# Are there Protestant monks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959 "2003-09-06T17:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_E_Dec_Esq)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959/1 "2003-09-06T17:56:12Z")
Perhaps “Protestant” is not strictly correct. For instance, I’m unsure if Anglicans are considered Protestant. But let’s say instead, are there any non-Catholic, non-Orthodox Christian monks? Or organizations that may not call themselves monks, but who nevertheless live the life of monks? ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959/2 "2003-09-06T18:31:44Z")
I know that the [Sisters of Saint Benedict](http://www.sbcenter.org/) invite Protestant women to become part of their convent. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_E_Dec_Esq)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959/3 "2003-09-06T18:49:18Z")
Wow. I checked out their site and I think it’s wonderful that they are open to non-Catholic Christians. Thanks for the info! ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959/4 "2003-09-06T20:03:52Z")
There are several Anglican/Episcopalian orders, which I’m sure **Polycarp** can tell you about. There is currently **one** United Methodist monk, a woman named Mary Stamps, who founded Saint Brigid of Kildare Monestary in St. Cloud, Minnesotta. I’m not sure what distinguishes a woman monasitc as a monk rather than a nun or a sister. A good article about her can be found [here](http://www.natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives/022103/022103v.htm). There is also the Taize Community, a group of about 100 brothers from various church backgrounds, including Protestants and Catholics. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959/5 "2003-09-06T23:07:29Z")
As **Alan** notes, there are Anglican monastic orders. My understanding is that most of them date to the 19th century, as part of the High Church/Oxford movement, which generally emphasised a return to the catholic roots of the C. of E., such as a greater emphasis on sacramental theology, more elaborate liturgy, etc. Google on “Anglican monastery” and you’ll get a lot of hits, including for Benedictine Anglicans, Cistercian Anglicans, and others. I believe there are also Franciscan Anglicans, but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959/6 "2003-09-07T01:06:46Z")
[A web page of links](http://orders.anglican.org/arcyb/communities.html) to various Anglican monastic communities. [Anglican Benedictine communities.](http://www.osb.org/intl/angl/angl1.html) [The Society of St. Francis](http://www.s-s-f.org/), a community of Episcopalian Franciscan friars, some of whom Barb and I know personally. [The Third Order](http://www.tssf.org/) of the SSF, Franciscan Tertiaries living by a Rule of Life individually tailored to match their vocation to live “in the world” as opposed to in a religious community. My wife is life professed as a Tertiary and presently co-convener of the Volusiano Fellowship, a gathering of Triangle area Tertiaries that meets once a month (and which was probably the first group anywhere to liturgically commemorate Fr. Mychal Judge, OFM, the martyred chaplain of 9/11, now being advocated for canonization). ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-protestant-monks/199959/7 "2003-09-07T02:04:34Z")
[This](http://www.staugustineshouse.org/), apparently, is a Lutheran monastery, but it looks like it’s open to all Christians.