Edith Langridge (21 March 1864 – 6 May 1959), commonly known as Mother Edith (her name in religion), was a British settlement worker and missionary based at

Barishal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

), where she was a founder member and first

superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

of the Sisterhood of the Epiphany, a Benedictine

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 ...

. She designed the

Oxford Mission Church Oxford Mission Epiphany Church, commonly known as Oxford Mission Church, is an Anglican church in Barisal, a southern city in Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest and arguably the second largest church in Asia by land area. History In the early 18 ...

which is one of the largest churches in Asia.

Birth and education

Langridge was born in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

in London in 1864. Her parents were Flora Jane () and Henry Langridge. She attended Queen's College in Harley Street where she excelled at Mathematics. However, when she applied to

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formall ...

, she was told she could not study maths, so she took a six-week

crammer A cram school, informally called crammer and colloquially also referred to as test-prep or exam factory, is a specialized school that trains its students to achieve particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high school ...

in Latin in order to study classics. She was awarded a scholarship and read classics from 1885. In 1888 she was awarded a second-class honours degree. She worked as an assistant warden and warden for Lady Margaret Hall, but she wanted to be a missionary. She learnt Swahili so that she could work in Africa. However Bishop Talbot and Canon

Charles Gore Charles Gore (22 January 1853 – 17 January 1932) was a Church of England bishop, first of Worcester, then Birmingham, and finally of Oxford. He was one of the most influential Anglican theologians of the 19th century, helping reconcile the c ...

wanted her to lead a new "Sisterhood of the Epiphany" at

in what is now

. Barisal attracted Christian missionaries including the Oxford Mission which had formed the Brotherhood of the Epiphany in 1895.

Sisterhood of the Epiphany

In 1902, the Sisterhood of the Epiphany (SE) was formed at Barisal under the guidance of Father Edmund Linwood Strong to mirror the Brotherhood. The work of the sisters was to include evangelism, medical work, and women's education under the leadership of Langridge. Later a branch house was formed at Jobarpar, Agailjhara thirty miles north of the town. The

, also known as the Epiphany Church, was established in 1903 based on a sketch by Sister Edith, and inaugurated on 26 January that year. Father Strong had overseen the completion of the church's design and construction through a second phase of building in 1907. The church was built on 35 acres of land surrounded by a high wall and rows of palm trees. Langridge lead the sisterhood, formally adopting the style "Mother Edith" after she had taken her

final vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of rel ...

in the order in 1913, and following an election to confirm her position as

Mother Superior An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

. In 1928 and 1931 she was challenged for the position, both elections ending in stalemate with an equal number of votes for both candidates. The Warden (a position held by a brother of the Brotherhood of the Epiphany) broke the deadlock on each occasion by confirming Langridge in her position. There were several branch houses of the sisterhood, the largest at Calcutta where the sisters ran a primary school and an orphanage. In 1943 Mother Edith lost the election for Mother Superior and was replaced.

Legacy

Langridge died in a hospital in

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in ...

in 1959. In 1970 a parallel community to the Sisterhood of the Epiphany was founded for sisters of Bangladeshi nationality, named the

Christa Sevika Sangha The Christa Sevika Sangha (Handmaids of Christ), CSS, is an Anglican religious order for women based in Jobarpar, Barisal, Bangladesh. It is a part of the Anglican Church of Bangladesh. History In 1970 the Sisterhood of the Epiphany, a group o ...

(CSS) (Handmaids of Christ), and in 1986 this order became independent. The foundress, Sr Susila SE, left the Sisterhood of the Epiphany to become the first Mother Superior CSS, an office she held until her death on 16 May 2011. At the same time another sister (Sr Leonore SE) transferred to the Community of St. Francis in order to follow the Franciscan Rule. By the early 1990s only three SE sisters remained, and they left Bangladesh (where their work is continued by CSS) and returned to England, taking up residence at Ditchingham with the

Community of All Hallows The Community of All Hallows is an Anglican religious order based in Ditchingham, near Bungay, Suffolk, under the jurisdiction of the Church of England. The religious sisters lead a life of prayer and service providing hospitality and spiritual ...

. The last three sisters died there, concluding the work of the Sisterhood of the Epiphany. However Sister Lucy Francis Holt was still a sister at the Oxford Mission Church in 2019 where she had taken Bangladeshi citizenship at the age of 89 so she could die there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langridge, Edith 1864 births 1959 deaths People from Marylebone English Anglican missionaries Anglican missionaries in Bangladesh Anglican missionaries in India Female Christian missionaries