Hello, Can anyone please tell me the name and location (link to website would be very welcome) of any religious community in the Anglican Communion, particularly, but not only, monastic ones, that may be described as following a more traditional form of religious life, are Anglo-Catholic and are of the theological conviction that only viri (men) should receive the sacrament of Orders. Thank you!
Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield would possibly match your criteria. They also accept Oblates and Companions of the Order. https://www.mirfield.org.uk
I have been to Mirfield on several occasions but many years ago. When I was an altar server the parish priest at the time had done his training at Mirfield, was still associated with them and one of the Mirfield fathers was his confessor. If he went in a school or college holiday I would accompany him. Unless, they have changed significantly I would not view Mirfield as fitting any of the criteria I listed in my OP.
There really isn't such as thing as a "traditional" religious community in the Anglican sense. Prior to the Oxford Movement (with the possible exception of Little Gidding) there were no religious communities in Anglicanism for over 300 years.
If we were in 1950 there would have been no shortage of Traditional Anglican Communities and immediately I think of the "Cowley Fathers"S.S.J.E., Kelham, Mirfield,Franciscans, Alton Abbey Nashdom Abbey [although never Anglican in any real sense] and many others. I remember staying with the Cowley fathers in Cowley in 1972 and even then they were still very traditional; their office was old Little Hours and Mattins and Evensong.They seemed a flourishing community, but now as far as I know there isn't a single SSJE Father left in England. It is all so sad. I believe that the continual "experimentation" in Liturgical worship and "Trial Offices" looking very sad, uncertain and temporary in their duplicated files and folders was a major factor in the collapse of Relgious Life. the liturgy,after all, is the heart of any Religious Order - now it's The Banished Heart. I wish that I could recommend a traditional Order but can't. Many of the dying women's Orders are full of Ordained Sisters e.g. Wantage Sisters.
I do not mean 'traditional' in the sense of an Anglican religious community following centuries old tradition of religious life within Anglicanism. Whilst measured against the age of the Church religious life in Anglicanism is novel the religious life is not and goes back millennia. I am asking about religious communities that follow a traditional religious life. An example of one community I know whose life I would consider traditional are the Benedictine nuns in West Malling, Kent. The now defunct Ewell monastery would have been ano
That is what I feared and suspected. I know Alton Abbey still exists but they only seem to go through the motions.
Sorry for the mistake. I would have put West Malling O.S.B. as an example of those who definitely did NOT live the traditional Religious Life. I would have considered "Traditional" those communities which followed the Rules,Customs, liturgical life as prescribed by their founders. The word Traditional is very difficult and liable to misinterpretation !!! Sorry.
I am not sure I completely understand this post. I do not understand why you would say that West Malling Abbey is not a traditional community.
I am sorry, I thought that I made it clear - I emphasise that it is not a "judgement", just my own, personal view. From what I remember West Malling (and like many other Religious Communities) has a modern,facing the people altar and they do not use the Traditional seven-fold form of the Benedictine Divine Office, which is found in the Monastic Diurnal and old Monastic Breviary. My feeling after I last visited was the same as my view of the old Nashdom Abbey; an imitation of the updated and modernised post-Vatican II Roman Catholic orders. I suppose if you are Super-Anglican-Papalist this is the sort of thing that you would like; I don't. Yours sincerely, Disgusted Dinosaur.
I did wonder because I know West Malling wear a full habit and with some it is lucky to find a habit worn let alone a full one. They do have seven offices and rise much earlier than many communities do nowadays. I do not know what office they use. If you've been you will know but they are not very forthcoming if you email them with an enquiry. I think you would struggle anywhere to find a community where Mass is not offered versus populum. Alas, you're going to struggle to find the traditional Benedictine Office and certainly not (I don't know if you prefer this) in Latin and Gregorian chant. A few communities in the Roman Catholic Church are returning to this and a few newly founded young ones have this. I'm afraid that religious life in the Anglican Church is moribund. I suspect many single Roman Catholic orders have more members than there are religious in the entire Anglican Communion.
Thank you and I know exactly what you mean. I was born about 50 years too late ! Of the Roman Catholic communities in England Farnborough has both Old Rite Mass and old Office. In France there are many which are (broadly speaking) traditional and I think here of Fontgombault (which has made three new foundations in France in the last twenty years and more recently lear Creek [USA] all of which use the Old Rite) and Le Barroux. It appears that it is the Old Rite communities which are flourishing and it's to me very sad that there aren't some Anglican Communities following this pattern.
We do seem to sing from the same hymn sheet. It is quite telling I think that there is no rejuvenation of religious life in the UK with the exception of Farnborough. I do find it interesting that those communities following usus antiquior are attracting vocations and especially from the young. Of course, many communities will die as their last members die or move into care homes because they will never admit the trendy movements of the 60s and 70s failed.