The Order of Saint Helena

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Order of Saint Helena (Episcopal) is to show forth Christ through a life of monastic prayer, hospitality, and service.

Core values of OSH:

* Prayer: We celebrate the Holy Eucharist and pray the Divine Office daily. We practice individual prayer, intercession, and meditation.

* Hospitality: We offer an oasis of welcome for visitors, both individuals and groups.

* Service: We minister and serve where our gifts meet the world’s needs.

* Tradition and Innovation: We are women living communally under a vow of monastic poverty, celibate chastity and obedience to God. From Benedictine roots, we discern new ways to interpret traditional monasticism, striving to grow in diversity and inclusivity.

Members of OSH make a three-fold vow to God:

* Poverty may be understood as having no possessions of one’s own, but living in simplicity and thankfulness, holding all goods in common and being willing to share what we have. It is reverence for the integrity of creation, caring for God’s world and refusing to exploit or misuse the gifts God has given us.

* Chastity may be understood as rooting in God our power to love and living in the single celibate state for the sake of love and service to God and humanity. It is reverence for the integrity of other people.

* Obedience may be understood as being open to hearing the will of God not only in one’s own prayer but also in the insights of others and in the common mind of the community. Obedience includes both the willingness to listen and to share with others what is heard. It is reverence for the integrity of oneself, especially as lived out in relationship to God and within the community.

The liturgy of the Eucharist and the Divine Office is the privilege and obligation of each day, enriched by private prayer, intercession, scripture reading, study, work, ministry, and our relationships with one another.

We are governed by a Community Leader and a Board of Directors. We are connected to The Episcopal Church through our Bishop Visitor, who is elected by our sisters. Our current Bishop Visitor is The Rt Rev Carlye J. Hughes, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.