The full Greenbelt festival may have been cancelled, but the Prospect Farm gathering is proving to be a great alternative.
Karen Russell TSSF, Jan Doyle TSSF, Hugh SSF, Hilda Mary CSC Maureen CSF are pictured here at the end of the first set of days at Prospect Farm. Hugh and Maureen remain and three more tertiaries will join them from this weekend until Monday.
Do come and say hello if you are “on the farm”! Their location is marked on the site plan as “Chapel”.
It is with much sadness that we announce the death of our former Minister General, Helen Julian CSF. She had been suffering from cancer for some time and passed away at the weekend.
Helen Julian was a gifted writer, the author of several books about Christian faith and Franciscan spirituality. Her works include ‘Living the Gospel’, ‘Franciscan Footprints’ and ‘The Lindisfarne Icon – St Cuthbert and the 21st century’.
As you remember Helen Julian in prayer, please also pray for her family. This is the family’s second bereavement, following the death of Helen’s mother early last year
A joyful day in East London, as Brother Tobias made his First Profession at St. Mary’s, Little Ilford. Benedict presided, Samuel preached and Joyce gave the readings. Brothers, Sisters, family and friends gathered in the lovely old church, parts of which are 12th Century. It was wonderful to sing hymns again after so long (albeit in masks). After the service the celebrations continued in the rectory garden, with refreshments and lots of cake!
Alnmouth Friary held its 60th anniversary celebrations at the weekend! The Bishop of Newcastle, Christine Hardman, joined proceedings and preached at an outdoor eucharist in the friary garden. Celebrations continued after the service with a buffet and picnic.
It’s a hugely important day in the Franciscan calendar: the feast of Clare of Assisi, founder of the Order of Poor Ladies (popularly known as the “Poor Clares”).
Clare is still loved and valued for her profound spiritual insight. She was the first woman to write a Rule for a Religious Order, and it stands out today for its kindness and practicality. She also wrote the most beautiful letters, perhaps the most famous one containing this remarkable advice to Agnes of Prague: “Place your mind before the mirror of eternity. Place your soul in the brilliance of glory. Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance”.
Her life story is a remarkable one. Chiara Offreduccio was born in 1194 into privilege, the daughter of the Count of Sasso-Rosso. The family had a palace in Assisi and a castle on Mount Subasio. The young Clare was deeply devout and would undoubtedly have been intrigued by the sight of Giovanni “Francesco” di Bernardone, the son of a local cloth merchant who had renounced his family’s wealth and was living the life of a “brother of penance”. At the age of 18 she heard him preach and her life changed. On Palm Sunday 1212 she committed herself to a life of prayer and poverty. She would have happily joined with Francis and the Brothers in their ministry but medieval Umbria wasn’t quite ready for that. Instead she embraced the life of a contemplative, founding a community for women at San Damiano. She died there on August 11th 1253.
SSF and CSF particularly uphold our OSC Sisters at Freeland in Oxfordshire on this special day.
“Always be lovers of God and your souls and the souls of your Sisters, and always be eager to observe what you have promised the Lord. May the Lord be with you always and, wherever you are, may you be with Him always. Amen.”
We have a couple of important anniversaries coming up! Later this month we will be celebrating 60 years of Franciscan witness at Alnmouth Friary. Towards the end of the year, Hilfield will be marking its centenary! We will keep you updated with all the events surrounding these two joyful occasions.
During the course of the pandemic we have all had to make substantial adjustments to the way we live whilst trying to maintain as much ‘normality’ as possible. For many Sisters and Brothers this has meant getting to grips with communication platforms like Zoom or Skype. Br Joe (currently on extended sick leave) has enjoyed being able to use this technology to preach, lead quiet days, give spiritual accompaniment and, much to his delight, to provide input for collective worship for a group of schools in Oxfordshire – and all from his study in Edinburgh. He looks forward to speaking to them about St Francis as part of their collective worship (also via Zoom)!
The Church Times reports today (15th July) that those who racially abused members of the England football squad have been condemned strongly by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and General Synod. A statement issued by Synod reads: “… we wish to express our deep disappointment and concern that the achievement [of the England team] has been marred by disgraceful racial abuse.”
The Sisters and Brothers unequivocally endorse this statement and uphold in prayer all who stand against racism and discrimination. Here is a picture of our Bishop Protector (Bishop Christopher of Southwark)’ ‘taking the knee’ in Walworth last year following the tragic murder of George Floyd.
UPDATE: HILFIELD FRIARY NOW ACCEPTING SELF-CATERING GUESTS.
Hilfield Friary is now able to welcome guests on a self-catering basis at Bernard House and Juniper House. Please phone Suzi on 01300 341741 or email hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk for further information..
UPATE: METHERINGHAM
Metheringham is now accepting day guests and a small number of residential guests. Please contact Sister Maureen for further details: metheringhamcsf@fransciscans.org.uk
UPDATE: ALNMOUTH
Alnmouth Friary is now accepting small numbers of guests in the chalet annexe. For more details please contact Brother Finnian: alnmouthguests@franciscans.org.uk
UPDATE: GLASSHAMPTON
Glasshampton Monastery is planning to reopen to guests from August 1st. Please contact glasshamptonssf@franciscans.org.uk for further information.
ELSEWHERE:
We will of course keep you updated as lockdown restrictions ease. In the meantime you are welcome to use the information on our Hospitality page for future reference, and to contact our houses for further information.
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