Welcome to Hilfield Friary
Hilfield Friary's Mission Statement
In our daily living we aspire to be:
Rooted
We seek to live simply and gratefully, caring for the land that we have been entrusted with.
Christian
Following Christ in the way of St Francis, we care for the poor and marginalised of our society and all of creation.
Family
An open and inclusive community that welcomes all people and creation.
Adopted by the Community on 4th September 2018.
Live event at the Friary:
Francesco - the extraordinary life and legend of St Francis of Assisi
Saturday 3rd October, 7pm
‘Francesco’ is an original song cycle inspired by The Little Flowers of St Francis of Assisi, presenting the story of Francis as a living spiritual journey. Raised in a wealthy merchant household during a time of social upheaval, Francis rejected the life expected of him and sought instead to follow the way of Christ.
His conflict with his father, his experience of suffering and his embrace of poverty and service shaped a faith that was both radical and deeply rooted in love. His story offers a timely invitation to humility and care for creation, quietly challenging us to reflect on attachment, surrender, and the freedom found in following one's spiritual calling.
Created in early 2025 by singer-songwriter and actor Daniel Zappi, and performed together with award- winning actor, playwright, author and director Justin Butcher (Scaramouche Jones, The Madness of George Dubya, The Devil’s Passion, Walking To Jerusalem), 'Francesco' blends music, storytelling, and theatre to bring Saint Francis vividly to life.
The performance at Hilfield will be on the eve of St Francis Day, marking 800 years since his death. The performance is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. All profits from the event will go to the Amos Trust.
Suggested donation £20. Book tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/francesco-hilfield
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You will then receive our twice yearly Hilfield Update and news of events.
Email: passf@franciscans.org.uk
Phone: 01300 341311
Please leave a message if there is no answer.
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Message from the Spirit of Francis website: Each year on 4th October, Christians and many others around the world celebrate the Feast of St Francis of Assisi - the joyful friar whose life of simplicity, compassion, and kinship with all creation continues to inspire, eight centuries on.
The Feast is a day to say thank you for this vision of hope – to remember that faith is about relationship: with God, with one another, and with the Earth itself. In October 2026 we will mark 800 years since St Francis’s death, not as a moment of mourning, but of renewal.
The anniversary invites us to walk again in his footsteps: to live simply, act justly, rebuild what is broken, and recognise Christ’s presence in every person and every part of creation. We would love you to visit the Spirit of St Francis website: https://www.spiritoffrancis.com to find out about the Pilgrimages. Click the button below to download the Pilgrimage Leaflet.
As a Franciscan community, we follow the marks of humility, love and joy. This shapes the culture we try to live out. We are deeply committed to being an inclusive and safe space for everyone, whatever their background, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, gender identity, disability, mental health, neurodiversity or faith.
Our community members are very diverse and we seek to live alongside and to love and learn from each other in all our differences. To help maintain this culture of inclusivity and allow all our community members and guests to feel safe, we expect all our guests to be kind, respectful (including respecting people’s preferred pronouns), open to learning, and generous to everyone they engage with.
While the community is a Christian, Franciscan friary, we welcome people of all faiths and none, as well as Christians from all kinds of church backgrounds. You are welcome here whatever your feelings or practices of faith so long as you are respectful to those who might be different. Our policy is that we do not tolerate any discriminatory or aggressive behaviour or speech and, in extreme cases, we may ask guests to leave if they are being especially disruptive or causing the Friary to feel unsafe for others.
The Friary, Hilfield, Dorchester, Dorset, UK
Phone: 01300 341345
Email: hilfieldssf@franciscans.org.uk