Hopefully this is a straightforward General Question, not a Great Debate. What happened to the women who were nuns when Henry VIII established the Anglican church? Is there a monastic tradition in the Episcopalian/Anglican church? Are there Episcopalian nuns that I’ve just never heard of?
The answer to your last question is yes. Try a Google search for “Episcopal nuns”.
Sister Wendy, the PBS art historian from a couple years ago, is an Episcopal nun.
When Henry VIII closed down the monasteries (and convents), the women in the latter either went to other countries to remain “professed religious” (sisters or nuns) or returned to everyday secular life.
There are a number of religious orders in the Episcopal Church, the Church of England, etc. I should know; my wife is life professed in the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis (where celibacy is not a requirement). This page has a fairly good summary of some religious orders in the Episcopal Church, several of which are open to women or are exclusively for women. Here’s another page linking to a variety of orders. This lady’s website includes a rather extensive; page down for it. Probably the best site, however, is the Conference on the Religious Life’s website, which appears to be a comprehensive list.
fixed coding - DrMatrix
Sister Wendy is a Roman Catholic nun, of the Sisters of Notre Dame (the same order that taught at my Roman Cahtolic parochial school).
Not an Episcopal nun.