Revised Rule of Life adopted by the Elders on August 12th 2019:

  • As we embrace the very embodiment of monastic life in the Tau Community of St.Francis; we look to the God of Many Names and None with arms open wide in love, adoration and submission to God’s Holy Will for our lives and the world at large.
  • We find ourselves in a familial relationship with God, a relationship of complete self giving, a relationship of sacrifice and a relationship of pure joy.
  • We look to the compassionate hand of God for guidance and direction in all aspects of our lives, listening to the very utterances of the Spirit upon our hearts.
  • We honour and respect all faith traditions, realising that their journey of discovery and intimacy is also our own.
  • We look to God knowing that we are all children of the One Source.
  • As monastics living out our profession in society, we seek positive change through our prayer, our actions, our relationships without sacrificing our own inner quietude, knowing that our pursuit is to be “in the world, not of the world.”
  • We give all glory to our Father Mother God leading a life of abundant grace in our surrender to the One realising that St. Francis relationship with God is also our own.
  • We offer up our prayers in the hope of better days and a new dawning of peace in the world.  We realise the grace behind prayer, thus we relentlessly pour out our hearts to the God of Many Names and None knowing that our Father Mother God is bestowing all grace upon our offerings.
  • We have a deep love of ecology as expressed by our spiritual Father, St. Francis.  We express our own love for the world around us through better use of materials, organic pursuits, and in support of all things environmentally friendly as far as we are able.  We see this great planet as a gift, a borrowed home, and we care for it with a personal interest in it’s preservation and care.
  • We seek purity of mind , heart and spirit. We seek enlightenment in its truest sense. We seek oneness with the Source of All that Is.  We honour our fellow men and women in recognising the Divine image within everyone.

Our pursuit is one motivated by faith, hope, love and compassion for all. This is the key to the further development of our monastic practice.

On structure and practice we follow an ancient monastic tradition which has its origin in the Essenes of Mt. Sinai which includes daily community prayer, individual prayer, meditation and contemplation as befits our individual faith traditions allowing for periods of silence to allow the voice of God to resonate within.

  • We honour our Sevenfold Vows: the Vow of Simplicity of Life; the Vow of Purity of Heart; the Vow of obedience; the Vow of Non-Violence; the Vow of Universal Citizenship; the Vow of Providence; and the Vow of Compassion.
  • We live our lives in obedience to our Vows and Rule acknowledging the Divine Hand upon us. We live in submission to the God of Many Names and None.
  • We are a spiritually minded community of love. God is love and we strive to perpetuate such love in a wounded society.
  • As a Community of Interfaith Franciscans we are an open faith community celebrating diverse beliefs, cultures and traditions.
  • We originate from the Liberal Catholic Christian faith tradition, but now include people of other faiths as well as spiritual seekers. We respect the God within you as we Embrace- Nurture-Celebrate being with God on the edge.

Interfaith hands

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy;

O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled,as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to
Eternal life. Amen.

 

A Franciscan Blessing to Further Our Contemplation of
the Life We Choose to Lead…

May God bless you with discomfort,
At easy answers, half truths,
And superficial relationships,
So that you may live
Deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression,
And exploitation of people,
So that you may work for
Justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears,
To shed for those who suffer pain,
Rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand
To comfort them and
To turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you
With enough foolishness
To believe that you can
Make a difference in the world,
So that you can do
What others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness
To all our children and the poor.
Amen.