Welcome

The Hilfield Friary Community

Samuel SSF

Over the past year the community of Franciscan brothers at Hilfield has been supplemented by the arrival of others who have come to share in the life and work of the Friary. As well as young volunteers who are with us for up to a year we now have three couples (plus one small baby) and three individuals committed to being with us for a longer period, who are sharing in developing a new pattern of community living.

In one sense this development is a matter of expedience. With seven houses, several outbuildings and nineteen acres of land, the Friary is a large place to manage and care for and for some years it has been difficult to find younger brothers able to undertake this as well as providing hospitality for guests. Work for wayfarers was abandoned a few years ago, the Guest House reduced in size, ministry outside the Friary cut back, and the Hilfield Project established to undertake something creative with the land, but it was still too much for those who remained. We rejected the idea of brothers ‘back to base’, and for a time we even considered the possibility of leaving Hilfield.

In another sense, however, this development is the expression of a new vision of Franciscan community which has been coming into focus over a number of years, and which is mirroring what is happening elsewhere in the Church. People are feeling called to share in a life of prayer and worship, or radical hospitality, of care for creation, and to live this in community – but to do so without the institutional structures that have come to be a part of traditional religious life. This might seem to be a sign of the lack of commitment characteristic of contemporary society or a way of ‘having one’s cake and eating it’, but it could equally well be the work of the Spirit bringing fresh life to a flagging, or even dying, movement.

The development or re-foundation of the community is not without growing pains or risks. The five of us SSF brothers who are now living at Hilfield could feel a bit swamped by the influx of others ‘taking over’; the direction of the place could be hijacked by those who haven’t experienced the formation of a Franciscan novitiate and it could lose its particular Franciscan identity. People without a life-long intention or commitment can go as well as come and we could be left suddenly in the lurch. Those living with us for a limited time, especially couples with children, are going to have different needs to brothers who are vowed to celibacy and poverty, so there are financial and other implications too. Yet here we are, trusting that this is the way forward under God.

It seems to me that there are three essentials in response to such risks, the first of which is that a life of prayer and worship is maintained as central to the community. We continue with the rhythm of prayer time, daily office and Eucharist which is part of the SSF First Order rule; others join the brother for more or less of the liturgy and share in officiating, reading, interceding, preaching and preparing worship – indeed we often need to rely on them to keep the pattern going. We make room too, for other less formal kinds of prayer and bible study. Without this centrality of prayer the community would be in danger of losing its Christ-centredness – the very thing which attracts people to Hilfield in the first place.

The second essential is some clarity in understanding what we are about, for life in community can never be an end in itself. Hilfield, from the beginning of Franciscan life here, has always been a place of care for people and of radical hospitality, especially for those on the margins of society. The guest ministry for both individuals and groups continues, and we are beginning to welcome again people who come with particular needs of sanctuary, rehabilitation, or renewal. The focus on paying attention to the land and on its ‘kindly use’ for producing food is, we believe, a true expression of our Franciscan view of creation as a blessing and as a family of which we are a part, rather than just as a location where we happen incidentally to live, a place simply for our own convenience. The title of the Peace and Environment Project, set up in 2006 to put this into practice, has been adjusted slightly to that of The Hilfield ‘Programme’, in order to emphasise that this is now an expression of the whole Hilfield Friary Community – its mission – rather than something separate and running in parallel to it. Having various types of accommodation available to visitors, self-catering as well as the Guest House and rooms for day groups, means that we can offer a programme of study and reflection which shares with others something of our Franciscan ecology or ‘household wisdom’.

Lastly, for this new type of community to succeed, those who come to join us must be invited to play a full part in carrying responsibility for the life, rather than being seen just as ‘brothers’ helpers’. While ultimate responsibility for Hilfield remains for the foreseeable future with the First Order SSF Provincial Chapter and the Minister, the Hilfield Local Chapter consists of both brothers and longer-term community members and takes decisions about all essential day-to-day matters. The whole community, including those who live locally and come in to help us in any way, also meets together regularly to share concerns and ideas, a kind of formation programme which shapes the vision of who we are and what we are about.

