One of the unique features of St Francis' Church, here in the heartland of the central business district of Melbourne, is that there is a community of men (Ordained and non-Ordained) who live on-site in what is often referred to as 'the monastery'. We are not monks, and never have been monks! There is a rhythm to our daily life that is honoured and upheld and that proclaims a very different set of values and a vision centred in the Gospel and embodied in a common way of life which itself is placed at the service of the Church and the human family. Allow us to tell you something about ourselves.

From wish to reality
The first Community of priests and brothers of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation to serve here at St Francis' came in 1929. The initiative for the coming of the Congregation to Melbourne rests with the then Archbishop of Melbourne, Daniel Mannix. He wanted to have a group of Religious serve in the church of St Francis'. His enquiries resulted in the Blessed Sacrament Fathers and Brothers being strongly recommended. The International Eucharistic Congress of Sydney (1928) was in preparation, and the thought of a foundation of the Religious of the Blessed Sacrament in Melbourne appealed to Archbishop Mannix, who in turn prayed and had prayers offered that no obstacle should arise to block the foundation. Negotiations with the Congregation's international leadership were entered into, and subsequently the Archbishop's invitation was accepted.

"… with all speed I advised the Archbishop of Melbourne that, if His Grace should find the date acceptable, the eight first religious chosen for the foundation would embark on October 10 from San Francisco and would arrive at their destination on All Saints Day. I immediately received the following reply: "Deo gratias, foundation welcomed with joy and gratitude. Archbishop Mannix"….
… Melbourne will open as a regular house next November."

                             (Circular Letter of the Superior General, dated September 17,1929)

Archbishop Mannix made a point of reaffirming his satisfaction …

"… I am indeed deeply grateful .. for accepting a foundation in this diocese [Melbourne] … I look forward to the arrival of the Fathers and the Brothers in November and we shall all try to make them feel at home from the beginning… With gratitude and much esteem. Yours sincerely, D.Mannix"

                                                                               (Letter to Superior General)

The original group destined for St Francis' was to be eight religious, however sickness prevented one of the Brothers making the voyage, so the group was reduced to seven. On October 6 1929, the group set out [by train] from Chicago and travelled to San Francisco. The voyage from San Francisco commenced on October 10th on board the 6,000 tonnes vessel, Sonoma. The group disembarked in Sydney on Thursday, October 31. 1929. The journey from Sydney to Melbourne was made by train, with the group arriving on November 1.

The Blessed Sacrament Congregation, founded by Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868) in Paris, in 1856. The France of Peter Julian's time saw a blossoming of groups devoted to Reparation; many of them hardly saw it into the twentieth century, and it is not possible to fully understand them except against the backdrop of the French people having done away with the monarchy. Such spirituality was one of great tenderness and devotion, but also etched deeply in guilt and the need to make reparation.

To his credit, Peter Julian was able to look beyond any narrow preoccupation in this regard; he saw the eucharist as the presence of Christ, and sought to relate his vision to the Mass ~ the celebration of the eucharist as sacrifice of adoration, reparation, petition and thanksgiving. He saw the eucharist very much as a mystery and source of love for the church and for the whole of society. In this, whilst he shared the limitations of his time, he also looked beyond them. Eymard endowed his Congregation with a rich spiritual heritage. Liturgy, worship and service - these ideas appear often in is many sermons, writings and admonitions to his fellow religious. He lived the Eucharist and understood its consequences for the genuinely Christian existence : as Christ gave, so must we give for the life of the world. Prayer leads to action, and he himself laboured among the rag pickers of Paris, the most destitute of the city's poor. His compassion filled them with hope, his zeal stirred their faith and love. Man of faith, friend to the outcast, an acknowledged 'saint' in his own lifetime, Peter Julian Eymard (then only 57 years of age) died on August 1st 1868, at home in the village of La Mure, France. On December 9th 1962, the day following the conclusion of the Second Session of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII officiated at the ceremony of the canonization of Saint Peter Julian Eymard.

