Community of St. Mary

The Community of St. Mary (CSM) is an Anglican religious order of nuns with independent houses located in Greenwich, New York, Sewanee, Tennessee, Mukwonago, Wisconsin, and also in Malawi and the Philippines.

History

The oldest indigenous Anglican order in the United States, it was founded in New York City in 1865 by Harriet Starr Cannon and a small group of fellow nuns. It was formally constituted by Bishop Horatio Potter of New York as the Sisters of St. Mary. The Episcopal Church was initially slow to recognize the order, and they only found wide support after four of the sisters died nursing victims of a yellow fever epidemic in Memphis, Tennessee in 1878. These four sisters are now commemorated by the Episcopal Church on September 9 as the Martyrs of Memphis or as Constance and her Companions. The community now consists of three independent provinces: Eastern, Western, and Southern.

Rule of life

Their rule of life is very similar to the Benedictine rule, and they live a mixed life of prayer and service. The sisters pray five offices each day, and their Monastic Diurnal Revised ^[1] is a popular prayer book for many outside of the community as well. From their foundation in 1865 the first sisters took charge of the "House of Mercy" in New York. Then and now the sisters have felt called to the care of "the lost, forgotten, and underprivileged"^[2] after the example of many Christian saints, including St Vincent de Paul. In 2008 this connection proved sufficiently strong for the American branch of the Sisters of Charity to amalgamate with the Community of St Mary. These Vincentian (Rule of St Vincent de Paul) sisters are now a fully integrated part of the Southern Province of CSM.

Provinces

Eastern

The Eastern Province sisters moved in 2003 from Peekskill, New York to Greenwich, New York, where they share a 620-acre (2.5 km²) facility with the Spiritual Life Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany. The sisters engage in various activities, which include working at the healing center of the Spiritual Life Center, giving retreats, and serving on the board of Saint Mary's Hospital for Children. They also raise cashmere goats and chickens.

Southern

The Southern Province sisters trace their descent from the remnants of the Memphis sisters. Their current chapel houses the altar, aumbry, and chalice that were originally located in the Memphis house. The sisters formerly operated a girls' school in Sewanee—St. Mary's Preparatory School for Girls—which closed at the end of the 1967-1968 school year. The school is now a retreat center for individual and group retreats, in addition to hosting presentations on contemplative prayer. The convent and the retreat center are located near the campus of the Sewanee: The University of the South. The sisters say the office from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, in addition to a daily mass, every day except Wednesday, which is the sisters' silent retreat day.

Western

The Western Province sisters pursue individual ministries, but are especially involved in offering retreats and spiritual direction at Mary's Margin in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.

Overseas houses

Malawi

A branch house of the Eastern Province of the Order was established in Malawi in 2002. The initial group of Malawian sisters completed their novitiate at the American house, but now they have enough professed sisters to train novices in Malawi. They are hoping to establish a crisis nursery for babies whose parents are unable to care for them because of AIDS. They also give presentations in churches, visit the sick, lead Bible studies, preach, and work on their farm, helping other women to learn sustainable agriculture techniques.

Philippines

The sisters also have a mission in the Philippines, which has been in existence for over thirty years, and forms part of the Southern Province. St Mary's Convent is located at Sagada, and is attached to St Mary's Anglican Church.

References

↑ http://www.amazon.com/Monastic-Diurnal-Revised-Sisterhood-Mary/dp/B001GGRC94
↑ Quoted from the sisters' entry in "Anglican Religious Life 2012-13", Canterbury Press, Norwich, page 64.

Ten Decades of Praise: The Story of the Community of Saint Mary During its First Century (1865-1965) by Sister Mary Hilary, CSM. Dekoven Foundation: 1965. available online
The Hidden Life PBS documentary on the Community of Saint Mary (copies available from the convent; see Website of the Community of Saint Mary, below)
Anglican Religious Communities Yearbook: 2006-2007. Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2005.

External links

Website of the Eastern Province, CSM (and Malawi).
Website of the Southern Province, CSM (and Philippines).
Online resources pertaining to the CSM from Project Canterbury.
Documents on the Martyrs of Memphis
The Rule of the Community of Saint Mary: A Study in Development by the Reverend Dr. Terrence Gleeson 2002
St. Mary's Sewanee Spiritual Development Center
Faithfulness and Success, 2014 interview by Richard Mammana with Mother Miriam CSM from The Living Church.

Active religious orders and communities of the Anglican Communion

For men	Alton Abbey Brotherhood of the Ascended Christ Brotherhood of Saint Gregory Community of the Divine Compassion Community of the Resurrection Company of Mission Priests Ewell Monastery Franciscan orders Korean Franciscan Brotherhood Little Brothers of Francis Melanesian Brotherhood Oratory of the Good Shepherd Benedictine orders Order of the Holy Cross Order of the Teachers of the Children of God Salisbury Priory St Gregory's Abbey Society of St. Francis Society of St. John the Evangelist Society of St. Paul

For women	Augustinian orders Benedictine Sisters of Bethany Chama Cha Mariamu Mtakatifu Chita che Zita Rinoyera Chita che Zvipo Zve Moto Christa Sevika Sangha Community of All Hallows Community of Christ the King Community of Jesus' Compassion Community of Nazareth Community of St. Andrew Community of St. Clare Community of St. Denys Community of St. Francis Community of St. John Baptist Community of St. John the Divine Community of St. John the Evangelist Community of St. Laurence Community of St. Mary Community of St. Mary at the Cross Community of St. Mary the Virgin Community of St. Mary of Nazareth and Calvary Community of St. Michael & All Angels Community of St. Paul Community of St. Peter Community of St. Peter, Horbury Community of the Blessed Lady Mary Community of the Companions of Jesus the Good Shepherd Community of the Good Shepherd Community of the Holy Cross Community of the Holy Family Community of the Holy Name (Europe & Africa) Community of the Holy Name (Australia) Community of the Holy Spirit Community of the Resurrection of Our Lord Community of the Sacred Name Community of the Sacred Passion Community of the Servants of the Cross Community of the Sisters of Melanesia Community of the Sisters of the Church Community of the Sisters of the Love of God Community of the Transfiguration Congregation of the Sisters of the Visitation of our Lady Daughters of St. Francis Fikambanan'ny Mpanompovavin l Jesoa Kristy Franciscan orders Malling Abbey Order of St. Anne Order of St. Anne at Bethany Order of St. Benedict Order of St. Helena Order of the Holy Paraclete Order of Women (South India) Sisterhood of St. John the Divine Sisterhood of St. Mary, Bangladesh Sisterhood of the Epiphany Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity Sisters of Charity Sisters of the Good Shepherd Sisters of the Incarnation Sisters of Jesus Way Sisters of St Francis (Korea) Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor Society of Our Lady of the Isles Society of Our Lady St. Mary Society of St. John the Divine Society of St. Margaret Society of the Franciscan Servants of Jesus & Mary Society of the Holy Cross Society of the Holy Trinity Society of the Precious Blood Society of the Sacred Advent Society of the Sacred Cross Society of the Sisters of Bethany

Mixed	Anglican Order of Preachers (Dominican) Community of the Glorious Ascension Community of the Holy Transfiguration Community of the Servants of the Will of God Companions of Saint Luke (OSB) Franciscan orders Mucknell Abbey Order of Julian of Norwich Benedictine orders Society of the Sacred Mission

Related articles	Topics closely related to active religious orders: Former religious orders in the Anglican Communion

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