Community of the Sisters of the Love of God
Encyclopedia
The Community of the Sisters of the Love of God is a contemplative community of women founded in 1906 within the Anglican
Church, to witness to the priority of God, and to respond to the love of God for us, reflected in our love for God. Its members believe they are called to live a substantial degree of withdrawal from everyday life, devoting themselves to prayer in the belief that this prayer, rooted in the praise and worship of God, is essential for the peace and well-being of the world. The Sisters offer their lives to God in prayer and daily life together in Community, seeking to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and with one another.
and Eucharist
together in choir, inspired partly by the Benedictine
way of life.
). It formerly had houses at Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, Burwash in East Sussex and Staplehurst in Kent. Members of the Community include the writer Sister Benedicta Ward SLG, translator and editor of The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and other works on the early and medieval Church. One Sister lives at St Isaac’s Retreat, PO Box 93, Opononi 0445, Northland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Sisters add the suffix SLG to their religious names. The Reverend Mother is Sister Margaret Theresa SLG (assumed office June 2007).
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
Church, to witness to the priority of God, and to respond to the love of God for us, reflected in our love for God. Its members believe they are called to live a substantial degree of withdrawal from everyday life, devoting themselves to prayer in the belief that this prayer, rooted in the praise and worship of God, is essential for the peace and well-being of the world. The Sisters offer their lives to God in prayer and daily life together in Community, seeking to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and with one another.
Character
The Community has always drawn upon Carmelite spirituality: life and prayer in silence and solitude is a very important dimension of the vocation. However, the Community also draws from other traditions, and the Rule is not specifically Carmelite. Another important ingredient is an emphasis on the centrality of Divine OfficeLiturgy of the hours
The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings...
and Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
together in choir, inspired partly by the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
way of life.
Convents
The Community is situated in England (at the Convent of the Incarnation, Fairacres, OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
). It formerly had houses at Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, Burwash in East Sussex and Staplehurst in Kent. Members of the Community include the writer Sister Benedicta Ward SLG, translator and editor of The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and other works on the early and medieval Church. One Sister lives at St Isaac’s Retreat, PO Box 93, Opononi 0445, Northland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Sisters add the suffix SLG to their religious names. The Reverend Mother is Sister Margaret Theresa SLG (assumed office June 2007).