It could be said that the wheel at Hilfield has come full circle, since in the 1920’s under Br Douglas’ leadership the early community at Flowers Farm consisted both of those committed to a form of traditional religious life and also of others, including couples, who shared in the work of the market garden and of rehabilitation of men on the road. Out of that initiative (not without its critics who claimed that it wasn’t ‘proper’ religious life) there issued a flowering of which today’s Society of St Francis in its three orders is the fruit. Who knows where this present development will lead us?

This Advisory Council – what is its function?
An article published in May 2010 franciscan describes the changing scene of the Religious life in the Anglican perspective:
It has become accepted that there is a decline in vocations to the various established religious orders, that is, in the West. The reasons are multiple, for society itself has been through a revolution over the last fifty years. There is no going back, at least that is hardly the track record of the Holy Spirit!

Sitting on what is known as the Advisory Council of the Church of England over the last three sessions of General Synod (that’s nearly 15 years) it has become clear that our agenda has been rapidly changing also. Yes, we have heard of Communities down-sizing, joining together or closing, transfers and secularisations. But there is a vibrancy in the air as new items come up for discussion. The Single Consecrated Life is one of several new opportunities being explored. Let me mention a few others.

To welcome and encourage those in newly formed communities the Council has set out criteria for Acknowledged Communities. Both the Church Missionary Society and the Church Army have sought encouragement from the Council as each has felt called to draw strength from what a former Secretary of CMS, John V Taylor described as a call to a new obedience to those God has given us already. This is not necessarily to poverty and celibacy but rather, as they would say, Christ’s mission today should be based in community, being salt and spreading light. To be fair, their common life, while not a corporate life as such, is much more precisely earthed. However, recognising that we are living in an increasingly dangerous world, their experience with and ministry to other Faiths, offered by a special community committed to each other, makes purposeful and practical sense.

Others are being called, together, to offer a ministry to lost souls in London’s lonely streets, for which prayer and support are essential components. This may describe the newly formed Moot Community in their calling.

In the North-East, and spreading fast is the Northumbria Community, ecumenically constituted, bound in covenant within the love of Christ, embracing within a rule of life attitudes of availability and vulnerability.

Here at Hilfield Friary where there are only six resident friars in 20 acres of land, our dozen or more volunteers make an annual commitment to the community and have become an essential part of our continuing traditional ministry of prayer and hospitality We have become amazingly transformed by their presence (not just because they are youthful) so that together we can show a greater care for those on the margins, and a deeper respect for the good use of the land. With prayer and our extended fraternity we are able to plant in the soil beneath our feet and into the hearts of those we encounter.

Patterns are changing. Change is uncomfortable. Without change there is only lingering death. Those of us well established in religious life (and happy in it) may be disappointed in what appears to be left out. However, we might recall that it is only through death can there be resurrection, and a new generation of Easter people. One thing must remain constant: the time and attention given to prayer for the whole point of our dedication – in whatever our particular calling – is to be close to God, through Christ, drawing our energy and wisdom from the Holy Spirit.
Damian SSF (Hilfield Friary, Dorset)

Epilogue

Sr Rosemary, of the Community of the Holy Name in Derby and a member of the General Synod, offers this briefest of homilies of the Scripture verses that most aptly describe the call to the Religious Life: THE TREASURE AND THE PEARL (Matthew 13: 44-45)

One of our older Sisters gave me a new way of reading this familiar passage. She said, “We are the treasure for which our Lord gave everything he had.” In Jesus we see the depth of God’s longing for us.

Because we have felt something of that longing, and begun to respond to it, we have been drawn to become Christian, to become Religious. But the thorns of our other cares and preoccupations stifle our response and hold us back from what we most deeply desire.

Our life’s work is to let all that binds us be cleared away, until our longing for God can grow and reach out until it meets and is united with God’s longing for us.



