St Bene't's Church Cambridge
A Place of Prayer and Christian Worship for 1,000 Years
A Lively, Diverse and Inclusive Christian Community Today
The Franciscan brothers who served at St Bene't's until October 2005 were members of The Society of St Francis, an Anglican religious order founded in Dorset early in the last century and now with Brothers and Sisters in various parts of the world. They live under religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and follow the tradition of St Francis of Assisi, the Italian saint who lived at the end of the twelfth and the beginning of the thirteenth century.
St Francis never originally intended to found a new religious order, but simply to live the life of the Gospel: a life of discipleship of Jesus Christ following the gospel precepts of repentance, the surrender of all possessions, both individual and corporate, and the preaching of peace and reconciliation. He called himself a 'minor', meaning lesser person, seeking no privileges on account of his religious profession, but rather submitting himself joyfully to the authority of the Church and counting others better than himself. He took the term 'friar', or brother, because through Jesus he knew himself to be a beloved child of God and therefore to be in relationship with all people and all things as his brothers and sisters. For him this family relationship extended to animals and even to inanimate creatures, to 'Brother Sun' and 'Sister Moon' etc, so giving rise to his reputation as a lover of animals for which he is now so well known. His order, founded around 1210, grew rapidly, and since then Franciscan brothers and sisters have played an important part not only in preaching the Gospel and in the life of the Church but in the development of society, in intellectual achievement and in working for peace and justice in the world. In addition, a very large number of men and women are members of the Franciscan Third Order and follow the Franciscan Way in their own home and work situations. The Anglican Society of St Francis is part of this great tradition and has good relations with the much larger Roman Catholic Orders.
Here in Cambridge there were usually four brothers living at St Francis House, Botolph Lane, quite near to St Bene't's. As they knew themselves to be brothers of Jesus Christ so they sought to share that brotherhood with all whom they meet. They worshipped together four times a day (including the 8am Eucharist and 6pm Evening Prayer in St Bene't's) and welcomed others to join them. They sought to serve both the congregation of St Bene't's and other churches in the centre of Cambridge, and offered a ministry of hospitality to all who came to the door of their home. They were available to listen and gave spiritual guidance to those who were seeking the Way to Life, always on the understanding that they themselves were on a spiritual journey. They shared a common life together, owning no personal possessions, and were committed to working with and for those who live on the margins of our society - the homeless, the asylum seekers, the elderly and the vulnerable. As elsewhere they did this in company with members of the Third Order and with those who are Companions of the Society
In 2005, the members of the Society decided to refocus their mission, and moved on from St Bene't's, opening new houses to help other communities. We were sad to lose them, but grateful for the love and support they and we had shared in over the past several decades.
If you would like to know more about the Franciscan Way, or about any of the above please contact:
If you would like to learn more please follow these links:
First Order Brothers of St. Francis
Third Order Society of St. Francis