED) 2010 aimed to be the biggest, most widely celebrated, global day for positive, environmental action.
Commemorated on 5 June since 1972, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.
Through WED, we are able to give a human face to environmental issues and enable people to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development.
WED is also a day for advocating partnerships among all stakeholders or perhaps, even more correctly, among all species living on this one planet and sharing a common future.
WED 2010 aimed to be the biggest WED celebration ever. The organisers called for action – asking people to organize a neighbourhood clean-up, stop using plastic bags and getting the local community to do the same, plant a tree or better yet organize a collective tree planting effort, walk to work, start a recycling drive . . . the possibilities are endless.
Following that call to action Hilfield Friary celebrated UN World Environment Day, putting on a display in the Rec room of the UN posters on this year's theme of biodiversity, and on the wall was a continuous slide show, from the UN website. The event was registered with the UN and was attended by members of the Third Order.
After introductions Richard a member of the wider Hilfield Community introduced those attending to the biodiversity of the Hilfield wild flower meadow. He told the group about Yellow Rattle, a plant that is parasitical on the grass, leading to a greater chance for the friary orchids to thrive. He introduced this plant from an ancient meadow at the Kingcombe centre, a few miles away.
The day continued with an environment liturgy in chapel, devised by Paul and Robert, other members of the wider Hilfield Community.

Before the event Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director said:

"Let WED 2010 be a moment-- of many moments in 2010-- when the history books record that the world took note, seized the opportunities and deployed its collective knowledge, abundant science and technology, financial acumen and prowess, intelligence and compassion to build a global society with value-environmental, social and economic."

For  highlights of the day worldwide go to the Un Website http://www.unep.org/wed/2010/english/DailyUpdates/

THE DAILY OFFICE SSF, 2010, Revised Edition Over the past forty years of liturgical revision in the Church of England, the Society of Saint Francis has tried to bring together the prayers of the church to which we belong and our particular needs as Anglican Franciscan brothers and sisters. In the course of this SSF has had considerable input into the forms that the Church of England as now adopted in Common Worship, Daily Prayer. In 2005, the Joint Meeting of the Chapters of the European Province commissioned the editing of The Daily Office SSF, to align it with Common Worship, Daily Prayer texts while retaining some of the familiar format, increasing the Midday Prayer provision as well as the Franciscan content. The revised edition 2010 is published by Mowbray, an imprint of Continuum. It puts things in the order in which they are likely to be used. The psalter is that used in Common Worship and is printed after Forms 1-7, followed by the Canticles. The book retains the format of connecting a day of the week with a season of the liturgical year for Morning, Evening and Night Prayer, but calls each day a Form number. Midday prayer is always of the day of the week. Included are Additional Liturgies; Special Occasions including vocation and creation; Prayers for Various Occasions; the Principles of the First Order and the Principles of the Third Order. The Table of Contents is quite comprehensive with the hope of making the book user-friendly. Copies may be purchased from Hilfield Friary Shop £18.95 plus £2.20 p &p. The shop is open Wednesday to Saturday 2.30 - 4.30 Telephone 01300 341345 email hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk Farewell Eucharist for the Community of St Francis at Compton Durville between 1962 - 2010

