Greetings from Houston, Texas. New Anglican who is discerning a monastic vocation. Long, bumpy road to Canterbury but it's been eventful. Mick When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30 | NASB
Welcome. Enjoy the spirited discussions and interject when you feel you can. It is a diverse community here.
Welcome to the forum. I will pray for your monastic discernment. Unfortunately, there isn't much choice in the Anglican Communion.
Br. Thomas - Thank you. PDL, thank you. The few Anglican orders I found online I diligently researched, emailed, called. Only one responded: a “gentleman priest” who waxed on about his education, occupation, family, hobbies, trips overseas, creativity, love for jazz, collecting comic books. He stressed the need for his order to have an educational pedigree. When asked about spiritual formation/discernment he hedged and stated “it really depends upon whether one can uphold his financial obligation to us, you know - an annual payment” which is understood, a society must have the financial means to conduct business, certainly if cloistered. He required an extensive educational background, letters from bishops/priests, background check with “financial disclosure”. Further emails, calls to him were not returned. Others I visited online had extreme social justice requirements (no different from current RC orders, Jesuits, Dominicans), narratives, and overt eco-worship, “we call upon Mother Earth to save us”, “you are a citizen of the grassy penumbra” etc. One independent Episcopal order that will likely come under ECUSA jurisdiction in the next several years is submerged in progressive political causes; “you must become a member of the World” to make profession. A devout RC Franciscan I worked with back in the late 90’s stated that he spent some time with various Anglican orders in the UK and here but shook his head, “though there are dedicated monastics [ within PECUSA ] the majority I met at general assembly or bc ecumenical retreats view their membership as a cloistered social club, many are well read Anglophiles, love if British history and ‘joining’ have a chance to play dress up.”
As I have written elsewhere, you may wish to contact Fr. Damien Trudeau, OSB. He is the Prior of Stilfontein Priory, The Monastery of Our Lady of Good Hope, in the US state of Virginia. They have Facebook pages for further contact information. He is an Anglican Benedictine monk, that is ordained.
Another option for a form of monastic life would be to become an oblate. Most all Benedictine/Cistercian Abbeys and Priories have external oblates which are lay people who feel called to live out the Benedictine spirituality in the world. Oblates go through a one-year novitiate to learn the Rule of St. Benedict, how to pray the divine office, lectio divina, the teachings of the desert fathers, etc., and then make their oblation which is a form of monastic vows. They are welcome to attend communal prayers, mass, spiritual direction, and retreats with the monastic community. RCC abbeys allow protestants to join as oblates and it's intended to form one as a Benedictine monastic not as a Roman Catholic or any other particular denomination. My abbey has oblates that are Lutheran, Episcopalian, Continuing Anglican, Methodist, Nazarene, and Baptist (that last one still surprises me). I'm not sure if many Anglican Diocese have provisions for this but there is also the Diocesan Hermit (living out the monastic way of life outside of a designated community). I know a few diocesan hermits (RCC and Anglican) that live out the eremitic life but are also attached to abbeys as oblates.
Or one can simply over-eat for a while, and become an oblong. Possibly even a sphere. I couldn't resist.