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Following the Way of St. Francis
"My brother and sister birds, you should praise your Creator and always love God: For it is God who gave you feathers for clothes, wings to fly and all other things that you need. It is God who made you noble among all creatures, making your home in the air. Without sowing or reaping, you receive God's guidance and protection."
-St. Francis of Assisi, preaching to the birds
American Lutheranism has not been void of unique religious communities. Historically, the Lutheran Deaconesses have been a community of women who have had motherhouses, made vows as Sisters, and worn a particular garb. St. Augustine’s Lutheran Monastery is a pan-Lutheran Benedictine monastic community in Oxford, Michigan. The Society of the Holy Trinity is a religious organization of ordained Lutheran pastors seeking confessional renewal in the Church.
So, religious communities are not unheard of in Lutheranism, even in North America. The Order of Lutheran Franciscans was established in 2011. It was cultivated in the ecumenical Franciscan crucible—that is, we had the support and encouragement of Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, and Ecumenical Franciscans who accompanied us we have formed and grown.
Today, the Order of Lutheran Franciscans comprises women and men, lay and ordained, single and married people, seeking to passionately follow Jesus in the simple way of St. Francis of Assisi. Our core convictions include: 1) accompanying the poor and marginalized, 2) ecumenical and inter-religious bridge-building, 3) creation care, and 4) spiritual renewal of the Church. In 2023, the Order of Lutheran Franciscans was formally recognized as the first official religious order of the ELCA.
St. Francis of Assisi’s deep love for God overflowed into love for all of God's creation. This was expressed not only in his care of lepers and the poor, but also in his joyful revelry in nature, the sermons he preached to animals, and his insistence that all creatures are our brothers and sisters and siblings.
This is why many churches hold a Blessing of the Animals on or near the Feast Day of St. Francis (October 4).
You can learn more about Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi here, and about the Order of Lutheran Franciscans here. This is an example of a Blessing of the Animals liturgy.
-Brother Chris Makert,
Bishop’s Associate and Director of Evangelical Mission
Question for reflection: How do I see myself as part of the beautiful, interconnected web of God’s creation?
Prayer: Holy God, we lift to you the animal inhabitants of the earth. For those seen and unseen creatures and living things that attest to your creative power, we ask your blessing. We pray for victims of animal cruelty. Bless all who care for injured and abused animals. Comfort those who mourn for their pets and for endangered and extinct species. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Future issues of this e-newsletter will curate stories about churches' effective efforts to study and address neighborhood needs through "holy curiosity." Send your ideas to info@swtsynod.org.
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