stfranman Compassionate Living, FSF News/Events, Spirituality/Religion

The Legacy of St Francis

Note: Because tomorrow is the Feast Day of St Francis, this is a very fitting time to feature this post again. It originally appeared on March 20th.

Yes, it is St Francis of Assisi who was chosen to be front-and-center for this new ministry.

Yes, that St Francis.

There are two great urgencies that are at the heart of what the FSF is about.

The first is to make compassion the foundation for all that we do, for all our interactions with our fellows.

And the second is use to treat the Earth, our common home, with wisdom and that same compassion. And to extend this compassion to all of Earth’s inhabitants, not just to the Human species.

With these two urgent priorities in mind, Saint Francis was a most suitable choice as the icon and a wise, compassionate patron for the Fellowship.

Francis was an unfailingly wise, loving and compassionate figure in his time. His love for animals and for the Earth were noted by his contemporaries and by the leadership of the Church in the 13th Century and are the reasons that he is considered to be a special patron for animals and for the environment.

So it is very fitting to have this well-loved and venerated figure to lead the way, so to speak, for our fledgling Fellowship.

 

Brother Ben

The Fellowship of St Francis is a new and completely independent ministry and is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

© 2019 The Fellowship of St Francis, Inc.

stfranman Bible/Sacred Literature, Compassionate Living, FSF News/Events, Humane Treatment of Animals, Spirituality/Religion

What We Believe

The Fellowship of St Francis lists the following Six Principles and commends them to all People of Good Will:

The First Principle: On Compassion for All Compassion is the highest, purest and best motivation for People of Good Will in dealing with one another. Calling people of faith back to the practice of compassion is the first great urgency of the times in which we live.

The Second Principle: On Compassion for the Earth Compassion for the Earth and all who live on it–not only the human species–is the second great urgency of the times in which we live. St Francis is our unique example and modeled this compassion in his day and we aspire to do the same. Therefore, we commit to caring for our Earth compassionately and we use compassion toward all animals–whether wild or domesticated–at all times.

The Third Principle: On Prayer Prayer is the Universal attempt on the part of mankind to appeal to the Divine One(s) for comfort and help. Prayer–which may be seen as focused intention–is to be commended but not to be used as a thoughtless incantation or treated superstitiously.

The Fourth Principle: On Sacred Literature We commend Sacred Literature to all people of faith and people of good will and do not claim that the Christian Scriptures are authentic and binding but that Sacred Writing from all other religious traditions are invalid, counterfeit or sinister.***We especially reject the teachings from any religious tradition that say there are people destined for heaven and happiness but that other humans are accursed, condemned or damned and that eternal punishment in Hell is appropriate and the will of the Divine One. ***As to a general principle in interpreting or making sense of Sacred Literature, we commend the use of literary criticism and historical and scientific tools and reject superstition in the interpreting of Sacred Literature.

The Fifth Principle: On Respect for All All persons bear in them the imprint or image of the Divine One and are therefore worthy of love and respect. We clearly disavow and condemn any teaching of any religious tradition that says some people enjoy God’s favor and that others are to be shunned, persecuted or denied respect or any of society’s considerations or protections.

The Sixth Principle: On the Make-up of a Church or Fellowship The benefits of a Church, Congregation or Fellowship are not reserved only for people with religious beliefs and practices which might be considered to be orthodox in our time and cultural setting but are the right of any association, congregation or fellowship of like-minded individuals for the purpose of fostering greater faith, love, compassion and any loving, positive spiritual practice.***We especially disavow any teaching or understanding that individuals who participate together in a Fellowship or Congregation must believe, embrace or adhere to any particular doctrine or dogma to be accepted or loved or to be acceptable in the sight of God.

© 2019 The Fellowship of St Francis, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Fellowship of St Francis is a new and completely independent work and is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church or any other church or ministry.

stfranman Compassionate Living, Ecology/Environment, FSF News/Events, Spirituality/Religion

The Legacy of St Francis

Yes, it is St Francis of Assisi who was chosen to be front-and-center for this new ministry.

Yes, that St Francis.

There are two great urgencies that are at the heart of what the FSF is about.

The first is to make compassion the foundation for all that we do, for all our interactions with our fellows.

And the second is use to treat the Earth, our common home, with wisdom and that same compassion. And to extend this compassion to all of Earth’s inhabitants, not just to the Human species.

With these two urgent priorities in mind, Saint Francis was a most suitable choice as the icon and a wise, compassionate patron for the Fellowship. He was a much-beloved figure in his time.

Francis’ love for animals and for the Earth were noted by his contemporaries and by the leadership of the Church in the 13th Century and are the reasons that he is considered to be a special patron for animals and for the environment.

So it is very fitting to have this well-loved and venerated figure to lead the way, so to speak, for our fledgling Fellowship.

Brother Ben

© 2019 The Fellowship of St Francis, Inc.

The Fellowship of St Francis is a new and completely independent ministry and is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

stfranman FSF News/Events

Everything has a beginning

First Day of Spring, 2019

On this day that the FSF becomes fully real–according to the law and regulations of the State of Florida, I mean–it’s a good thing to explain a bit more of the “back story” about the origins of our Fellowship.

To begin this new work has been my vision for the last ten years. But it never seemed like the right time, or that the right elements were in place for it to succeed.

Like Moses in the story found in the third chapter of Exodus, I could think of a hundred reasons why trying to launch a new ministry–especially one that is not in the mold of your typical Church or Fellowship–was a foolish idea. One most certainly doomed to failure.

By the way, I’m not at all trying to say I’m a Moses-like leader; I’m merely saying that the task seemed impossible to me and that my behavior for quite a few years was governed by that reluctance.

And then, around Valentine’s Day, something happened that–although extremely traumatic to me at the time–helped me to see clearly that it was time for me to re-prioritize, let fall away things that were clearly not essential, and really address that meaning-and-purpose stuff that many of us often go to great lengths to avoid.

Well, I certainly had gone to extreme lengths to avoid doing something about beginning a new ministry or Fellowship, even though I had known for years that it was a huge, unfinished task for me.

Not unfinished. Never-begun would be a better way to say that.

And so I ended the foot-dragging. Twelve days ago I completed the necessary docs on-line to make it official and real, coughed up the required fees and got this Fellowship started.

My two fellow-directors and I agreed that today–being the first day of spring–was a very suitable effective date for our enterprise.

Without making too big a deal out of my personal feelings and reactions to getting the FSF started, let me just say that I’ve slept more soundly in the last 12 days than I have in many, many years.

Dragging one’s feet on those meaning-and-purpose issues is never a good thing.

The Fellowship of St Francis is real. And that fills me with joy!

Brother Ben

© 2019 The Fellowship of St Francis, Inc.

stfranman FSF News/Events, Spirituality/Religion

What Our Movement is About

I am a man who strives to be compassionate and believes that the life and teachings of Jesus still show us how to live and how to treat others in the 21st Century.

I believe that the tide of ugliness coming from elected officials and so-called leaders of the evangelical churches is a tragedy and must be countered with a renewed emphasis on modeling the compassion, teaching and life of Jesus.

I also believe that we have failed miserably in our stewardship of the Earth, our common home, and that this is also a grave failure of our corporate will and must be urgently addressed.

These two horrible trends–the abrogation of the clear teachings of Jesus to follow in his footsteps and our failings to care for the Earth and all her inhabitants–must be resisted and must be countered with clear teachings and committed actions.

That is the mission, the driving force, behind our movement.

Brother Ben

© 2019 The Fellowship of St Francis, Inc.