The Community of St. Francis (CSF) is a

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 ...

Anglican religious order Anglican religious orders are communities of men or women (or in some cases mixed communities of both men and women) in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows which often include ...

of sisters founded in 1905, and is the oldest surviving Anglican Franciscan religious community. As First Order sisters, the CSF is an autonomous part 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 ...

(First Order brothers), which also includes the

Order of St. Clare The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

(Second Order sisters), and a Third Order of secular members living as a dispersed community. Living under a Franciscan

Rule Rule or ruling may refer to: Education * Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule perta ...

, the sisters' primary vocation is prayer, study, and work in the context of community life. Some sisters serve as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

s, and others live a solitary life.

History

The community was begun in 1905 by Sr Rosina Eleanor Rice, who left another Anglican religious order, the

Society of the Sisters of Bethany The Society of the Sisters of Bethany (SSB) is an Anglican religious order. The sisters follow the Rule of St Augustine. The mother house is now the House of Bethany in Southsea. Foundation The community was founded in Clerkenwell, London, by ...

, to found CSF. After a short period in Hull, the sisters moved to Dalston in East London in 1908, where they supported themselves by working in the parish, caring for the sick and dying, and running a laundry. In the late 1950s their house came under a compulsory purchase order, and in 1962 CSF moved to a house in the hamlet of

Compton Durville South Petherton is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, located east of Ilminster and north of Crewkerne. The parish had a population of 3,367 in 2011 and includes the smaller village of Over Stratto ...

, near

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. There they ran a nursing home for elderly women for some years, before changing their ministry to one of hospitality. CSF grew considerably, and new houses were founded in other parts of the country. In 2010 the sisters closed their house at Compton Durville.

Structure

The order is under the leadership of a Minister General, currently Sr Sue Berry CSF, who was elected in 2020. Under the Minister General the Order is divided into provinces, each governed by a Minister Provincial.

CSF European Province

The European Province currently has the following houses of the Order: * St Alphege Clergy House at

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

in south London. * San Damiano House at

Metheringham Metheringham is an English village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 3,605. It is about south of the city and county town of Lincoln and north of Sleafor ...

in Lincolnshire. * St Francis' House at

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

in the West Midlands. * St Matthew's House at

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in Leicestershire.

CSF American Province

The American Province, established in 1974, is currently located in a single house: * St Francis' House at

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in California.

CSF Korea

The semi-autonomous mission in Korea is not yet large enough to achieve provincial status, and the single convent at Gumi is part of the European Province, and under the authority of the European Minister Provincial.

References

*''Anglican Religious Life 2010-11''. Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2009 *''Franciscan''; issued by the Society of St Francis, Hilfield. (Three issues a year) *''Elizabeth CSF, Corn of Wheat'', Becket Publications, 1981 *''Barrie Williams, The Franciscan Revival in the Anglican Communion'', DLT, 1982

External links

Website for the European ProvinceWebsite for the American ProvinceThe Society of St. FrancisDetails from the Anglican Communion websiteWebsite for Anglican Religious Life
{{Anglican orders Christian organizations established in 1905 Anglican religious orders established in the 20th century 1905 establishments in the United Kingdom