The beautifully decorated Chapel at Compton Durville was packed for the Farewell Eucharist on Saturday 22nd May 2010.  The Service celebrating nearly 50 years of the sisters at Compton Durville, was conducted by the Rt Revd Peter Maurice, Bishop of Taunton and was attended by friends and regular visitors to the Community. The glorious weather enabled visitors to wander around the grounds as they recalled memories of times spent with the Community in the peace and tranquillity of the beautiful Somerset countryside. Teas and refreshments provided opportunity for conversation and personal farewells. Brother Damian SSF was the preacher for the occasion and an extract from his sermon follows: 'Friends, we have prayed in the words of our collect for these our beloved Sisters from whom we have received so much over so many years here at St Francis Convent. Compton Durville has become a household name for all of us here present. It’s difficult to imagine this place without them. We prayed too that they (and we) may be filled with the Spirit for ministry in all the places to which you lead us. Again, Amen to that. Today we look back, today we must also look forward. A Franciscan community will always want to be centred on those ministries that Isaiah points towards in our first lesson: the oppressed, the broken-hearted, the captives, the prisoners. And CSF has certainly given a full share in such cares, recalling the ward, the pastoring, the encouraging, the sharing of the Scriptures with retreatants, the missions and quiet days, the hermitage, the hospitality, (garden weeks) all kingdom ministries based in God's justice and mercy, now we see bound up with Jubilee, through seven times seven years of service. Can I link then your seven times seven years of ministry here and declare today to be a day of Jubilee, of celebration, thanksgiving, recognition, and the promised reward - Freedom! I take a suspicion of mathematical licence as the Sisters actually came here from Dalston, Hackney Wick in 1962. Was it Fr Charles who proclaimed those immortal words as he spotted the fuschia hedge running beside the old Manor House, and discerned, "Sisters, here is your future." All of us will be offering our own special rivers of thanksgiving for what the Sisters have brought to enrich & advance our own stumbling pilgrimages. Many of us will be recalling how something said or done or given or prayed through has changed the direction of our lives......... A Reflection from a regular retreatant at Compton Durville The morning of the Farewell Eucharist: A reflection on what this place means to me: Over the years I have stayed at Compton Durville during different seasons of the year and for different lengths of time, over a weekend or up to eight days and ultimately for almost a month. The reasons for the visits have varied and started with coming as a guest on retreat and for Quiet Days led by the Sisters. I have come for particular holy days in the year, such as Ash Wednesday, with its call to penitence. I have come for time to talk with a Sister for spiritual direction and, recently, for a period of living alongside the Community as someone helping out around the place, particularly in the garden and for one week being part of the team expressing hospitality to the guests.     I bring to mind working in the garden and being let loose in such a beautiful place; seeing, daily, the changing variety of plants and flowers and appreciating the work and care that have gone in to maintaining it. The garden is such a celebration of God's marvellous and ingenious creation and I spend hours enjoying His extravagant abundance alongside the birds, the soil, the weeds, the insects, the wind, sun and rain and the bonfire.      Meal times are also a great treat with delicious food eaten together with good conversation and laughter or in companionable silence. I experience at first-hand the generous sharing of everything and the care taken not to waste anything and treat, for example, water with respect. It encourages me to think about the sense of guardianship of the world’s resources and take action to make changes in the way I live. I recall the constancy of the feeling of coming home as I drive down the lane and the unfailing warmth of the welcome to share in the routine ordinariness of living which gently weaves the thread of my life into the rhythm and pattern of prayer and time to be with God. I can picture the preparation of lighting the candles and releasing the fragrance of the incense. I sense the tone and movement of saying the Office, which lets the power of the words reach right inside. I appreciate that the time to think about the Bible readings has led me to more detailed Bible study. I feel enfolded by the reverence of the Eucharist where God has increasingly confronted me with the needs of the excluded and marginalised.  Above all, from my experience of prayer here, I have learnt to look out for the quietness, to listen for the silence and to stay in the stillness and wait for God.            I think I was originally trying to find out more about ‘being a Franciscan’. What I found is a steadfast and practical example of how to follow Christ, which the Sisters’ show faithfully each day through their chosen life-style, ministry, prayer and witness. It is a privilege to have a glimpse of the strength and dedication required for living in community in loving service of God and how the community works together. They inspire and encourage me to travel courageously along the pathway of my journey of faith as I seek to be drawn deeper into God.  I thank the Sisters for their friendship and I give thanks to God for them.   A reflection on my times at Compton Durville by Barbara Carpenter I wonder why I thought it would be easy to write this!  As I reflect on what the sisters of CSF at Compton Durville have meant to me there aren’t enough words – well not for this piece anyway! I first went to Compton about 25 years ago as a twenty-something Baptist deacon – I was nervous and slightly overawed by the whole experience, but I knew I had found somewhere where I could be myself with God. I returned many times over the years, in a whole variety of circumstances – leading retreats and quiet days, participating in deacons’ days, retreats and quiet days, spiritual directors gatherings, training days, for days to think pray and reflect on my own with God – and over the years the sisters have become friends as we have chatted, laughed, cried and prayed together.  There are many moments that stand out for me from those years – hanging all the curtains in the refectory and common room on Christmas Eve and the sisters trying to untangle themselves from the ‘knot exercise’ that we’d just done to name but two! I am grateful to God for all that I have discovered of him and his love through the ministry of hospitality offered by the Community in this place and I pray that God will continue to bless and use that ministry in the new ways he is leading. 'Who Leads us into Life' Sr Beverley CSF writes with her reflections of her time at Compton Durville : On the afternoon of the Farewell Eucharist at Compton Durville I found myself on car park duty,  something I had done many times; it turned out to be a great thing to do, for I was able to talk to many who had been part of my life at Compton, people whose lives had touched mine, memories of stories shared and moments where God had met with us. The service itself was one of thanksgiving for all that had been, tinged with sadness, with the reality of continued grieving over the loss of this place as a Franciscan Community House. Hope expressed through the lighting of candles and prayers with the visual banner in front of the altar' Who leads us into life'.  My memories of life in Community have been largely centred here, from my arrival as an aspirant in 1994, being clothed as a novice three months later, life professed in 2001 to name just a few. The ministry of hospitality has enabled many people coming here over the years, I move on 'sad and glad'.  The God of love who has guided us in the past and is with us now will draw us on into the future, with the Holy Spirit's guidance we will journey on into the unknown.

