Franciscan brothers first arrived here in 1921 to establish a home of refuge and rehabilitation for the large number of displaced men who were then tramping the roads of rural England.
At the Friary they found a welcome as brothers, the restoration of their dignity through shared work, and the opportunity of rehabilitation and training.
From this small beginning has grown the Society of St Francis, an Anglican order of men and women inspired by the example of Francis of Assisi. SSF now has communities of brothers and sisters, and many lay or ‘tertiary’ members, throughout the world.
Hilfield Friary is now a retreat centre and welcomes guests from all over the world to Dorset.