Anglican Communion News Service

The Anglican Franciscan Third Order meeting at the Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury, UK, grew by over a hundred members overnight. Its international Chapter voted enthusiastically for the inclusion of The Order of St Francis from the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil as part of its Province of the Americas.

The Brazilian Franciscans' provincial secretary, the Reverend Francisco Sales, was welcomed to the meeting, and the Brazilians were formally admitted to the Anglican Third Order at the liturgy on Wednesday 31 August.

The Third Order have elected Dorothy Brooker, a priest in Aotearoa / New Zealand, as their Minister General in succession to Keith Slater, Bishop of Grafton in Australia who has completed a six-year term. Dorothy is the first woman elected as its Minister General.

The meeting of Franciscans from the worldwide Franciscan family took place at the Centre from 25 August to 5 September. Brothers and Sisters of the First Order held their own Chapter meetings at the same time. Abbess Patricia of the Anglican Community of St Clare, part of the Society of St Francis and George Connor, Bishop of Dunedin in the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Melanesia, Protector General of the three Franciscan Orders were present.

Speaking to all of them have been members of Roman Catholic Franciscan Orders: Fr Adam Bunnell of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) Conventual spoke about the work and ministry of the Franciscan International Centre for Dialogue in Assisi of which he is the Director; Fr John Quigley OFM told the Chapters about the work of Franciscans International (FI) of which he is executive Director, a non-governmental organisation working at the United Nations in Geneva. Significantly, FI is the one body which brings together all branches of the worldwide Franciscan family. Sr Frances Teresa of the Order of St Clare led the Chapters' thinking on Holistic living in the Style of Francis and Clare. The Very Revd Jim Puglisi SA, vice president of the Association of Third Orders Regular, also shared in the gathering.

The Third Order numbers around three thousand members worldwide, some 2200 of them in its European Province alone. There are also Provinces of: the Americas, Australia, Aotearoa-New Zealand and Africa. The Order's members seek to live out their Christian discipleship in the inspiration of the way of St Francis and St Clare of Assisi.

Editors:

The Society of St Francis, of which the First, Second and Third Orders are constituent parts, is a religious community within the Anglican Communion.

Contact Alan Williams, Third Order communications coordinator for Europe, on 07976 056886 in the first instance for clarification or further information

Web site: http://orders.anglican.org/tssf/index.htm