		The Hilfield Friary Community Samuel SSF Over the past year the community of Franciscan brothers at Hilfield has been supplemented by the arrival of others who have come to share in the life and work of the Friary. As well as young volunteers who are with us for up to a year we now have three couples (plus one small baby) and three individuals committed to being with us for a longer period, who are sharing in developing a new pattern of community living. In one sense this development is a matter of expedience. With seven houses, several outbuildings and nineteen acres of land, the Friary is a large place to manage and care for and for some years it has been difficult to find younger brothers able to undertake this as well as providing hospitality for guests. Work for wayfarers was abandoned a few years ago, the Guest House reduced in size, ministry outside the Friary cut back, and the Hilfield Project established to undertake something creative with the land, but it was still too much for those who remained. We rejected the idea of brothers ‘back to base’, and for a time we even considered the possibility of leaving Hilfield. In another sense, however, this development is the expression of a new vision of Franciscan community which has been coming into focus over a number of years, and which is mirroring what is happening elsewhere in the Church. People are feeling called to share in a life of prayer and worship, or radical hospitality, of care for creation, and to live this in community – but to do so without the institutional structures that have come to be a part of traditional religious life. This might seem to be a sign of the lack of commitment characteristic of contemporary society or a way of ‘having one’s cake and eating it’, but it could equally well be the work of the Spirit bringing fresh life to a flagging, or even dying, movement. The development or re-foundation of the community is not without growing pains or risks. The five of us SSF brothers who are now living at Hilfield could feel a bit swamped by the influx of others ‘taking over’; the direction of the place could be hijacked by those who haven’t experienced the formation of a Franciscan novitiate and it could lose its particular Franciscan identity. People without a life-long intention or commitment can go as well as come and we could be left suddenly in the lurch. Those living with us for a limited time, especially couples with children, are going to have different needs to brothers who are vowed to celibacy and poverty, so there are financial and other implications too. Yet here we are, trusting that this is the way forward under God. It seems to me that there are three essentials in response to such risks, the first of which is that a life of prayer and worship is maintained as central to the community. We continue with the rhythm of prayer time, daily office and Eucharist which is part of the SSF First Order rule; others join the brother for more or less of the liturgy and share in officiating, reading, interceding, preaching and preparing worship – indeed we often need to rely on them to keep the pattern going. We make room too, for other less formal kinds of prayer and bible study. Without this centrality of prayer the community would be in danger of losing its Christ-centredness – the very thing which attracts people to Hilfield in the first place. The second essential is some clarity in understanding what we are about, for life in community can never be an end in itself. Hilfield, from the beginning of Franciscan life here, has always been a place of care for people and of radical hospitality, especially for those on the margins of society. The guest ministry for both individuals and groups continues, and we are beginning to welcome again people who come with particular needs of sanctuary, rehabilitation, or renewal. The focus on paying attention to the land and on its ‘kindly use’ for producing food is, we believe, a true expression of our Franciscan view of creation as a blessing and as a family of which we are a part, rather than just as a location where we happen incidentally to live, a place simply for our own convenience. The title of the Peace and Environment Project, set up in 2006 to put this into practice, has been adjusted slightly to that of The Hilfield ‘Programme’, in order to emphasise that this is now an expression of the whole Hilfield Friary Community – its mission – rather than something separate and running in parallel to it. Having various types of accommodation available to visitors, self-catering as well as the Guest House and rooms for day groups, means that we can offer a programme of study and reflection which shares with others something of our Franciscan ecology or ‘household wisdom’. Lastly, for this new type of community to succeed, those who come to join us must be invited to play a full part in carrying responsibility for the life, rather than being seen just as ‘brothers’ helpers’. While ultimate responsibility for Hilfield remains for the foreseeable future with the First Order SSF Provincial Chapter and the Minister, the Hilfield Local Chapter consists of both brothers and longer-term community members and takes decisions about all essential day-to-day