Opening Readings: When the group gathers the facilitator for the evening leads the Simple Prayer, reads the appropriate Welcome and chooses someone to read the Condition of Being and passes the Traditions around for a shared reading by the group.

Welcome to the study circle of The Fourth Order of Francis and Clare. This is an interfaith circle. Here we gather to deepen our experience and understanding of the presence of the Great Mystery in our lives. Please feel welcome to share from the wisdom and prayer of your faith, and in your own language.

The study circle is a traditional form of community contemplation honoring the ancestral wisdom if our traditions in our communal sharing. The evening leader opens with prayer and then the community reads out loud one of the sections of the Gathering Book.* This becomes the theme for the gathering. The leader begins with his/her reflections and then nods to the person on the left and the sharing begins.

In the study circle we share on two levels. We share from our own experience, insight and wisdom as well as the insight and wisdom teachings of our ancestors and our traditions. In this manner may we honor the great unseen source.

In the circle we do not interrupt someone's sharing. We do not give advice or argue. No one is hurried but all should be considerate to others in their time. The person who is sharing has the floor and is listened to attentively, and not interrupted (except in emergencies). Individuals may simply pass at their turn, share a prayer, spoken or silent, talk, sing or just sit quietly. These forms of sharing are honored in this circle. The circle continues sharing for two or three rounds on this theme depending on time. This is followed by a round of prayer arising from the theme and then sitting meditation for five minutes. In closing we rise and move in silence to form a tighter standing circle, allowing the silence to enter us for two or three minutes or longer. Spontaneous toning and prayer are invoked, closing with the song, Tis a Gift To Be Simple, and the Simple Prayer.