I was delighted to read the following in a letter from the community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, in Bradford, which arrived this morning:
"Some more good news, Bishop Arthur Roche has invited our sister community,The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, to the Diocese and has offered them a convent in south Leeds. It's a beautiful building in a fairly poor area and so it appears it will be ideal for them.They are planning to set up base in September, on the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. This will be their first foundation outside New York and so we are incredibly blessed not only that they are coming to England but that they will basically be on our doorstep."
The Community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal was only established twenty-one years ago, in New York. To give you an idea of what they are about, here is a quotation from their mission statement:
"The aim of the Community is to live the Gospel values in simplicity according to the ideals of Saint Francis as handed on by the Capuchin tradition. The spiritual values uniting the sisters are personal and communal commitment to Jesus Christ through contemplative and liturgical prayer (daily Mass and Divine Office), daily Eucharistic adoration, Fridays as a special day of prayer, a time set apart for solitude each month, devotion to our Lady, imitation of Saint Francis and Saint Clare, love for the Church and loyalty to the Holy Father. The sisters’ apostolic mission is work with the poor and homeless and evangelization. The sisters work with a parallel community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in many works of their apostolate."
What a great blessing for the Diocese of Leeds!
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