The vision of the Fourth Order was given to Barbara Flaherty and Richard Blanchfield independently. Both had something important to share with each other. Both saving it until they could talk in person. What a shock! They both began to tell each other about the Fourth Order!

Francis of Assisi formed three orders in his life: the friar minors, the poor sisters of Clare and the third order of ordinary men and woman. Those three Christian orders have blossomed through the eight centuries since Francis' death. Now two people were given a vision of a fourth order.

It was different, as would be expected, from the other three. It was radically interfaith. It was similar to the other three in the focus of joy, freedom and simplicity, radical love of God and others, a deep bond with creation and other creatures. The first three were a move of divine grace to answer the need in the 13th century and onward. The Fourth Order is part of the movement of divine grace to answer a need in our own time.

Barbara and Dick understood that the Fourth Order was about a 'condition of being', a fierce embrace of self and others, a relationship with all beings. Francis was a rich man. Of all that could be noticed about Jesus of the Gospels why would he choose holy poverty? He greatly feared the lepers, the outcasts of his time. Yet his great moment of conversion occurred when he met a leper on the road. The Spirit asked him to embrace that leper and he did. In that fierce embrace he was filled with peace and love.

Francis' spiritual mentor, that anonymous outcast leper on the road, in his powerlessness and through his incurable open wounds showed great mercy upon the rich and fearful Francis. By presenting himself, by allowing himself to be embraced he initiated Francis into the path of the mysteries of holy wisdom, the divine presence in all things.

The humility of both these men serves us well. In that fierce embrace, something occurred which is a mysterious third. When we offer what is broken and frail in ourselves to ourselves and to each other and when we bend to embrace the outcast in ourselves and in each other we create this mysterious third, a condition of being that is the embrace itself. In the living fully of both sides of that embrace we become godly folly and joyous humility, the children of wisdom.

The Fourth Order is a divine chaos of fools, clowns, madmen, troubadours and wandering mystics who have discovered a condition of relationship with the self and others that is called compassion: the knowledge 'I am a child of God. I come from a source and I am of that source and so are you.' Such people sing with that old song, 'I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in.' and move on and out into the world with joy. They participate with awareness in the great and beautiful interrelatedness of all beings. That is joy!

In this sense The Fourth Order is a non-order. It simply exists because God's Spirit exists. However, Lorenz Gude, the third companion, insisted the time for community was at hand. They began to share about the Fourth Order which now has companions on two continents.

Francis was a madman, too mad even for his own kind. In a world so clearly divided, the Fourth Order meets the Franciscan madness in its proclamation of love and unity. We gather together, with all who would like, in interfaith prayers of silence, song and movement. We reflect on the wisdom scriptures in nature, in the great traditions and also on the wisdom scripture written in our own lives. We seek right relationship and harmony with others and creation. We practice the `loving kindness' meditation. We practice 'non-knowing' as in the The Cloud of Unknowing, have a non-dualistic outlook seeking Divine presence in all things. There are simple guidelines and traditions. Within this framework individuals and groups in different localities are creative in their own way.

Welcome to the site of the Fourth Order of Francis and Clare. You will be exposed to information about the order. We have also chosen to use this site to focus on the non order, others who through suffering and wisdom have gathered together in the spirit of compassion, presence and reconciliation, such as the Vietnam Friendship Village Project and the Sarajevo Pontanima Interfaith Choir.