Society of Saint Francis
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The Society of Saint Francis is a Franciscan religious order within the Anglican Communion.
[edit] History
During the Reformation all Religious Orders, including Franciscans, were banished from Britain. Not until the mid-nineteenth century were the first Sisterhoods founded in the Church of England, in response to the social needs of the time. Then came a revival of interest in Francis. The Community of St Francis (CSF) was founded in 1905 with sisters living in poverty and working in the East End of London.
Shortly after World War I, the Rev Douglas Downes, an economics don at Oxford university, and a few friends expressed their sympathy and concern for victims of the depression practically by going out onto the roads and sharing the life of the homeless men and boys, looking for work from town to town. In 1921, a Dorset landowner, Lord Sandwich, offered a small farm property (now Hilfield Friary), and here the group of friends was able to offer shelter to the exhausted wayfarers and others in temporary need of help.
In 1934, another small group (led by Father Algy) who had a clearer idea of forming a religious order joined Brother Douglas (as he liked to be called). Gradually the little community took shape, modelling itself more consciously in the Franciscan tradition of prayer and study, was well as working with the poor. It started to look like a religious order in formal sense, with habits, a chapel and regular worship. The Society of Saint Francis came into being, followed by the Third Order in 1936, and the Second Order in 1950 with the establishment of the Community of Saint Clare in Freeland, Witney.
Before long, invitations came to establish centres in other places and at the start of World War II, there were houses in south London and Cambridge. After the war other centres were opened in Britain. Establishments overseas followed and the Society now has friaries in the United States, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Other communities were made in Germany, Italy, Africa and the West Indies.
The Daily Office, SSF's office book, was among the first to be fully updated with the Common Worship lectionary, so was used in the wider Anglican communion.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
First Order (Society of Saint Francis, SSF)
First Order (Community of Saint Francis, CSF)
Second Order (Community of Saint Clare, OSC)
Third Order (TSSF)
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Active religious orders and communities of the Anglican Communion |
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| Brotherhood of the Ascended Christ | Brotherhood of the Epiphany | Brotherhood of St. Gregory | Chama Cha Mariamu Mtakatifu | Chita che Zita Rinoyera | Chita che Zvipo Zve Moto | Christa Sevika Sangha | Community of All Hallows | Community of Christ the King | Community of Jesus' Compassion | Community of Nazareth | Community of Our Lady & Saint John | Community of St. Andrew | Community of St. Clare | Community of St. Denys | Community of St. Francis | Community of St. John Baptist | Community of St. John the Divine | Community of St. John the Evangelist | Community of St. Laurence | Community of St. Mary | Community of St. Mary at the Cross | Community of St. Mary the Virgin | Community of St. Michael & All Angels | Community of St. Paul | Community of St. Peter | Community of the Blessed Lady Mary | Community of the Companions of Jesus the Good Shepherd | Community of the Divine Compassion | Community of the Glorious Ascension | Community of the Good Shepherd | Community of the Holy Cross | Community of the Holy Family | Community of the Holy Name | Community of the Holy Spirit | Community of the Holy Transfiguration | Community of the Reparation to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament | Community of the Resurrection | Community of the Sacred Name | Community of the Sacred Passion | Community of the Servants of the Cross | Community of the Servants of the Will of God | Community of the Sisters of Melanesia | Community of the Sisters of the Church | Community of the Sisters of the Love of God | Community of the Transfiguration | Congregation of the Sisters of the Visitation of our Lady | Daughters of St. Francis | Ewell Monastery | Fikambanan'ny Mpanompovavin l Jesoa Kristy | Korean Franciscan Brotherhood | Little Brothers of Francis | Melanesian Brotherhood | Oratory of the Good Shepherd | Order of Julian of Norwich | Order of St. Anne | Order of St. Anne at Bethany Convent | Order of St. Benedict | Order of St. Helena | Order of the Holy Cross | Order of the Holy Paraclete | Order of the Teachers of the Children of God | Sisterhood of St. John the Divine | Sisterhood of St. Mary, Bangladesh | Sisterhood of the Epiphany | Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity | Sisters of Charity | Sisters of the Incarnation | Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor | Society of Our Lady of the Isles | Society of Our Lady St. Mary | Society of St. Francis | Society of St. John the Divine | Society of St. John the Evangelist | Society of St. Margaret | Society of St. Paul | Society of the Franciscan Servants of Jesus & Mary | Society of the Holy Cross | Society of the Holy Trinity | Society of the Precious Blood | Society of the Sacred Advent | Society of the Sacred Cross | Society of the Sacred Mission | Society of the Sisters of Bethany | |