matters. The whole community, including those who live locally and come in to help us in any way, also meets together regularly to share concerns and ideas, a kind of formation programme which shapes the vision of who we are and what we are about. It could be said that the wheel at Hilfield has come full circle, since in the 1920’s under Br Douglas’ leadership the early community at Flowers Farm consisted both of those committed to a form of traditional religious life and also of others, including couples, who shared in the work of the market garden and of rehabilitation of men on the road. Out of that initiative (not without its critics who claimed that it wasn’t ‘proper’ religious life) there issued a flowering of which today’s Society of St Francis in its three orders is the fruit. Who knows where this present development will lead us? This Advisory Council – what is its function? An article published in May 2010 franciscan describes the changing scene of the Religious life in the Anglican perspective: It has become accepted that there is a decline in vocations to the various established religious orders, that is, in the West. The reasons are multiple, for society itself has been through a revolution over the last fifty years. There is no going back, at least that is hardly the track record of the Holy Spirit! Sitting on what is known as the Advisory Council of the Church of England over the last three sessions of General Synod (that’s nearly 15 years) it has become clear that our agenda has been rapidly changing also. Yes, we have heard of Communities down-sizing, joining together or closing, transfers and secularisations. But there is a vibrancy in the air as new items come up for discussion. The Single Consecrated Life is one of several new opportunities being explored. Let me mention a few others. To welcome and encourage those in newly formed communities the Council has set out criteria for Acknowledged Communities. Both the Church Missionary Society and the Church Army have sought encouragement from the Council as each has felt called to draw strength from what a former Secretary of CMS, John V Taylor described as a call to a new obedience to those God has given us already. This is not necessarily to poverty and celibacy but rather, as they would say, Christ’s mission today should be based in community, being salt and spreading light. To be fair, their common life, while not a corporate life as such, is much more precisely earthed. However, recognising that we are living in an increasingly dangerous world, their experience with and ministry to other Faiths, offered by a special community committed to each other, makes purposeful and practical sense. Others are being called, together, to offer a ministry to lost souls in London’s lonely streets, for which prayer and support are essential components. This may describe the newly formed Moot Community in their calling. In the North-East, and spreading fast is the Northumbria Community, ecumenically constituted, bound in covenant within the love of Christ, embracing within a rule of life attitudes of availability and vulnerability. Here at Hilfield Friary where there are only six resident friars in 20 acres of land, our dozen or more volunteers make an annual commitment to the community and have become an essential part of our continuing traditional ministry of prayer and hospitality We have become amazingly transformed by their presence (not just because they are youthful) so that together we can show a greater care for those on the margins, and a deeper respect for the good use of the land. With prayer and our extended fraternity we are able to plant in the soil beneath our feet and into the hearts of those we encounter. Patterns are changing. Change is uncomfortable. Without change there is only lingering death. Those of us well established in religious life (and happy in it) may be disappointed in what appears to be left out. However, we might recall that it is only through death can there be resurrection, and a new generation of Easter people. One thing must remain constant: the time and attention given to prayer for the whole point of our dedication – in whatever our particular calling – is to be close to God, through Christ, drawing our energy and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Damian SSF (Hilfield Friary, Dorset) Epilogue Sr Rosemary, of the Community of the Holy Name in Derby and a member of the General Synod, offers this briefest of homilies of the Scripture verses that most aptly describe the call to the Religious Life: THE TREASURE AND THE PEARL (Matthew 13: 44-45) One of our older Sisters gave me a new way of reading this familiar passage. She said, “We are the treasure for which our Lord gave everything he had.” In Jesus we see the depth of God’s longing for us. Because we have felt something of that longing, and begun to respond to it, we have been drawn to become Christian, to become Religious. But the thorns of our other cares and preoccupations stifle our response and hold us back from what we most deeply desire. Our life’s work is to let all that binds us be cleared away, until our longing for God can grow and reach out until it meets and is united with God’s longing for us.