Fr Jack Winslow founded the Christa Seva Sangha ashram in India in 1920. After the arrival of Fr Algy and other Englishmen in 1928 they settled in Puna and built their own buildings. Fr Jack worked on the Rule of the ashram through several revisions in 1928 and 1929. Christa Seva Sangha later split into two in 1934. The branch with the more flexible ashram style kept the original name and reverted to the original Rule of 1920. The other branch, more monastic in style, took the name Christa Prema Seva Sangha, and the more monastic Rule of CSS 1929.
Before this split, Fr Algy had returned to England in 1930 and founded what was initially the English branch of Christa Seva Sangha, the Brotherhood of the Love of Christ, in St Ives, Huntingdonshire. The Rule of this Brotherhood was based on that of Christa Seva Sangha. Fr Algy soon took this Brotherhood to Dorset to join the Brotherhood of St Francis of Assisi. When they amalgamated as the Society of St Francis the Principles of BLC substantially became the Principles of SSF.
The documents on this page are the actual Rules of the ashrams. For writings about the history of the ashrams go to: https://firstorderssf.org/index.php/history/india-christa-prema-seva-sangha
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