The Society of Our Lady of the Isles (SOLI) is a small Anglican religious order for women, founded in the late 20th century. It is located in Shetland, and is part of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is arguably the most remote community (by location) within the Anglican Communion. The Rule of the community is a mixture of Franciscan and Cistercian, but with heavy Celtic influences.
The community dates its origin from 1984 when the Reverend Mother Mary Agnes arrived on the island of Fetlar to live a contemplative and isolated life of prayer. She took over a simple cottage with a small barn suitable for conversion to a chapel. Others began to visit, or stay, and in 1988 the Society was named and came into existence as a group, rather than an individual. Mother Mary Agnes was formally recognised as Superior by the Church in 1993. [1]
Convent buildings were originally developed on Fetlar. The main convent house was a safe and secure modern building, and a new chapel was built on the convent site, dedicated to "Christ the Encompasser and all his Angels". A version of the community's Rule is followed by a number of 'external oblates', who support the community, and live under simple promises, but not full monastic vows.
In 2015, the community moved to the island of Unst [2] where more medical and social care is available than on Fetlar; one Sister now lives in sheltered care at Uyeasound. A new chapel and community house have been built at Westing on the Atlantic coast of Unst. The community's buildings on Fetlar have been sold.
The Byre Chapel was the original place of worship developed from a barn. It was noteworthy for its simple and rustic style of construction and furnishing. The opposite end retained its traditional use, as the SOLI community goat lived there. [3]
The Chapel of Christ the Encompasser and All His Angels was of modern construction and part of the 'new' convent buildings on Fetlar. The daily office was prayed here, and there was a Sunday mass. The chapel afforded impressive sea views.
The new buildings on Unst include the Chapel of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent. The term is often used interchangeably with religious sisters who do take simple vows but live an active vocation of prayer and charitable work.
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai, abbreviated as NSKK, sometimes referred to in English as the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan, is the national Christian church representing the Province of Japan within the Anglican Communion.
Yell is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland. In the 2011 census it had a usually resident population of 966. It is the second largest island in Shetland after the Mainland with an area of 82 square miles (212 km2), and is the third most populous in the archipelago, after the Mainland and Whalsay.
Fetlar is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland, with a usually resident population of 61 at the time of the 2011 census. Its main settlement is Houbie on the south coast, home to the Fetlar Interpretive Centre. Other settlements include Aith, Funzie, Herra and Tresta. Fetlar is the fourth-largest island of Shetland and has an area of just over 4,000 ha.
Unst is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of 46 sq mi (120 km2).
Anglican religious orders are communities of men or women in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows which often include the traditional monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, or the ancient vow of stability, or sometimes a modern interpretation of some or all of these vows. Members may be laity or clergy, but most commonly include a mixture of both. They lead a common life of work and prayer, sometimes on a single site, sometimes spread over multiple locations. Though many Anglicans are members of religious orders recognized by the Anglican Communion, others may be members of ecumenical Protestant or Old Catholic religious orders while maintaining their Anglican identity and parochial membership in Anglican churches.
The Portiuncula is a historic chapel in the town of Santa Maria degli Angeli, near Assisi, Italy. It is closely associated with Francis of Assisi and the Order of Friars Minor, who used the chapel as their headquarters. Following Francis's death in 1226, it became an important pilgrimage site. In the 16th century, a vast basilica, the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, was built around the Portiuncula.
The Community of Christ the King (CCK) was an Anglican religious order of Benedictine nuns near Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1993, this enclosed and contemplative order was under the jurisdiction of the Anglican Church of Australia. The convent operated guest and retreat facilities and the sisters provided a ministry of spiritual direction.
The Community of St John Baptist (CSJB), also known as the Sisters of Mercy, or formerly Clewer Sisters, is an Anglican religious order of Augustinian nuns.
The Community of St Mary the Virgin (CSMV) is an Anglican religious order based at Wantage in Oxfordshire, England. It was founded in 1848 by the vicar of Wantage, the Reverend William John Butler and is one of the oldest surviving religious communities in the Church of England.
The Community of the Holy Cross (CHC) is an Anglican religious order founded in 1857 by Elizabeth Neale, at the invitation of Father Charles Fuge Lowder, to work with the poor around St Peter's London Docks in Wapping. The Community moved to a large convent in Haywards Heath.
The Society of Saint Margaret (SSM) is an order of women in the Anglican Church. The religious order is active in England, Haiti, Sri Lanka, and the United States and formerly Scotland.
Emerging since the 19th century, there are several Protestant adherent and groups, sometimes organised as religious orders, which strive to adhere to the teachings and spiritual disciplines of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Chiara Offreduccio, known as Clare of Assisi, is an Italian saint who was one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi.
The Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor is a religious order of sisters in the Anglican Communion. It was founded in 1851 and is active in England and the United States.
The Church of the Val-de-Grâce is a Roman Catholic church in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The church was built as part of a royal abbey by Anne of Austria, the Queen of France, to celebrate the birth of her son, Louis XIV in 1638. Construction began in 1645 under the direction of architect François Mansart and was completed in 1665 by Gabriel Le Duc. The abbey and church were turned into a hospital during the French Revolution and then became part of the Val-de-Grâce Hospital, which closed in 1979. The church is attached to the diocese of the French military and is open to visitors at specified hours. Its dome is a landmark in the skyline of Paris.
The Community of the Holy Name (CHN) is an international Anglican religious order for women. The full name of the community is The Community of the Mission Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus, usually shortened to Community of the Holy Name. The order currently operates in Europe and Africa. There is also an order operating in Australia with the same name which has an independent history, having been founded entirely separately.
Former religious orders in the churches of the Anglican Communion are those communities of monks, nuns, friars, or sisters, having a common life and rule under vows, whose work has ended and whose community has been disbanded. In a very few cases this is due to the termination of the work for which the community was established, but in most cases it is due to amalgamation or the death of the final remaining member of the community.
The convent of Saint Agnes is situated on the right bank of Vltava, in Prague Old Town area called „Na Františku“. The monastery of Poor Clares of the Order of Saint Clare and Franciscans was founded in 1231 by Agnes of Bohemia, who also became the abbess of the convent.
