No 30 December 2019

Climate Action for a changing world ...

Update

The Hilfield Community Continuing the Franciscan witness, long-established at the Friary, the Community consists of both

vowed Franciscan Brothers of the Anglican Society of St Francis and also lay community members who seek to nurture and share the Franciscan values of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Inspired

by St Francis of Assisi, the Community offers hospitality to people of different faiths and no acknowledged faith and works for a more gentle and respectful care for the earth.

Extinction Rebellion demonstrations

Br Hugh, Jonathan and Tony from the Hilfield Community and volunteers Hilary and Ali took part in the Extinction Rebellion action in London this autumn. Ali wrote a heartfelt piece, now on our website under ’News’, about her experience of helping with the field kitchens in Trafalgar Square. ‘When free food is a crime’. Do read it.

… and Hilfield’s home front

Following this, Debbie writes: ‘We are redoubling our efforts on the home front, with some exciting changes in the kitchen. A ban on cling film prompted an innovative response - making our own beeswax wraps. We’ve cut down on plastic packaging for our groceries, switching to a local organic supplier who delivers most vegetables loose in boxes or paper sacks. Our milk, also local and organic, now comes in 13 ltr recyclable bags, instead of the previous 2 ltr plastic bottles.

The Hilfield Kitchen has long been home to eco-friendly cleaning products which we buy in 20 ltr recyclable containers (where available), but we’re now looking at ways to make cleaning materials more sustainable too. Trials include wooden washing up brushes and bamboo jay cloths. We are excited about this, and about possibilities for the future, so if you’d like to hear more, or inspire us with tales of what you’re doing at home, please get in touch!”

One verse from an apt version of ‘Away in a Manger’ by Br Hugh:

“Away in the Arctic the polar bears starve As the iceburgs from Greenland

increasingly calve. Our planet is heating at such a quick rate

So biodiversity’s meeting its fate”

More verses on our website.

Tony invites you to join him in a new way of gardening. (A summary of his fascinating article on our web site.)

It is very easy to take the soil we walk on for granted. But under our feet lies an incredible world that we are only just beginning to understand.

In a cup of healthy woodland soil there are up to 9 billion microbes. Living microscopic organisms like bacteria, fungi and nematodes. That is more life in one cup of soil than human beings on planet earth! This unseen world is what helps to keep the natural balance of the soil so that plants are supplied with all their nutrients and even protection against pest and diseases.

For years I have enjoyed the process of digging and tidying up the vegetable garden ready for winter. But.... think of those microbes. The soil is their home. When the soil is turned over , not only does the web of microbes break and the organisms die, but turning over the soil is a major release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The best thing we can do as gardeners is not to dig! Keep the soil surface covered with organic matter (mulches) or green manure and avoid the use of pesticides, herbicides and inorganic fertilisers. This is probably contrary to everything we are used to doing as gardeners , but we need to do it, for the sake of the earth. I feel my work here at Hilfield is more as a guardian of the soil. Do come and find me in the garden, and chat, if you are at Hilfield, I’d love to talk more about this.

Library Update from Br Chris Martin:

We are grateful to the Rebecca Hussey's Book Charity, which has given our library a grant of nearly £3,000 worth of books covering a range of theological topics, including Biblical commentaries, books on spirituality, and poetry.

We are also extremely thankful to Alastair Dennis, who recently stood

down as librarian, for his work on the library, bringing our attention to this potential grant, and his work over the years keeping our selection up to date and curating our 15,000 books.

Finally, thank you to all who have donated books through our Amazon wishlist. Your contributions have meant that we are able to continue working towards a collection that is relevant and focuses on the subjects that Hilfield holds dear.

We are always looking to improve our library, so if you have any book suggestions or thoughts on ways for us improve please do be in contact with Br Chris Martin.

We are excited to announce the launch of

Brother Clark’s book ‘Running

to Resurrection’ on Sunday 8th December at 3pm. All are

very welcome.

News of the Land, from Richard:

We’ve planted 500 trees to create 100m of new hedge. The species planted will produce flowers and fruit, from blackthorn pollen in spring, crab apple blossom in summer and a range of fruits and nuts for autumn into winter, this hedge will provide food year

round. It also helps with habitat connectivity, joining Hermit’s Wood to the surrounding hedge network. These kinds of connections are essential for wildlife to move around the countryside, of particular value to Hedgehogs, Dormice and Bechsteins Bats.

We also sold 3 of our Shetland Cattle (2 in calf cows and a heifer calf) to go to be the foundation stock of a new herd of this rare breed in Devon. We’re doing lots of hedge laying. And our autumn lambs were born! Why do we have lambs in autumn and not spring, you may say! See the board in the Conservation Cloister!

Hilfield’s Intercession Group

On Fridays we gather to pray for those who have asked for prayers in our chapel. It is a simple service, and as I look around our small group each week, I see an unlike-ly assortment, some brothers, some priests, some lay. All flawed, all beautiful – the family I am learning to love. I say the opening prayer, and between us we light the candles, one for each person, “We pray for John…”, “For Anna”, “Mary and her family”, slowly, prayerfully, until each name is a flickering flame, bright and fragile. Then, silence, with only the incense giving slow perfumed voice to our prayer. We sit together, a group of disparate, imperfect human beings, holding our brothers and sisters in love before God as best we can. Trusting Him to hold us all and to make whole our broken fragments.

The Intercession group meets at 11:15 every Friday in the Chapel. If you would like to join us to pray for others, or if you would like to ask our prayers for yourself or someone else, please email Debbie at hilfieldintercessions@gmail.com

In early September we had our ‘Churches Caring for Creation Weekend’ in partnership with Arocha UK. It was about equipping Church communities with practical conservation skills, and will be repeated next year.

The Friary, Hilfield, Dorchester DT2 7BE 01300 341741 hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk www.hilfieldfriary.org.uk www.facebook.com/HilfieldFriary

Society of St Francis: Reg Charity No. 236464

The Hilfield Community is pleased to offer the 2020 Programme, which is now on the website https://hilfieldfriary.org.uk/2020-programme/. It is a wonderful multi-splendored list of events! We are working more and more collaboratively as a community, and there are three seasonal weekends that are being offered by the community as a whole, with members taking responsibility for different parts.

Hilfield monthly lunch clubs for older adults are on Tuesdays 14th Jan, 11th Feb, 10th March. The monthly craft days are on Wednesdays 15th Jan, 12th Feb, 11th March. Please contact Suzi for details.

Suzi has started a patchwork fest—with her tutoring, several of the community have got the patchwork bug and together they have brightened up the Rec Room. Any bits of bright cotton fabrics would be helpful. Community creativity has been burgeoning … several of the community did well with produce and craft at local shows. Marie won the novice floral art trophy at the Dorset County Show.

This autumn, the community has welcomed Melora, from the USA, who is here for a year.

And we said farewell to Yakup who is returning to Turkey to continue his studies, and to Kapano, who is now in London.

Br Clark attended a meeting in November in New York as part of the International Board of Directors of Franciscans International. The board met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres and five members of his staff at the UN Headquarters. FI talked of two of their publications, ’Connecting the Dots’ about sustainable development, climate change, and human rights, and their Handbook on Extreme Poverty. M. Guterres commended the work of FI.

In a moving ceremony on

Advent Sunday, the whole Hilfield community re-

affirmed their vows to the vision of Franciscan life

together.

In our shop, you’ll find all sorts to inspire you for

Christmas. Including the Friary 2020 Calendar

with its glimpse of life through the seasons at

Hilfield. £5.