THE BASICS

How Many: Approximately 605 celibate Religious (135 men and 470 women) in 39 communities in Europe. An estimated total of 2,400 celibate Religious (1080 men and 1320 women) in the Anglican Communion as a whole.

Where Are They: Brothers and sisters live in an enormous variety of places – from inner-city London and Bristol to Lambeth Palace and York, from the pilgrimage destinations of Walsingham and Holy Island to quiet countryside in Oxfordshire and Dorset. Most Dioceses have a resident Anglican Religious Community in their midst.

What’s It All About: "I think that religious communities are based on the Lord's commandment to lose one's life in order to gain it. They're about offering God's gift of freedom back to him in order for a wider freedom. All Christian vocation has this element of losing and finding. And every Christian has a vocation!" – a sister at West Malling OSB