Category: Latest News

Br Thomas Anthony’s Funeral

By admin in Latest News on April 29, 2026

A message from the brothers in Plaistow:

 

The Funeral and Requiem Eucharist for our Brother Thomas Anthony will take place on Wednesday 13th May at 2pm at The House of Divine Compassion, Plaistow. His burial will follow the next day at Hilfield after the noon Ascension Day Eucharist. We plan to hold the service in the garden, which Tom loved and tended, but if wet or too cold Plan B is that it will take place at St Philip’s Church nearby. We will give good warning if we decide to switch to the church.
All, of course, will be welcome, and we hope that the time we have set will allow people to come from our various houses. It would be helpful to know if you will be coming. We’ll be sending out invitations more generally to his friends with directions on how to reach us, strongly advising people to use public transport as on street parking around the house is restricted at that time.
Anyone wishing to attend the Funeral and Requiem Eucharist at Plaistow and/or burial at Hilfield should let those houses know directly.

Installation of Archbishop Sarah Mullally

By admin in Latest News on March 28, 2026

Br. Christopher John SSF (not pictured), Br. Micael Christoffer SSF, Sr. Sue Berry CSF, and Sr. Sophia Rose nCSF were deeply honoured and truly delighted to be present at Canterbury Cathedral for the Installation of Archbishop Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.

It was a profoundly beautiful and grace-filled occasion—marked by reverence, joy, and a deep sense of hope. In the stillness and splendour of the Cathedral, we were reminded of God’s faithful presence guiding the Church through every season.

We give thanks for the privilege of sharing in such a significant moment, and we hold Archbishop Sarah in our prayers as she begins this sacred ministry.

 

Sr Judi’s First Profession

By admin in Latest News on March 24, 2026

Sr Judi CSF made her First Profession in Vows at St George’s Church, Gloucester on Wednesday 18th March.
It was a truly beautiful occasion, shared with members of the Community of Saint Francis and the Society of Saint Francis, alongside Sr Judi’s family and friends.
Please pray for Sr Judi and give thanks for this joyous event.

SSF First Professed Conference at Wantage

By admin in Latest News on February 24, 2026

Simeon, Finnian and Tobias attended the latest gathering of SSF Brothers in First Profession, which took place in February at St Mary’s Convent in Wantage, Oxfordshire, home of the Community of Saint Mary the Virgin. The four-day group retreat included prayer, shared meals and additional opportunities for conversation and discussion. The CSMV Sisters gave a fascinating talk about their time in India in the 20th Century. They were based in Pune (previously spelled “Poona”) in Maharashtra, and their time there coincided with the presence of the Christa Seva Sangha, one of the forerunners of SSF. It was a joy to see an original copy of the rule of the Christa Seva Sangha written by Jack Winslow, much of which is still used today in the form of SSF’s Daily Principles.

 

New SSF Novices

By admin in Latest News on February 5, 2026

Three men were admitted to the Noviciate of the Society of St. Francis during Evening Prayer at Hilfield Friary on Tuesday 3rd February.

Our new Novices are: Br. Leo, Br. Jude and Br. Thomas Aidan, pictured below, in the front from left to right, with Br. Cristian Michael (Novice Guardian) and Br. Micael Christoffer (Minister Provincial of the European Province) behind.

Please pray that God will bless them in their vocations to SSF.

 

 

Website Issues

By admin in Latest News on November 15, 2025

There have been some technical issues with the website (which have now been fixed), which have prevented emails from being delivered in the last few months. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this has caused and to those whose messages have gone unanswered. Peace and all good!