THE ANGLICAN GREYFRIARS
ABOUT US
We are Franciscans
In 1224, St. Francis of Assisi sent nine Friars under the leadership Agnellus of Pisa to England, in order to establish a new province of the Order of Friars Minor. On the 10th of September 1224, they landed in England and — beginning at Greyfriars in Canterbury (the ecclesiastical capital), then London and Oxford (the intellectual capital) — they travelled barefoot along the roads of England, establishing Friaries as they went, serving the poor wherever they went. Their thin, brown habits were not made for the British winter, so they quickly made new ones out of the grey, un-dyed wool of local sheep. These grey habits quickly earned the Friars the moniker “grey-friars/-brothers”, becoming synonymous with British Franciscanism. It is common to see places in our towns and cities known as “Greyfriars”, meaning that, at some point in history, Franciscans were present there. It was these same Greyfriars that went on to have a huge influence in Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
In January 1894, the Society of the Divine Compassion was formed by Father Andrew SDC in Plaistow, East London. As forerunners of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross, this was the first example of Franciscan Friars serving a specific deprived parish.
Similarly, in 1924 — 700 years after the arrival of those first friars — a young Anglican priest, The Rev’d George Potter (a.k.a. Father Potter of Peckham), founded the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross in Peckham, a slum parish in South London. Providence would have it that these simple friars working in their parish context among the poor, the homeless, and the needy, would also adopt the grey habit and knotted cord as a mark of their charism and heritage.
The founders of the Anglican Greyfriars have previously journeyed as professed members of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis, and within the Episcopal Church’s Community of Francis and Clare. It was in these Franciscan communities that our vision was born of a parish-focussed contextual expression of Franciscanism in the British Isles. From these roots, our vision of Franciscans serving in a local Anglican parish draws from the example of those early friars, the Oxford Movement, and other new expressions of Franciscanism emerging globally.
Seeking to follow their example, we strive to live a simple Franciscan life, striving to embody the Gospel through simple vows and openness to all, and are dedicated particularly to serving the poor and the marginalised, as well as the Creation that is in such terrible danger. We are a Missional Fresh Expression of these pioneers for the 21st Century.
We are Anglicans
Each member of the Anglican Greyfriars is over 18, and a Baptised and Confirmed member of either the Church of England (including the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe), the Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church, or the Church of Ireland. We hold doctrinally to the historic Creeds and Formularies of our respective Churches, upholding the Orthodoxy of the Christian Faith.
We dedicate ourselves to the Five Marks of Anglican Mission, which are embodied in our Way of Life:
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TELL — To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom;
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TEACH — To teach, baptise, and nurture new believers;
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TEND — To respond to human need by loving service;
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TRANSFORM — To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind, and pursue peace and reconciliation;
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TREASURE — To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Each member is an active part of their local parish church, their ministry being recognised in their parish, and by their diocese.
The members may be single, or in a faithful, committed relationship.
Each member is self-supporting financially.
Each member is to be responsible to their parish and diocesan contexts for safeguarding.
Whilst there is no here is no upper limit on a person’s age, you may wish to consider whether or not you are physically able to live our way of life.
We do not discriminate on the grounds of disability, but you do need to be able to conduct yourself in public ministry.
We are a Dispersed Fellowship
We are a group of people, of all genders, sexualities, and ethnic backgrounds who have chosen to live their Christian life in the way of St Francis and St Clare of Assisi as a contemporary expression of religious life. This Way of Life we hold together, but we express it most fully within our own context and situation of life.
We are not a traditional religious order: rather, we are religious solitaries who have chosen to journey together. Our first place of commitment is to our Parishes. Whilst we make common vows, we express these according to our local context and circumstance in consultation with our fellow Greyfriars.
We base our way of life on the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew, Chapters 5-7), seeking to live to this beautiful way of life that Jesus teaches us.
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We actively renounce, promiscuity, materialism, homophobia, ecocide, racism, position, violence, and power. We pursue, holiness of life, love, equality, social justice, fidelity, sustainability and obedience to the Gospel. We are an inclusive fellowship, non-hierarchical, and non-violent. We strive to minimise through our lifestyles our impact on the creation.
We seek to meet physically twice a year near the feast of Pentecost and close to the Transitus of St Francis. We also meet weekly online to pray and to share fellowship together. We may also choose to meet less formally for fellowship, pilgrimage and for training events as appropriate.
We commit ourselves to ongoing life formation believing that through study, prayer, mutual love, and support responding to the Holy Spirit in each of us. We will grow to be more like Christ.