Discerning a Diocesan Rule of Life
Over the last several months, members of the Religious orders in the Diocese have been engaged in intentional listening as they help us discern a Diocesan Rule of Life. "In a sense, they invite us to, as a Diocesan household, create a daily habit that deepens our connection to God and to each other." - Bishop Johnson
Read their reflections below.
John Dotson TSSF
I began living by a rule when I became a postulate in the Third Order Society of St Francis TSSF. I learned about Francis of Assis and the Third Order from Brother Justus Society of St Francis. I weekly discussed how I was living my Christian life including prayer study and action with a group reunion. I felt accountable to the group and was more faithful in my prayers, studies, and witnessing than I may have done otherwise. Receiving communion and praying the daily office are important parts of my rule. My witnessing normally takes some form of service to others in my parish and in my larger communities. I visit veterans who are in hospice. Praying the daily offices is a meaningful part of living my rule. Living simply is another part of living my rule. Simplicity includes both things and activities. It is too easy for me to take on too many good works so I struggle sometimes. It is by God’s grace I am willing to live by the rule of life. As a brother in Christ and Francis said. We need our rules to live by since we are weak.
Adrienne Dillon, TSSF
Living with a Rule of Life
My rule of life consists of a community rule and an individual rule. Our Principles, read each month in daily segments, describe Franciscan spirituality as it applies to our lives In the 21st century. While complying with certain requirements such as the Daily Office, our rules express our own commitments to follow Jesus in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Of our “three ways of service” my personal rule emphasizes active work. Yet study and prayer are a foundation for my ministry.
When I began formation in the order, the Daily Office and other tasks seemed daunting. But these routines have kept me grounded in times of difficulty, and a community of people following the same Principles has been a support for me. Praying for each other, we are “knit together in community and prayer.” Although we are dispersed, our unity in Christ gives us strength to follow our rule in the midst of a culture that emphasizes values quite different from those of Francis. It was these Franciscan values—simplicity, love, joy, and rejection of wealth and power for their own sake, that first drew me to the Third Order. The community has formed me, and continues to form me.
Sr Donna Ruth Hawk-Reinhard, AF
Long before becoming a member of Anamchara Fellowship, I found that having a personal rule of life is foundational to my spiritual growth and ability to serve others. But the task of determining what practices to help me love God and neighbor better was at times overwhelming. Living under a community rule of life simplifies the choices—our community rule (Guidelines & Ideals) provides a framework of attitudes and principles (charisms) with expected and recommended practices to help us journey deeper into God’s love together. This particular way of living out the Baptismal Covenant by seeking to express our charisms of hospitality, generosity, compassion, and love through a life of prayer and ministry provides the structure that I need to prioritize how I navigate my day. Our Guidelines & Ideals simplifies life for me –I use the community’s rule to establish my personal rule which guides my decisions and helps me become the person that I believe God is calling me to be. Being in a community in which our personal rules are grounded in the community’s rule allows us to support and encourage each other to follow the Spirit and grow more into the image of Christ together.
Neil Tumber, TSSF
Fifty years a Franciscan
I first encountered the Society of Saint Francis at the First Order House in Canterbury, UK, which was near to my school. Then, while at university in London, UK, I joined the Third Order of the Society, going through the stages of being a postulant, then a novice before finally being sure (and the society being sure) of my calling to follow Christ in this way, I made my life profession in November 1989. The Rule of Life that I follow has three aims: To make our Lord known and loved everywhere, To spread the spirit of love and harmony, To live simply. In addition, the rule requires that we serve Christ and our neighbor through prayer, study, and work, demonstrating humility, love, and joy in all.
I have been an engineer, a teacher, a businessman, a missionary. I have been employed by the military, utility companies, and manufacturing businesses large and small. My Rule has been adapted after consultation with the Order to fit each stage of life but has always provided an inspiration, a challenge, and a comfort as I seek to be the person God wants me to be as I follow Our Lord Jesus day by day.
In the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Society of Saint Francis comprises: The first order consists of men and women who live in a community under strict vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience but who serve the poor and marginalized wherever they are called to serve following the example of Saint Francis. The second order is an enclosed order of women dedicated to prayer following the example of Saint Clare. The third order, which was set up by Saint Francis in 1221, consists of men and women, married and single, ordained and lay, who follow the rule of Saint Francis in their daily lives and, by God’s Holy Spirit working through them, seek to spread the knowledge and love of Christ, to promote the spirit of love and harmony as the family of God and to live joyfully, a life of simplicity after the example of St. Francis.
https://www.ssfamericas.org/ First Order Brothers in America
https://www.communitystfrancis.org/ First Order Sisters in America
http://www.oscfreeland.co.uk/ Second Order Sisters in UK
https://tssf.org/ Third Order Brothers and Sisters in America
Discerning a Diocesan Rule of Life
By the Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson
Each day during the school year, I have a pretty good sense of how my mornings will unfold. The morning routine in my house has been honed almost to being a science. Most mornings in our house go a little like this: Get up. Check that our teenager is awake. Make tea. Let the dog out. Remind our teenager about getting out the door. Prepare breakfast. Feed the teenager. Get the teenager out the door. Write and post a prayer. Get dressed. Begin my workday. Repeat.
This morning ritual helps bring order to my morning and sets the tone for the rest of my day. Of course, there are days that the alarm doesn’t go off, the dog doesn’t want to go outside (usually because it’s raining), or I have an early morning meeting. But our routine is pretty set. One thing that has been and continues to be spiritually life-giving for me is the morning habit of writing and posting a prayer on social media. In an authentic way, this has become a part of my rule of life. Taking the time to craft, create, and share a prayer each morning expands my prayer life, enhances my sense of God’s presence, and deepens my spiritual practice. Having that grounding as part of my morning centers me for the day ahead.
Over the last several months, members of the Religious orders in the Diocese have been engaged in intentional listening as they help us discern a Diocesan Rule of Life. In a sense, they invite us to as a Diocesan household create a daily habit that deepens our connection to God and to each other.
A Diocesan Rule of Life helps us to collectively and individually respond to the love of God revealed in Jesus. As we are led by the Holy Spirit, the rule assists us in becoming more Christ-like in our practices and in our everyday actions, knowing that we are not alone in seeking and serving Christ. A Rule of Life, then, is a way of putting our relationship with God into practice, a way of balancing action and reflection, a way of living out the things we say with our lips in our everyday lives.
Rules of Life are a way of fostering a connection with the well of spiritually while interweaving a sense of connected community. They are simple, intentional actions to help us be accountable to each other while deepening our commitment to following Jesus.
This year our Diocesan Convention’s theme is “ONE: One Lord. One faith. One Baptism.” This year’s theme lends itself nicely to developing a Rule of Life that flows from our Oneness with God and each other.
Diocesan Rules of Life can be as simple as “Loving. Living. Serving.” or as specific as “Called to pray, read and learn. Sent to tell, serve, and give.” How each community of faith and individual lives out the rule varies dramatically but find unity in a common purpose. A Diocesan Rule of Life isn’t about ‘keeping the rules’; it is about discovering how we can grow as Christ’s disciples in the rhythms and relationships that make up our everyday lives.
So rather than just letting life happen, we can choose to live for God in every area of our lives. We can stop and listen to God’s invitation to receive and respond to God’s love in Christ, creating a Rule of Life that will support us in living out our particular calling. It is a way of making our faith a part of our daily routine. It is a way of developing holy habits that draw us closer to God and each other. It’s a way of saying ‘Yes’ to the God who says ‘Yes’ to us.