Community of St. Denys

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Ivy House, Warminster, run by the order as a retreat, 1973-2014 Ivy House (geograph 5187071).jpg
Ivy House, Warminster, run by the order as a retreat, 1973–2014

The Community of St Denys (CSD) was an Anglican religious order of nuns founded in 1879, [1] under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Salisbury of the Church of England. The community was established to engage in domestic and foreign missionary work, and latterly was engaged in adult education, parish ministry, spiritual guidance, and leading retreats.

The order was founded by Sir James Erasmus Philipps, 12th Baronet, vicar of St Denys' Church, Warminster from 1859 to 1897. [2] The order was under the patronage of Dionysius the Areopagite.[ citation needed ]

From 1890 the nuns ran St Monica's School for Girls, which had a boarding house in an 18th-century building on Vicarage Street. [3] [4] The school merged with Lord Weymouth's Grammar School in 1973 to form Warminster School; [5] [4] there was also an Orphanage of Pity until 1959. [5] In 1994, the address of the convent was given as Vicarage Street. [6]

Ivy House on Church Street, another 18th-century house [7] used by the girls' school, was operated as a retreat until 2014 when it was sold to Warminster School. [8] The former convent had already been bought by the school in 1996. [9]

Around 2007, the order was described as a dispersed community. [1] Until 1973 a satellite community of three sisters worked in the parish of Chiswick, London, occupying a small cottage opposite St Nicholas Church which is still named St Denys' House.[ citation needed ]

In 2019, the sole surviving sister in vows – Frances Ann – was living in a retirement home in Salisbury. There were also eight oblates and five fellowship members. [10] Frances Ann died in June 2024. [11]

There is a registered charity of the same name, governed by a board of trustees and with an address in Warminster, Wiltshire. [12] The charity gives away the surplus income from its investments in the form of grants to suitable projects, which in 2018–2019 totalled £130,000. [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Community of St Denys". The Anglican Communion. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  2. ↑ "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 8 pp 117-124 – Warminster: Church". British History Online. University of London. 1965. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Historic England. "St Monica's School (1036251)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 "St Monica's School for Girls". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Victoria County History: Wiltshire: Vol 8 pp 132-134 – Warminster: Schools". British History Online. University of London. 1965. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  6. ↑ The Church of England Yearbook. Church Information Office, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 1994. p. 191.
  7. ↑ Historic England. "Ivy House (1193644)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Warminster retreat to shut after 40 years". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Our history". Warminster School. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "The Community of St Denys: Trustees' report and financial statements". Charity Commission. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Remembering with thanksgiving". Anglican Religious Life Yearbook. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  12. 1 2 "The Community of St Denys, registered charity no. 233026". Charity Commission for England and Wales.


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