The Order of Julian of Norwich (OJN) is a

contemplative In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with prayer or meditation. Etymology The word ''contemplation'' is derived from the Latin word '' ...

community of

nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

The Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...

History

The Order was founded in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

in 1985, under the inspiration of Fr John Swanson (known by his religious name, Fr John-Julian OJN). The Episcopal Church formally recognised the Order in 1997. The Order relocated to

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area that ...

, where Julian House Monastery was gradually extended. The Order again relocated, this time in 2015, to

White Lake, Wisconsin White Lake is a village in Langlade County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 363 at the 2010 census. The White Lake Volunteer Fire Department is located within the village. History The name "White" was given to the lake by the ...

. The community is semi-enclosed, and the focus of their life together is on prayer, contemplation, and manual labor. Since 2010 the Guardian (elected superior of the community) has been Reverend Mother Hilary OJN. In 2021, following the death of Fr John-Julian, the enclosed community became all-female. Oblate and associate affiliation remains open to men and women.

Julian House Monastery

Originally occupying a single house with an adjacent chapel, the community engaged in extensive fundraising to extend the monastic buildings, and engaged with local contractors to construct an ecologically sensitive building. The house and chapel are now joined, and further extensions have provided community work rooms, additional cells, and facilities for caring for elderly members of the community. Amongst other eco-friendly features, the monastery generates its own solar electricity, harvests rainwater through a water management system, and engages in extensive market gardening and sustainable land husbandry.See the articl
Care of Place
.

Spiritual life

The nuns of the Order lead lives balanced in prayer, work, and recreation. They rise at 3.30am, pray a four-fold daily office, celebrate a daily mass, and engage in individual and community works; their day ends with

compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wo ...

(night prayer) at 7.00pm. Professed sisters take the three traditional Benedictine vows: stability, conversion of life, and obedience "in the spirit of our Blessed Mother Saint Julian".

References

External links

Order of Julian of Norwich
{{Anglican orders Anglican orders and communities Episcopal Church (United States) Episcopal Church in Connecticut Episcopal Church in Wisconsin Christian organizations established in 1985 Anglican religious orders established in the 20th century 1985 establishments in Connecticut