Brother this sounds wonderful. It reminds me of the Orthodox concept of the "Poustinia"... a small space for prayer and solitude living. I have friends in Ashland, I wouldn't mind visiting. It sounds great!

Greetings Brothers and Sisters...

A few people have asked me about The Hermits of Saint Francis, since most people are not aware that Francis did write a rule for hermits. Of course, Francis himself would have loved to stay in his cave near the top of Mt. Subasio, but Clare, and the rest of the order, convinced him otherwise. There were others, though, that longed to embrace the eremtical lifestyle, and this is why Francis wrote the rule.

Basically, the rule called for two or three people to live together in a hermitage, each with their own cabin or enclosure. He used the image of a mother and her sons, then in another place, the biblical characters Martha and her sister Mary Magdalene. He wrote that one would assume the role of Martha, attending to the details of the hermitage (cooking, cleaning and receiving guests). The others would be Mary, spending the vast majority of their time in silence and contemplation.

I created a retreat center outside Ashland, Oregon called St. Francis Sanctuary. There are 12 small cabins and at the moment there are three hermits living on the property. The other cabins are used when we have small retreats, or when people come for private work. We come together at 8:30 AM every morning for prayer and meditation, then again at 7:30 PM. Of course, anyone from the OEF is welcome to visit at any time.

Hope that helps. If there are more questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

James Francis

Thank you!
SE

I do have a few more questions, but would rather not pose them to you in a public forum. Perhaps I can do via your website? Again, thank you for your patience and willingness to dialog!
Sophie Elisa

Hey James!
Just sent you an email with my questions. Thanks! SE