The Little Brothers of Francis are one of the family of

Franciscan orders in the Anglican Communion Franciscan spirituality in Protestantism refers to spirituality in Protestantism inspired by the Catholic friar Saint Francis of Assisi. Emerging since the 19th century, there are several Protestant adherent and groups, sometimes organised as ...

. Whilst most Franciscans follow the First Order, Second Order, or Third Order Rule, the Little Brothers follow a lesser known Rule of Life (also composed by

St Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a Mysticism, mystic Italian Catholic Church, Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most vener ...

) 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 lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...

in the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of 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 prayer or meditation. Etymology The word ''contemplation'' is derived from the Latin word '' ...

order of

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...

s within the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the R ...

. The community was founded by three former members of the

Society of St Francis The Society of Saint Francis (SSF) is an international Franciscan religious order within the Anglican Communion. It is the main recognised Anglican Franciscan order, but there are also other Franciscan orders in the Anglican Communion. Backgroun ...

in 1987. They were Brothers Geoffrey Adam, Wayne, and Howard. 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 and rabbits. They publish a newsletter twice a year - the ''Bush Telegraph''.

External links

The webpage of the community
{{Anglican orders Anglican religious orders established in the 20th century Franciscan spirituality in Protestantism