Anglican Communion

Religious Communities

Anglican religious orders are organisations of lay people and/or clergy who live under a common rule. They are distinct from Holy Orders—the sacrament received by bishops, priests and deacons.

Members seek to imitate Jesus Christ through vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and may also follow additional guidelines for living. Anglican religious life broadly parallels Roman Catholic practice: members of orders make solemn vows, while members of congregations make simple vows.

A shared rule of life

A Religious Order of this Church is a society of Christians (in communion with the See of Canterbury) who voluntarily commit themselves for life, or a term of years, to holding their possessions in common or in trust; to a celibate life in community; and obedience to their Rule and Constitution.

Title III, Canon 24, section 1

A Christian Community of this Church is a society of Christians (in communion with the See of Canterbury) who voluntarily commit themselves for life, or a term of years, in obedience to their Rule and Constitution.

Title III, Canon 24, section 2

Current information

The directory below restores the former Anglican Communion website listing, using its most recent complete archived version from 21 July 2022. The historical directory was derived from the Anglican Religious Life Yearbook 2016–2017, so affiliations and locations may have changed.

For current community details, use the Anglican Religious Life Yearbook online. For communities in England, see Anglican Religious Life.

Directory by Member Church

Communities are grouped by Member Church and show the diocese or location recorded in the archived directory.

The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia

Communities listed: 1

  • Christchurch — Community of the Sacred Name

The Anglican Church of Australia

Communities listed: 10

  • Adelaide — Sisters of the Incarnation
  • Adelaide — Society of the Sacred Mission (Australia)
  • Ballarat — Order of St Benedict St Mark's Priory, Camperdown
  • Brisbane — Oratory of the Good Shepherd
  • Brisbane — Society of the Sacred Advent
  • Grafton — Community of the Sisters of the Church (Australia)
  • Grafton — Little Brothers of Francis
  • Newcastle (AUS) — Community of the Holy Name (Australia)
  • Newcastle (AUS) — Society of St Francis (Province of the Divine Compassion)
  • Wangaratta — Community of Christ the King (Benedictine)

The Church of Bangladesh

Communities listed: 2

  • Dhaka — Christa Sevika Sangha (Handmaids of Christ)
  • Dhaka — Sisterhood of St Mary (Bangladesh)

The Anglican Church of Canada

Communities listed: 3

  • Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island — Society of Our Lady St Mary
  • Toronto — Community of the Sisters of the Church (Canada)
  • Toronto — Sisterhood of St John the Divine

The Church of the Province of Central Africa

Communities listed: 4

  • Central Zimbabwe — Chita che Zvipo Zve Moto (Community of the Gifts of the Holy Fire)
  • Central Zimbabwe — Community of the Holy Transfiguration
  • Harare — Community of the Blessed Lady Mary
  • Manicaland — Chita Che Zita Rinoyera (Holy Name Community)

The Church of England

Communities listed: 39

Anglican Religious Communities in England website

  • Bath & Wells — Community of St Francis
  • Birmingham — Community of St John the Divine
  • Birmingham — Society of St Francis (European Province)
  • Chichester — Community of the Sacred Passion
  • Chichester — Community of the Servants of the Will of God
  • Diocese in Europe — Community of the Glorious Ascension
  • Exeter — Community of the Glorious Ascension
  • Exeter — Sisters of Charity (UK)
  • Exeter — Society of the Franciscan Servants of Jesus and Mary
  • Guildford — Community of St Peter (UK) (Woking)
  • Liverpool — Oratory of the Good Shepherd
  • London — Community of St Andrew
  • London — Society of St Margaret (Chiswick)
  • London — Community of St Mary at the Cross (Order of St Benedict) (Edgware, UK)
  • London — Society of St John the Evangelist (UK)
  • London — Society of St Margaret (Hackney)
  • Newcastle — Society of St Francis (European Province)
  • Norwich — Society of St Margaret (Walsingham)
  • Oxford — Community of St Clare
  • Oxford — Community of St John Baptist (UK)
  • Oxford — Community of St Mary the Virgin
  • Oxford — Community of the Companions of Jesus the Good Shepherd
  • Oxford — Community of the Servants of the Cross
  • Oxford — Community of the Sisters of the Love of God
  • Oxford — Order of St Benedict Elmore Abbey
  • Oxford — Order of St Benedict Mucknell Abbey
  • Oxford — Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor (UK)
  • Oxford — Society of the Precious Blood (UK)
  • Portsmouth — Society of the Sisters of Bethany
  • Rochester — Order of St Benedict Malling Abbey
  • Salisbury — Community of St Denys
  • Southwark — Community of the Sisters of the Church (UK)
  • Southwark — Society of the Sacred Mission (Europe)
  • Southwell & Nottingham — Community of the Holy Cross (Benedictine) (Costock)
  • St Edmundsbury & Ipswich — Community of All Hallows
  • West Yorkshire & the Dales — Community of St Peter (UK) (Horbury)
  • West Yorkshire & the Dales — Community of the Resurrection
  • Winchester — Community of Our Lady & Saint John (Benedictine) (Alton Abbey)
  • York — Order of the Holy Paraclete

