A Home for Those Called to Presence
Every vocation begins as Mary's did — in stillness, with a question, and an answering yes.
The Anglican Order of Our Lady of Walsingham exists for Christians whose vocation is lived largely beyond the walls of a parish church. We are a dispersed religious community united not by a common residence, but by a common Rule, a common prayer, and a common commitment to bear Christ into the world.
Our members serve in hospitals and hospices, schools and universities, military installations and correctional facilities, social service agencies, charities, workplaces, and local parishes. Some are clergy, some are chaplains, some are healthcare professionals, educators, first responders, public servants, and lay leaders. All share a desire to live a deeper life of prayer, presence, hospitality, and service under the patronage of Our Lady of Walsingham.
The Order offers a path for those who seek a disciplined spiritual life while remaining faithfully engaged in the places where God has already called them.
Whether your ministry is public or hidden, full-time or bi-vocational, ordained or lay, you may find within the Order a Rule to guide you, companions to walk beside you, and a spiritual home in which to grow.
A Path of Discernment
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1. Enquiry
Every vocation begins with a conversation.
Those interested in the Order are invited to contact the Vocations Director for an initial conversation by correspondence, telephone, or video conference. This period allows both the enquirer and the Order to explore whether a call to membership may be present.
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2. Companionship
Six to twelve months
Companions walk alongside the Order while remaining free of formal commitment.
During this period, enquirers begin praying the Rule, participate in gatherings and formation opportunities, become acquainted with members, and discern whether God is calling them more deeply into the life of the Order.
The purpose of Companionship is not recruitment, but discernment.
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3. Postulancy
Approximately one year
The Postulant enters a more intentional period of formation.
Working with a mentor appointed by the Order, the Postulant studies Anglican spirituality, the history and mission of the Order, the practice of the Daily Office, and the vocation of presence in the world. The formation process is adapted to the individual's state of life, family responsibilities, and ministry setting.
Throughout this year, the Postulant learns not only what the Order does, but who the Order seeks to become.
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4. Profession, Oblation, or Promise
Following successful completion of formation and the discernment of the Order, the candidate may be received into the appropriate level of membership.
Some are called to life profession within the First Order under the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Others are called to oblation or promise as members of the wider Order while remaining fully engaged in family life, secular employment, parish ministry, or chaplaincy.
Whatever the form of commitment, the goal remains the same:
To bear Christ into the world through prayer, presence, hospitality, and service under the patronage of Our Lady of Walsingham.