We tell ourselves stories to know who we are. Knowing where we have travelled helps us to understand our present identity and to discover what is important to us.

Denis Woodbridge has written our story clearly, accurately and sympathetically. His story takes us back to St Francis and Clare, and through them to Jesus and our common faith. He takes us forward from the re-establishment of Franciscan life in the Church of England to Brother Geoffrey arriving in Papua New Guinea to begin a Franciscan ministry.

Establishing an indigenous Franciscan presence was one of Brother Geoffrey’s goals wherever he travelled. He would indeed have been pleased to note the growth of the Third Order among Papuan nationals in recent years, and continued to take an interest in its growth in Australia until his death in 2007.

The starting point of our history was Brother Geoffrey admitting Betty Hay to the novitiate of the Third Order 50 years ago. Denis Woodbridge was there, in PNG, not long after. As the Province grew more independent of the Brothers, Denis emerged as one of our leaders and exercised a significant ministry as our Chaplain. All this gives him a wide perspective on the development of our Province.

Denis sets out primarily to lay out the facts of our story, but in so doing in discloses much about our identity and values. Our story reveals a significant tension between the spirit of our movement and the need for more organisation as we grew in number. Most Franciscan groups experience this tension. As we read our story, each Tertiary can ask themselves at what times spirit and order, movement and organisation were properly balanced.

Denis tells a story primarily about people. Denis shows these people as they tried to respond to God's love in the spirit of St Francis. Many of the people mentioned are still active in the Order or live in contemporary memories. We know these people, and their story can encourage us to love God and love our neighbour inspired by St Francis. ( )

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