Religious Orders in the Parish

At St. Clement’s, we have two Religious (more on that term below) as part of the congregation, Sister Michelle Heyne, OA and Brother Robert Gallagher, OA (also known as Father Bob). The are life professed members of the Order of the Ascension (OA). The Order is a dispersed Benedictine community of laity, priests, and bishops with a charism focused on parish development and revitalization. Anglo-Catholic parishes often have rich relationships with the Religious among their congregations.

The Religious Life – What is Being a Religious?

The word “religious” gets used in two ways. First, the most common is that it has to do with being a person who believes in God and engages in related spiritual practices. The second use has to do with those who live the religious life in a way that involves intentional membership in a community with a shared apostolate and a distinct culture of life and spiritual practice. It’s the second we’re focused on here. “Religious” in this sense all take vows (such as poverty, chastity, and obedience) or a Promise (such as Stability, Conversion of Life and Obedience), and many include an intention or vow of lifelong membership. You may be familiar with groups, such as the Franciscans and Benedictines, which exist in both the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. It’s a particular way of living the Christian Life as a sister or brother, a monk or nun. There are groups in which all members are celibate and other in which members may be married or single. Some communities live together, others are dispersed. The common elements are the shared vow or promise and the explicit commitment to this group and its way of living the Christian life.

 How many “Religious” are there in the Anglican Communion?

 There are 146 religious life communities in the Anglican Communion. Of that number, 32 are in the Episcopal Church. There are communities spread throughout the world. For example, 26 are in Africa, 6 in South Korea, 60 in the United kingdom, and 7 in the Solomon Islands.

The Anglican Religious Life Yearbook is available to view online. The yearbook provides information on all the recognized communities and articles about the Religious Life. There is also a website about communities in the Episcopal Church. The Order of the Ascension is listed in both.   

The role of Religious in the parish

The role they play in parish churches various widely. Some are simply members, much the same as other parishioners. They go to Mass, pledge, and serve their parishes in some manner. There are also parishes in which they serve in liturgical roles, or sometimes as staff members and are provided housing and a stipend.

At St. Clement’s, Sister Michelle has served as Senior Warden and leader of the parish development team. Brother Robert has occasionally filled in as celebrant or preacher when the rector has been on vacation. The two worked together to design and facilitate the St. Clement’s 2040 Process. They’ve also offered formation opportunities focused on spiritual practice.

Here are two other parishes in which Religious participate:

Religious Orders at St. Mary’s – On the long history of religious orders at St. Mary the Virgin, NYC. 

Religious Life at Atonement – On the two religious orders at Church of the Atonement, Chicago