Society of Saint Francis

Society of Saint Francis
Philip Halling · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Society of Saint Francis
Founded	1934
Founder	Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy; Philip Joseph Foster
Type	Anglican religious order
Headquarters	Hilfield Friary
Leader title	Minister General

Society of Saint Francis is an Anglican religious order within the Anglican Communion founded in 1934 that follows the Rule of Saint Francis and Franciscan spirituality. It combines contemplative life and active ministry across parishes, hospitals, schools, and social outreach, drawing on influences from St Francis of Assisi, Anglo-Catholicism, Evangelicalism, and ecumenical currents. The order has provincial structures and international houses linked to the Church of England, Episcopal Church (United States), Anglican Church of Canada, Anglican Church of Australia, and other provinces.

History

The origins trace to early 20th-century figures including Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy and Philip Joseph Foster and developed amid interwar ecclesiastical renewal movements tied to Oxford Movement, Anglo-Catholicism, and monastic revivals such as Community of St Mary the Virgin and Community of the Resurrection. Formal foundation in 1934 paralleled contemporaneous communities like Society of Saint John the Evangelist and responded to social crises exemplified by the Great Depression and aftermath of World War I. Post‑World War II expansion linked the society to missionary impulses associated with Church Mission Society, United Society Partners in the Gospel, and decolonization-era realignments affecting the Anglican Communion. Twentieth-century ecumenical contacts included the World Council of Churches and dialogues with Roman Catholic Church monastic orders such as the Order of Friars Minor. Contemporary history involves engagement with charities like Christian Aid and welfare institutions such as NHS hospitals and partnerships with dioceses including Diocese of London and Diocese of Durham.

Organization and structure

The society is organized into provinces and brotherhoods/sisterhoods modelled on earlier Anglican orders like Community of the Resurrection and Society of Mary. Governance features a Minister General comparable to superiors in Benedictine congregations and elected chapters akin to structures in Cistercians. Houses operate under rules and constitutions with canonical relationships to provincial bishops such as those in Province of Canterbury and Province of York. Membership categories reflect historical Anglican monastic patterns seen in Religious Society of Friends adaptations and include professed, temporary, and oblates similar to arrangements in Order of Saint Benedict communities. Financial and legal frameworks interact with charity regulators like Charity Commission for England and Wales and non-profit laws in countries including Canada, Australia, and the United States.

Charism and rule of life

The society’s charism emphasizes poverty, chastity, and obedience rooted in the Rule of Saint Francis and patterned after Franciscan precedents such as the Order of Friars Minor, Poor Clares, and Third Order of Saint Francis. Prayer, simplicity, and service unite contemplative traditions from Benedict of Nursia and Franciscan penitential practices found in writings of St Francis of Assisi and commentators like Thomas of Celano. The rule integrates Anglican formularies such as the Book of Common Prayer and spiritual resources from figures like John Wesley, Julian of Norwich, and Richard Baxter. Formation programs echo methods used by Ridley Hall, Cambridge and Westcott House, Cambridge while reflecting pastoral priorities seen in social gospel movements and settlement work linked to institutions like Toynbee Hall.

Ministries and activities

Ministries encompass parish ministry, retreat leadership, chaplaincy in hospitals and universities, involvement in homelessness services, and ecological initiatives that resonate with movements like Creation Care and encyclicals such as Laudato si’. The society runs retreat centres comparable to Lindisfarne and hospices engaging with health providers like St Thomas' Hospital and educational collaborations with colleges such as King's College London and University of Oxford. Social outreach aligns with agencies such as Shelter (charity), Crisis (charity), Oxfam, and local diocesan projects, and advocacy themes intersect with campaigns by Amnesty International and CAFOD. Ecumenical and interfaith partnerships have connected houses to Taizé Community rhythms and dialogues with World Council of Churches commissions.

Habit, worship, and spirituality

Members wear a simple habit reflective of Franciscan dress and liturgical practices including the daily offices drawn from the Book of Common Prayer and contemporary resources like Common Worship. Worship life includes the Eucharist, daily prayer, lectio divina traditions linked to Desert Fathers, and devotions associated with Stations of the Cross. Spiritual formation uses writings from St Francis of Assisi, Bonaventure, St Clare of Assisi, and modern Anglican spiritual writers such as C.S. Lewis and Graham Kendrick in music. Liturgical music may draw on hymnody found in Hymns Ancient and Modern and choral traditions linked to cathedrals like St Paul’s Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral.

Notable members and leadership

Leaders and influential members include founders and subsequent Ministers General who intersected with church figures like Michael Ramsey, William Temple, John Stott, and N.T. Wright. The society’s network has overlapped with clergy and laity notable in Anglican life including Desmond Tutu, Rowan Williams, Justin Welby, and theologians connected to Oxford Movement scholarship such as Edward Pusey and John Keble. Ecumenical engagement involved personalities from Taizé Community and dialogue partners from Roman Catholic Church orders. Members have also collaborated with public figures in social policy like Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill, and activists from Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Global presence and provinces

The society has provinces and houses across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and other parts of the Anglican Communion. Provincial centers operate alongside diocesan institutions in cities such as London, Oxford, Edinburgh, New York City, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland, Nairobi, Kampala, and Cape Town. International links mirror relations between provinces like Province of the Episcopal Church in South Sudan and mission networks exemplified by Church Mission Society and United Society Partners in the Gospel.

Category:Anglican orders and communities