The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM)
As FMDM's we strive to live by the Rule of Life of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St Francis which calls us: "to observe the Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Chris, living in obedience, the poverty and in chastity." From our earliest days we have sought to make the Gospel our way of life, sharing Christs love with each other and all those we serve.
Our Roots:
Although our inspiration goes back to the 12th century in the figure of St Francis of Assisi, our FMDM story begins in 1884 at Holly Place in Hampstead, London where we find a group of three Third Order Secular Franciscans helping in the parish. These three women became religious and after a period of expansion and great struggle we find a community in Aldershot, Hampshire looking after around 100 orphans. From these very poor and humble beginnings we find our early sisters opening a 17 bed Maternity and General hospital in Guildford, Surrey. The spirit of this place attracted young women and the fire and passion for mission was kindled under the leadership of Mother Francis Spring. It was from Mount Alvernia Guildford that our first missionaries were sent to China and Zambia (Northern Rhodesia as it was known then) in 1947 and we took our new name Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood. As the Congregation grew in numbers and our mission expanded to all continents we established, in 1956, Ladywell as our Motherhouse, away from the busyness of Mount Alvernia Hospital.
Our Charism:
Our Charism encourages us to seek to imitate Mary in her unique role as Mother of God – to conceive, give birth to, and nurture the life of Christ – which is a life of love – in our hearts, our communities and in our world today.
Our Mission:
Our mission is first and foremost to be ‘sister’ to all people and all creation. In imitation of Mary and simply by our presence, we are called to conceive, birth and nurture the life of Christ in ourselves and in all we encounter and those we serve. In 2019, at our General Chapter, we challenged ourselves to strive to:
• Become Christ,
• Expand our Franciscan Heart,
• Remain Faithful to the Journey,
• Foster inner Freedom to allow the New.
