The Little Brothers of Francis are one of the family of

Franciscan orders in the Anglican Communion Emerging since the 19th century, there are several Protestant adherent and groups, sometimes organised as religious orders, which strive to adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of Saint Francis of Assisi. The 20th century High C ...

. They are based in New South Wales, Australia. Whilst most Franciscans follow the First Order, Second Order, or Third Order Rule, the Little Brothers follow a lesser known

Rule of Life Religious institutes generally follow a rule of life, i.e., one of the great religious rules as guidance to their life and growth in their religious journey. These are: the Rule of St. Basil, the Rule of Saint Benedict, the Rule of Saint Augusti ...

(also composed by

St Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...

) for hermitages (friars living the solitary life, alone, or in small groups).

History

The 19th and 20th century saw the creation of a number of

religious orders A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their founders, and have a d ...

in the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. One late addition to Anglican religious life was the Little Brothers of Francis, a

contemplative In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with religious practices such as meditation or prayer. Etymology The word ''contemplation'' is de ...

order of

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

s within the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, originally known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In 2016, responding to a peer-reviewed study ...

. The community was founded in Australia in 1987. The founders, Geoffrey Adam, Wayne, and Howard, were former members of the

Society of St Francis A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

. Their vision was to develop a prayer-centred life in a rural setting.

Community life

Although not entirely self-sufficient, the Brothers have built their own buildings of stone and timber. They have a substantial vegetable garden and orchard and also breed sheep, goats, chickens and rabbits. They publish a newsletter twice a year - the ''Bush Telegraph''. Francisan Hermitage website
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External links

The webpage of the community

References

{{Anglican orders Anglican religious orders established in the 20th century Franciscan spirituality in Protestantism