Novices Together
Desmond Alban writes:
Novices at Alnmouth and from the Order of the Holy Paraclete at Whitby have come together for study and formation no less than three times over the past year. The process began last October when we took one day of our annual CSF/SSF Novice Experience, held for the first time at Alnmouth, to visit St Hilda’s Priory. In January the OHP Sisters invited the three novices then at Alnmouth to come to the Priory for a residential Enneagram Workshop. I’m told they did learn something about the Enneagram, though a major highlight appears to have been their work together on building a snow nun, complete with veil, as the workshop took place in the depths of that harsh winter. Finally, in balmier weather, Alnmouth Friary hosted Samantha and Helena, with their Novice Guardian Heather Francis for a ‘return visit’ for five days in May. Alan Michael and I led two days’ study on the liturgy of the Mass and the Office and the sisters were also able to visit Holy Island and other sites of spiritual and historical interest north of the Tees.

CSF to open new house in Diocese of Lincoln

CSF is in the process of buying a redundant vicarage in the village of Metheringham in the Diocese of Lincoln, and hopes to open it as a new community house later in the year. Helen Julian, the Minister Provincial, said, ‘This is the final piece of the jigsaw in our move from Compton Durville, and we’re excited at the new opportunities which we anticipate will come with opening this house. We wanted to maintain a presence in a rural area, and in our search for a new house deliberately targeted dioceses which had no religious communities.’
The Diocese have been very welcoming, with the Bishop, John Saxbee, writing that he looks forward to CSF ‘forming a hub of prayer for us and our mission in the Diocese of Lincoln’.  Three sisters, Maureen, Judith Ann and Liz, will form the first household at Metheringham, and the intention is to offer hospitality to groups and individuals, largely as day visitors, as well as exploring possibilities for ministry more widely within the local community and the diocese.

