St. Francis Anglican Chaplaincy, Tenerife South

Our New Title 'St. Francis Anglican Chaplaincy, Tenerife South'

When the Bishop of Gibraltar asked for the name of a saint to be the patron of our Chaplaincy, St Francis was our choice.

(Click for Larger Picture)

So why Francis?

St Francis

Born in Assisi in Italy probably 1182, died 1226, aged 44.
He was canonised in 1228 and his feast day is 4^th October every year.
Almost 800 years later, Francis was named the patron saint of ecology.

Francis himself is known and loved for many reasons:

His delight in all creation, which he expressed so poignantly in the Canticle of the Creatures (“All creatures of our God and King”, as we sing in William Draper’s translation, Hymn 7 in Mission Praise). For this he has been named the Patron Saint of Ecology.

His commitment to Mission which was shown by his brave visit to bring peace to the Muslims at the time of the Crusades. We sing his prayer “Make me a Channel of Your Peace” (Hymn 456 in Mission Praise) here, often during the Eucharist, which was so vital to Francis.

His deep love of Our Lord and his desire to follow His instructions as expressed in St Mark’s Gospel Chapter 6, verses 8-11. He and his earliest followers strove to live in the strict simplicity enjoined by these words, taking “nothing for the journey except a staff” as they went forth through the world proclaiming the Good News.

Links with Tenerife

	The first missionaries to bring Christianity to the shores of Tenerife were the Franciscans. When the first Franciscans arrived in Candelaria, they learnt that the statue of the Black Madonna had already performed miracles, which had caused the Guanches (the original inhabitants of Tenerife) to hide her statue in a cave for safety. San Diego and other Franciscan Tertiaries came to the island in the Fifteenth Century, performing miracles in Candelaria. The Black Madonna later became “Our Lady of Candelaria” the Patron of the Islands.
	The friars told and explained the story of Our Lady and the Baby Jesus and made many converts.
	The link with Tenerife was continued by Peter de Betancourt (Hermano Pedro, 1626 - 1667), who was born in Tenerife and performed many miracles here. On hearing of the wretched plight of the inhabitants of the Americas, he left Tenerife and became a Franciscan Tertiary in Guatemala where he did many good works among the poorest of the poor and is known as “St Francis of the Americas”. He was canonized on July 30^th 2002. His statue stands in Reina Sofia Airport.
	Francis set up three Orders. The robed brothers and sisters, who make up the First Order, move throughout the world doing the Lord’s work as fully committed Religious. The followers of St Clare form the Second Order and live enclosed in their convents. The Franciscan Tertiaries (the Third Order) may marry and have secular careers, but still live by a Franciscan Rule. Franciscans belong to a very broad range of Christian faiths, as well as the original, Roman Catholic Orders of St Francis which still flourish all over the world.

The Third Order welcomes followers who are members of Churches as disparate as the Church of Scotland, the Methodists, the Salvation Army and Georgian Baptists and is active in Tenerife.

In Conclusion

Francis would greet everyone he met with the words “Good people, the Lord give you peace”, or – more simply – “Pax et Bonum”, which has become the motto of Assisi.

He lived and preached the Gospel of Christ wherever he went in a simple, direct and truthful manner - which is our goal here in South Tenerife.

Why not email us with your comments or observations or simply to say Hello.