By E.T. Malone, Jr.
Lambeth Conference Communications

One of the most common questions put to members of Anglican religious orders seems to be whether they even exist.

"I had a woman actually confront me with the fact that she had been an Episcopalian all her life and insist to me that we do not have sisters," recalled Sister Rosina Ampah, a native of Ghana living in the USA. Sister Rosina is a member of the Order of St. Helena and part of the Lambeth Conference Chaplaincy Team. "And I answered to her, 'But I told you that I am a sister.' And she said, 'No, we don't have sisters.' And I answered to her, 'But I am alive, I breathe, I am just right here in front of you.'"

The average person who sees a nun or a monk in a habit tends to assume that she or he is a Roman Catholic. And these misconceptions loom large as obstacles in the path toward more general public recognition for members of religious orders in the Anglican Communion, said Sister Rosina.

After the dissolution of the English monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 16th century, monastic vocations were virtually absent from the Anglican Communion for a period of nearly 300 years. Then, encouraged by the 19th century Oxford Movement, Anglican religious communities slowly began to re-emerge.

Today there are nearly 100 orders in the Communion, with a variety of ministries and charisms, to stand alongside those of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and other traditions within Christianity. Exact statistics are unavailable, but there are an estimated 200 Anglican monks and nuns in Canada and the USA alone.

Telling the story of religious orders

Still, many Anglicans are unaware of their existence.

"The very fact that they don't know, and that they don't want to accept it, that's what baffles my mind," Sister Rosina complained. "We've been here for 10 days or more at Lambeth and there are only a few people, I believe, who have any idea that we are Anglicans."

This lack of recognition is part of the reason that Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey invited members of religious communities to join the chaplaincy team at the Lambeth Conference.

Also, "from the beginning the Archbishop made it clear that he wanted prayer to be an integral part of the Lambeth Conference. And these are people who live the life of prayer in a special way," said Bishop Ted Jones, retired bishop of Indianapolis (USA), and a chaplaincy team member.

The international group of religious began praying at the University of Kent, the Conference site, on July 14. Its members include Brother Alfred Boonkong, Society of St. Francis, from Malaysia, currently living in Australia; Brother Anthony Michael, Society of St. Francis, from the Caribbean, currently living in the USA; Sister Catherine, Society of the Holy Cross, from Korea; Sister Carol, Community of the Holy Name, from Derby (England), currently living at Lee Abbey in Devon; Brother Martin Smith, Superior of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, USA; Sister Pamela, Community of All Hallows, from Ditchingham (England), sacristan for the Lambeth Conference; Sister Rosina Ampah; and Brother Samuel, Society of St. Francis, guardian of Hilfield Friary in Dorset (England).

Senate Building offers center

At the Senate Building, location of the Conference sacred space, the religious say the Daily Office, hold Bible studies, pray, and offer counseling for participants. They also take part in special events such as overnight vigils, fasts, and candlelight pilgrimages.

At the Lambeth Conference, said Sister Rosina, people have asked her over and over if she is an Anglican. "But why do you think I am here," she has answered. "So the assumption is, even though they see us here, that we are Roman Catholics. They think we are some kind of ecumenical visitors. I think it is very important that they know we are Anglicans."

There are even Anglican hermits, she pointed out. "Their life is prayer and communication with nature, and they visit their communities perhaps only once a month."

Much education needs to be done so that people in local parishes become aware of these orders and of the possibility for Christian service within them, she said. "And when people learn that these religious folk are Anglicans, the assumption is that they can marry," she said. "The public needs to know that many Anglican sisters and brothers also make lifetime commitments to celibacy, poverty and obedience. A religious community is a religious community. We take the same vows as the Roman Catholics. But the assumption is that because Anglican priests can marry, that Anglican sisters and brothers can marry. And that is not true," she said.

Educating the church

"We have a duty to educate the people, for them to take interest in religious life, for them to learn a little bit of what this life as a sister or brother is like," she declared, "so that they know that we exist."

"Even after the dissolution of the monasteries, the memory of monks and nuns persisted among English Christians," said Bishop Jones. "But in North America there was a new society, and people had never been exposed to the monastic movement. They saw it as something that happened in faraway places, in Italy or Spain. The spirituality of the USA was shaped by Protestants."

Recruitment of priests, especially among young people just out of college, needs to be intentional, he said. "But monastic discernment may be even more lengthy because of the vows one makes. It's harder to recruit, but I've been supportive when a mature person approaches me, and I put them in touch with monastic orders. Some communities have summer programs in which people can experience monastic life and explore possible vocations. Most bishops would encourage a mature person but would ask hard questions to a 22-year-old because of the ramifications of monastic vows."