Historic Ministers’ Meeting
Every eighteen months the Ministers of the various provinces of SSF and CSF meet somewhere in the world.  A little earlier this year they met for the first time ever in the recently formed Papua New Guinea Province, spending a little over a week at the Friary of St Mary of the Angels, Haruro, Oro Province. It was a particularly significant occasion for the CSF Ministers, who had never before met in the Pacific Islands (the SSF Ministers met in the Solomon Islands a few years ago).
After gathering in Port Moresby the Ministers flew to Popondetta, and were taken to the entrance to the friary, where brothers and other religious met them with garlands, singing and dancing. This wonderful welcome set the tone for a time of generous hospitality. A wind house, raised from the ground and with open sides to let in whatever breeze there might be, had been specially built for the meeting, and the guest house prepared for the Ministers. 
As well as the business of the meeting, there was time to get to know the brothers at the friary, to visit the friaries at Katerada and Martyr’s School, and to have tea with the sisters of the Community of the Visitation of our Lady, who live near Haruro. A tour of the friary grounds introduced the ministers to many of the crops grown by the brothers, a party on the last evening included wonderful local dancers (and rather less wonderful dancing by the Ministers!) and after the final eucharist a commemorative photograph was taken, to remind both Ministers and Haruro brothers, if it was needed, of an unforgettable meeting.

 News from Compton Durville
After nearly 50 years the sisters of CSF are to leave their house at Compton Durville. Sr Helen Julian, Minister Provincial, said, ‘For almost two years now we’ve been reflecting on our future as a community, and seeking to discern the way forward. In the course of this process, which has involved all the sisters, it’s become clear that the house at Compton Durville has become too large and physically demanding for us to manage. We explored a number of options, including that of continuing in only part of the plant, but the Number 1 Trust, which owns the buildings, did not feel able to let us do that.
We also explored options with a number of dioceses, and visited several properties. One of them seemed to fit our requirements almost perfectly, and we are now negotiating its purchase. It’s in a diocese which has at present no religious communities, and a part of the country where CSF has never lived, so along with our sadness at leaving Compton Durville and the Diocese of Bath and Wells is excitement at the prospect of bringing the Franciscan religious life to a new part of the country.’
CSF’s existing houses in Birmingham, Leicester and London will continue their present ministries. Nearly every house will see a change in those living in it, as the sisters presently at Compton Durville are dispersed around the province and a new group begins life in the new house.
The sisters gathered earlier this month at Compton Durville for the final Sisters’ Meeting there, an opportunity to look back, to share stories, laughter and tears, and to look forward to the future with hope and some trepidation.
The ministry of hospitality at Compton Durville will continue until Pentecost, and a service of thanksgiving is planned for late May.
More information about this service, and about the new house, will be posted here as they become available.

Extracts from the Sermon preached at Final Eucharist of the last Annual Sisters Meeting to be held at Compton Durville
on14th Feb. 2010: Preacher Sr Elizabeth CSF

We’ve been thinking about beginnings and endings.........  Franciscans have traditionally been mendicant, moving from place to place, always having to rely on God for our needs. We should, I think, take care that in more prosperous times we remain dependent on God.  A vow of poverty can be quite difficult to keep.  If you are like me, we keep this or that for the proverbial rainy day and so accumulate.
It’s very easy to take our life for granted  --  to think, I’ve joined CSF and that’s it,  but all through life, whatever stage we’re at, we have to keep going back to the beginning, putting aside what has been and starting again, realising anew our sense of vocation. 

Life is not straightforward; each generation has to rediscover life and all it contains. There are many beginnings and endings to go through for all of us. Will religious life change?  I expect so, in form and manner if not in essence. It must become relevant for each new generation. It behoves us to look at essentials and at the true character of Franciscans. I said Franciscans were mendicant. We’re not really that now, but we have to be ready to “up and off” when required. This requires a kind of sitting lightly to places and people which few of us can accomplish easily. 

What we have to see is that any ending is also a beginning,  presenting a new challenge, new opportunities and possibilities; and most importantly, that wherever we’re called to go, Jesus our Lord goes before us, and stays there with us. Some of us have moved about a lot and may move again. Take heart from the example of Francis and of Jesus himself, both of whom travelled about for much of their lives. At least we have somewhere to go, not like Jesus, “The Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”