As the Congregation evolved, however, there was an inevitable narrowing of concentration onto some aspects of the eucharist - as there was throughout the whole Church. Following the Church's periods of liturgical and theological renewal leading up to and flowing from the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), this came to be seen as out of harmony with the broader and richer understanding of the eucharist which the Church was discovering.

Such renewal has made great demands on Congregations such as ours, and has called for radical adjustment to such an extent that it was felt necessary to reformulate our shared ideals in line with the living tradition of the Church and the living experience of our Congregation. From this there emerged a new "Rule of Life" (given formal approval by the Church on August 1st 1984) which seeks to draw upon what is best and basic in the inspiration of Peter Julian, and to express this in terms of the boader and richer understanding of the eucharist as presented and celebrated in today's Church.

"The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament has inherited from its Founder, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, a new form of consecrated life within the Church. Its mission is to place at the centre of its life and the life if the faithful, the Eucharist, celebrated in the truth and internalised in a prayer of adoration and contemplation. (The Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes) expresses the wish that, drawing upon their rich spiritual heritage and faithful to this Rule of Life, the Religious of the Blessed Sacrament will be authentic witnesses to the renewing power of the Eucharist for Church and society."

DECREE of Approbation (Rome) ~ August 1st 1984

This painful process sought to return to the original inspiration of our Founder, to see how this has evolved during our relatively short history, and then to seek ways of living that inspiration in terms of the Church's present experience. Like an increasing number of Religious Congregations we have, during the past thirty years or so, had to face the possibility of going out of existence. But there has seemingly grown within us a deepening conviction that God is calling us to live the eucharist as a Paschal Mystery ~ the central Christian experience of surrendering to the reality of death in the hope of resurrection. We have been called to renewed faith ~ not in ourselves, our success, our history, our pride ~ but in God alone. We now have to ask ourselves: what do we have to say to today's world and Church; and, in view of the needs of both, what must we say?

The continuing challenge for the Church and for our Congregation (as well as for members of all Religious Congregations) is to situate itself within today's world. In a sense we are separated from the world, but we must speak to and be a sign for the world; a credible sign, speaking an intelligent and understood language in our world; and we must keep in touch with the needs of the world. This is a tall order in a world characterised by constant and rapid change!

Since Vatican Council II, the former stress on Eucharistic devotion has receded, with most of the emphasis now placed on the celebration of the Eucharist and receiving Communion. The heart of our life is the celebration of the Eucharist itself.

The celebration of the Memorial of the Lord is at the centre of our personal and communal life. It is the starting point for our understanding of the Eucharist and inspires our prayer and ministry. (RL, 21)

This has two effects: it draws us into Eucharistic prayer, and it also sends people to live out what the Eucharist means in solidarity with each other. So, our Community sees itself as providing a place of worship in the heart of the city where shoppers, workers, visitors and increasingly new residents can, first of all, celebrate the Eucharist in a fruitful way, and also find a prayerful place, with a tradition of Eucharistic prayers. Consequently, people from all walks of life come to St Francis' ~ public servants, bankers, business people, tourists, members of the legal, nursing, teaching professions [to name but a few], as well as the old and the retired, and increasingly a large number of international students. Also included are people on the fringe of life who are seeking a refuge, a place where they can feel at home; and it includes people of no particular faith, who come to sit quietly in their own way of prayer.

The Eucharist is the crossroad of human history. Everything comes to focus here. The progression of the human race is a movement of each succeeding generation's participation in the Eucharist. Everything we know about humankind, about our world, about God, comes to focus here. In the Eucharist all of history takes on meaning because it is united in the one person, Jesus the Christ. In the Eucharist the fullness of history is achieved, for in its symbolism there is presented all of the past, present and future. Within this Sacrament there are found the inspirations and the aspirations to form the human community, because this Sacrament gives value and meaning to human life.

Presently there are twenty-one Religious in the Community at St Francis'; of these fourteen are priests, one is a permanent deacon, six are brothers. We trace our beginnings back to the first foundation in Melbourne (1929), and are very much aware of the major elements in our history from that time till today. Each decade has its own colourful characters and its memorable moments. Our life shared together in Community is etched in common memories and stories. I daresay that those who follow us will be the storytellers of this generation.

