Anglican Cistercians are members of the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
who live a common life together according to the Cistercian tradition. This tradition is usually dated to 1098 in origin. The term ''Cistercian'' is derived from ''Cistercium,'' the Latin name for the village of Cîteaux, near
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
in eastern France. It was in this village that a group of Benedictine monks from the monastery of
Molesme
Molesme () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.
History
Molesme grew up round the Benedictine monastery of Molesme Abbey, established here in the late 11th century by Saint Robert, who later founded Cîteaux Abbey, moth ...
founded
Cîteaux Abbey
Cîteaux Abbey (french: Abbaye de Cîteaux, links=no ) is a Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. It is notable for being the original house of the Cistercian order. Today, it belongs to the Trappists ...
in 1098, with the goal of following more closely the
Rule of Saint Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...
. Monks following this rule are known as Benedictine, and were at that time the dominant force in Christian monasticism. The monks of Cîteaux Abbey effectively founded a new order (the Cistercians), but one that remains closely associated with the Benedictine Order. As a mark of their distinctive charism and rule, Cistercian monks have long worn white
habits
A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. to distinguish themselves from Benedictine monks who wear black habits. Within Anglicanism there has historically been less interest in the Cistercian Order than certain other monastic Rules, although Cistercian life has been represented continuously in the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
since at least 1966.
Anglican Cistercian history
Influence at and beyond the English Reformation
The pre-reformation English Church (which included Wales) boasted a number of notable and influential Cistercian abbeys, including
Waverley Abbey
Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, the Bishop of Winchester.
Located about southeast of Farnham, Surrey, it is situated on a flood-plain; surrounded by current and previous channels o ...
(Surrey),
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissoluti ...
(Yorkshire),
Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...
(Yorkshire), and
Tintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey ( cy, Abaty Tyndyrn ) was founded on 9 May 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow. It is situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the bor ...
(Monmouthshire). All were closed as part of the
Dissolution of the Monasteries by
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, but their history remains significant, and Fountains Abbey is a
UNESCO world heritage site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
The life of the Cistercian Order in England included a strong work ethic, and the Order was largely responsible for the development of the wool trade, which itself became the backbone of a developing English commercial prosperity.
The commercial influence of the Cistercian Order appears to have carried over into the post-reformation era, and the early decades of an independent English Church which represents the roots of Anglicanism. A 2016 study concluded that "English counties that were more exposed to Cistercian monasteries experienced faster productivity growth from the 13th century onwards" and that this influence carried over beyond the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s. It has been suggested that the Order’s lifestyle and pursuit of wealth were early manifestations of “the Protestant work ethic”, as manifested in the formative years of Anglicanism as a distinct branch of western Christendom.
Victorian English monastic revival
The revival of religious communities within the Anglican Communion during the 18th century, and more especially the nineteenth and twentieth centuries under the influence of the
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
, saw the revival of many of the traditional monastic rules, particularly those of the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
,
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
and
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to:
*Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine
*Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs
*Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo
* Canons Regular of Sain ...
orders. However, there were few attempts to revive the Cistercian Rule within the Anglican communion prior to 1966, and none that lasted more than a few years.
Ewell Monastery (OC)
In 1966, the Revd Fr Aelred Arnesen OC established the
Ewell Monastery Cistercian community, located at
West Malling
West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590.
Landmarks
West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a Norma ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, which came to receive official recognition by both the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
and the worldwide Cistercian Order within the Roman Catholic Church. Arnesan was the prior throughout the life of the monastery. The abbey buildings were constructed on the site of a former farm, with an ancient tithe barn being developed into the community chapel. The chapel still remains after the closure of the monastery and is a Grade II* listed building. The Cistercian Rule was never popular within 20th-century Anglicanism and the community never numbered more than five brothers, although these were often strengthened by temporary residents at the monastery from among the associates of the order. In 2004 the community shrank again leaving the prior as the only remaining member living under vows. The decision was taken to end the Cistercian experiment and the monastery was closed. Arnesen continued to live the religious life as a Cistercian solitary until his death, aged 96, on 7 January 2022.
Order of Cistercians, Common Observance (OCCO)
In the United States in 1981, a group of largely lay-led Anglicans sought to establish a Cistercian association. The original aim was to establish an association of Cistercian oblates under the care of the Benedictine Order, but the experiment developed into an unauthorised Cistercian community. Having not applied for formal recognition by the Anglican authorities, the order, now known as the Cistercian Order of the Holy Cross, and still using the post-nominal initials OCCO, has developed independently as a non-denominational Cistercian order. Although its origins are in the Anglican Communion, it is now independent of any denominational structure. Its headquarters are at Holy Cross Monastery in North Carolina, and it currently admits both first order (professed) members and oblates of both sexes.
Order of Cistercians (OC)
In 2006, an Anglican Cistercian Association was founded with the aim of keeping Cistercian thought and devotion alive within the Anglican Communion. From this association arose the concept of a new Cistercian order drawing on the Cistercian heritage, the experience of Ewell Monastery, and the enthusiasm of association members for a new form of Cistercian life. A formal monastic order was founded in 2010 as the Order of Anglican Cistercians (OCist); the name was subsequently changed to the Order of Cistercians (OC).
The Order of Cistercians (OC) is an uncloistered and dispersed
religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...
of ordained and lay men, single, celibate and married, who endeavour to live according to the
Rule of Saint Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...
as expressed in the
Trappist
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...
tradition. It is currently the main representative of the Cistercian tradition within Anglicanism, and in 2013 it received formal acknowledgement from the Anglican Communion's Advisory Council on the Relations of Bishops and Religious Communities. An entry in the online ''Anglican Religious Life Yearbook'' can be found in the section (Section 3) of all the recognised and acknowledged religious communities.
[https://arlyb.org.uk/directory/ ''Anglican Religious Life Yearbook'' directory online]]
The order was founded in 2010, with initial members taking first (simple) vows on 8 September 2011, in the presence of supporters, ecumenical representatives, Abbot Stuart Burns OSB of the Anglican Benedictine
Mucknell Abbey
Mucknell Abbey is an Anglican Benedictine monastery in Worcestershire, England. The community, which formerly lived at Burford, has both male and female members. Its formal legal name is The Society of the Salutation of Mary the Virgin.
History
...
(who had been appointed by the Church of England as an official consultant to the new order), and before Bishop
Mark Sowerby
Mark Crispin Rake Sowerby (born 28 October 1963) is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2019, he has been the Principal of the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield; he was previously Bishop of Horsham, a suffragan bishop (formerly an area bisho ...
,
Bishop of Horsham
The Bishop of Horsham is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop (area bishop from 1984 to 2013) of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the market town of Horsha ...
, who had accepted the position of episcopal visitor to the new order. On 26 May 2017 three members of the order made their solemn profession at Lambeth Palace in the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the order's new episcopal visitor,
Tony Robinson
Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentaries ...
,
Bishop of Wakefield
The Bishop of Wakefield is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. The title was first created for a diocesan bishop in 1888, but it was dissolved in 2014. The Bishop of Wakefield is now ...
, who had succeeded Mark Sowerby.
See also
*
Anglican religious order
Anglican religious orders are communities of men or women (or in some cases mixed communities of both men and women) in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows which often include ...
*
Former religious orders in the Anglican Communion 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 th ...
*
Society of Our Lady of the Isles
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 lo ...
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://cistercianorder.wordpress.com/
Anglican orders and communities
Cistercian Order
Anglican religious orders established in the 21st century