The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean

Communities listed: 1

  • Antananarivo — Fikambanan'ny Mpanompovavin l Jesoa Kristy (Society of the Servants of Jesus Christ)

The Church of Ireland

Communities listed: 1

  • Dublin & Glendalough — Community of St John the Evangelist (Ireland)

The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan)

Communities listed: 1

  • Tokyo — Community of Nazareth

The Anglican Church of Korea

Communities listed: 1

  • Seoul — Society of the Holy Cross

The Anglican Church of Melanesia

Communities listed: 4

  • Central Melanesia — Community of the Sisters of Melanesia
  • Central Melanesia — Community of the Sisters of the Church (Solomon Islands)
  • Central Melanesia — The Melanesian Brotherhood (Solomon Islands)
  • Vanuatu — The Melanesian Brotherhood (Southern Region)

The Church of North India (United)

Communities listed: 1

  • Delhi — Brotherhood of the Ascended Christ

The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea

Communities listed: 3

  • Popondota — Congregation of the Sisters of the Visitation of Our Lady
  • Popondota — Society of St Francis (Solomon Islands Province)
  • Popondota — The Melanesian Brotherhood (Papua New Guinea)

Church of the Province of South East Asia

Communities listed: 1

  • Sabah — Community of the Good Shepherd

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Communities listed: 9

  • Angola (Missionary Diocese) — Society of the Sacred Mission (South Africa)
  • Diocese of the Free State (formerly Bloemfontein) — Community of St Michael & All Angels
  • Diocese of the Free State (formerly Bloemfontein) — Community of the Holy Name (Lesotho Province)
  • Grahamstown — Community of the Resurrection of Our Lord
  • Lesotho — Society of the Precious Blood (Lesotho)
  • Mpumalanga — Oratory of the Good Shepherd
  • Natal — Society of St John the Divine
  • St Helena — Oratory of the Good Shepherd
  • Zululand — Community of the Holy Name (Zulu Province)

The Anglican Church of Tanzania

Communities listed: 1

  • Central Tanganyika — Chama cha Mariamu Mtakatifu (Community of St Mary of Nazareth and Calvary)

The Episcopal Church in the USA

Communities listed: 20

  • Albany — Community of St Mary (Eastern Province) (USA)
  • Arizona — Order of the Teachers of the Children of God
  • Chicago — Order of St Anne
  • Fond du Lac — Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity
  • Massachusetts — Order of St Anne at Bethany
  • Massachusetts — Society of St John the Evangelist (USA)
  • Massachusetts — Society of St Margaret (Boston)
  • Milwaukee — Community of St Mary (Western Province) (USA)
  • Milwaukee — Order of Julian of Norwich
  • New Jersey — Community of St John Baptist (USA)
  • New York — Brotherhood of Saint Gregory
  • New York — Community of the Holy Spirit
  • New York — Oratory of the Good Shepherd
  • New York — Order of St Helena
  • New York — Order of the Holy Cross
  • New York — Society of St Francis (American Province)
  • Ohio — Community of the Transfiguration
  • San Diego — Society of St Paul
  • Tennessee — Community of St Mary (Southern Province) (USA)
  • Western Michigan — Order of St Benedict St Gregory's Abbey Three Rivers

The Church in Wales

Communities listed: 2

  • Monmouth — Society of the Sacred Cross
  • Monmouth — The Holywell Community

The Church of Ceylon (E-P to the Archbishop of Canterbury)

Communities listed: 1

  • Colombo — Society of St Margaret (East Grinstead)