Our Community comprises men or varying ages, personalities and temperaments. This was highlighted in an interesting manner in the Australian SBS television programme (screened in the year 2000) entitled "Once Were Monks" [the story of a 'Community in transition']. Natural and acquired talents and skills are to be found among us. Our Community is also the meeting-point of different cultures, and this in itself is a wonderful blessing as well as a challenge to be open to the richness of the world's cultures and ways of thinking. At a deeper level, we believe that each one of us has in some way been 'called' by God. We have a real sense of 'vocation' to a common life and common table, both founded upon the wonderful mystery of God's love celebrated and realised in the eucharist.

Currently the members of the St Francis' Community are:

The love of God and our vocation gather us, at the heart of the Church, into living communities where all truly love one another. (Rule of Life, 5) … A community is made up of persons who differ in their capabilities, duties and circumstances. This diversity manifests the wealth of the gifts of the one Spirit … each one is called to live as a brother among brothers. (Rule of Life, 8) … By our profession of religious life we respond to the call of the Lord who invites us to leave all things to follow him, and we publicly commit ourselves within the Church to live in chastity, poverty and obedience. Religious profession incorporates us into a community of brothers and expresses our determination to live the Gospel in a radical way. (Rule of Life, 15).

Fundamental to our vocation is the notion of Community. As many as there are people, there will be definitions, understandings and descriptions of life shared in common. People join communities for lots of reasons too, but we would like to think, and go so far as to state, that at the heart of our choice there is the desire to seek God in order to reveal God's love to people. As has been the case with every generation that has preceded us, our ideal is to live the Gospel in all its dimensions, and to respond to the 'hungers' of the human family with the riches of God's love manifested in the eucharist.

With the Eucharist at the centre and as the source of our life and mission, we endeavour to be a community of prayer and ministry, offering assistance to all on the journey of life. The church of St Francis' located as it is in the heart of Melbourne (the second largest city in Australia), is our home and the focus of our Eucharistic mission and ministries. St Francis' is known and loved as a spiritual "oasis" of silence and peace where the Eucharist is celebrated daily, and where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed every day for prayer and contemplation. Since the Eucharist is about "table fellowship" and "hospitality", it is a natural consequence that the Community and the church are places of welcome and meeting, of prayer and adoration, spiritual guidance and sacramental reconciliation.

Not all the priests, our deacon and brothers work exclusively in St Francis', some have commitments beyond. Personal ability, interest and initiative serve to promote this broadening of vision and involvement. Presently, for example, we have people engaged in furthering their professional qualifications in tertiary studies; others work in the areas of catechesis, the conducting of retreats and spiritual direction. Some are involved in teaching in Catholic theological colleges, others promote adult education programmes for the development of faith and /or biblical studies, and the preparation of candidates who wish to be initiated into the Catholic Church. Some are engaged in the field of liturgy and music and art; and others are involved in ministries associated with disabled people. The daily organization and administration of each local Community and church draws upon the skills and competence of other members of the Community.

Pastoral involvement is expressed in many ways, but this has to be nourished. Each member of our Congregation and each local Community makes a commitment to regular time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. At least one hour each day is the commitment asked of every member. One of our traditional values is "adoration of the Blessed Sacrament". This prayer forms part of our mission as a Congregation and has priority in our daily life.

In our prayer and in all our pastoral activities, we endeavour to be concerned to awaken the faithful, especially the youth, to fulfil their personal responsibility in serving the Gospel in the Church. For those who express real interest in, and attraction to, our way of life in the Church, we extend an invitation to join us in following the Lord. The Congregation assumes the responsibility of providing the formation for its candidates, and we recognise that formation covers our whole life span, not simply a set period of a few years. We ask you to pray that the Lord might inspire a new generation of young people to continue our Eucharist Mission in the church, by joining our Congregation here in Australia.