protestant nuns?

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My father was raised Lutheren. He grew up in Germany and said he had 2 aunts who were protestant nuns. My sister (9 years my senior) went to a summer camp with a cousin in the mid seventies that was run by protestant nuns according to my parents. I have never heard of protestant nuns outside the accounts of my parents. I’m curious if they’re still around today and what their history is. Anyone out there familiar with protestant nuns?
 
there are Benedictine foundations in the Anglican Church, don’t know about any others.
 
There is a convent of contemplatvie Episcopalian nuns near my home in Catonsville, MD, just west of Baltimore. They have women’s retreats there.
 
Thanks guys. Has anyone heard of Lutheran nuns? I’m pretty sure that was what my dad’s aunts were - though not positive.
 
Lutheran nuns considering Luther spoke about the evils of the the monastic life and married a runaway nun he would find the idea of Lutheran nuns ridiculous. Guess they didn’t get the message.
Another example of protestants forgetting their heritage.
 
At the time of the Reformation, a number of monstaic communities, male and female, joined the movement but continued their common life. Over time I believe they dwindled to three communities in Germany. I believe two of them were suppressed by Hitler, but a 20th century monastic revivial caused new ones to be founded. It is still a small movement.

A Presbyterian monastic community exists on the island of Iona in Scotland, and of course the famous community of Taize, which was originally a Protestant foundation but now is ecumencial, including Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox.
 
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rayne89:
Thanks guys. Has anyone heard of Lutheran nuns? I’m pretty sure that was what my dad’s aunts were - though not positive.
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I believe the Lutherans do have a couple of monastic communities for women now. I know there is a Lutheran Benedictine monastery in Michigan.

More likely, your father’s aunts were deaconesses. Where I come from, Lutheran deaconesses wore long-sleeved blue dresses with white collar and cuffs and a blue veil. They worked in parish ministry or social service.

They’re still out there but the uniform has changed: valpo.edu/lda/
 
:Another example of protestants forgetting their heritage.:

No, it’s an example of our remembering our heritage, which goes back beyond the Reformation. (Never mind that, as katherine2 pointed out, not all women’s communities were suppressed at the Reformation).

Edwin
 
We have a order of Lutheran nuns here in the north Phoenix area called, of all things, The Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary.

kanaan.org/
 
You guys are awesome, very interesting stuff.

mercygate - I’ll have to ask my dad about the deaconesses thing - you could be right, but he always referred to them as nuns or sisters. Given the outfit they wore though I could see where he might think that.
 
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rayne89:
You guys are awesome, very interesting stuff.

mercygate - I’ll have to ask my dad about the deaconesses thing - you could be right, but he always referred to them as nuns or sisters. Given the outfit they wore though I could see where he might think that.
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Yes. It is more likely they were deaconesses than a member of the few Lutheran convents. Many deaconess ministered in hospitals and in Germany, like England, hospital nurses are called “sister” be they deaconcesses or not.
 
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Maccabees:
Lutheran nuns considering Luther spoke about the evils of the the monastic life and married a runaway nun he would find the idea of Lutheran nuns ridiculous. Guess they didn’t get the message.
Another example of protestants forgetting their heritage.
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Maccabees, not all Protestants were born of Lutheran descent. in fact, not all “Protestants” are protestant.

In reply to the thread, find this article in the National Catholic Reporter about a Methodist monastery.

O+
 
I believe Lutheran " nuns or monakhini" are found in Evangelische Lutheranische Kirke since 1836 but called diakonesses. A diakoness movement initiated by certain Theodor Fliedner in 1836 to allow honorable Lutheran women to help church. Most such communities were women who were med-sisters in hospitals. There were training Houses for such unmarried diakonesses in Germany and Skandinavia. I believe that there are Diakoness Lutheran Hospitals maintained by such med-sisters in America including in Philadelphia.

Such communities may have also influenced St. Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna who was German by birth in founding the Marfa-Marijinskaja Convent in Moscow. Then thrown into pit by Bolsheviks to be martyr.
 
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Volodymyr:
I believe Lutheran " nuns or monakhini" are found in Evangelische Lutheranische Kirke since 1836 but called diakonesses. A diakoness movement initiated by certain Theodor Fliedner in 1836 to allow honorable Lutheran women to help church. Most such communities were women who were med-sisters in hospitals. There were training Houses for such unmarried diakonesses in Germany and Skandinavia. I believe that there are Diakoness Lutheran Hospitals maintained by such med-sisters in America including in Philadelphia.
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Excellant information! Danke!
 
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mercygate:
I believe the Lutherans do have a couple of monastic communities for women now. I know there is a Lutheran Benedictine monastery in Michigan.

valpo.edu/lda/
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Hey I found that monastery online -check this out.

staugustineshouse.org/

Check out the photographs at the Retreat house. Are those Luthean nuns with rosaries?
 
Contarini said:
:Another example of protestants forgetting their heritage.:

No, it’s an example of our remembering our heritage, which goes back beyond the Reformation. (Never mind that, as katherine2 pointed out, not all women’s communities were suppressed at the Reformation).

Edwin
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Blanket judgemental statements such as these are kinda arrogant, Edwin - isn’t that somewhere on some list of sins ?

Like it or not, Prostestants were good Catholics before the Reformation - remember ?

It’s sorta like saying: " What was your face before you washed it ? "
 
O. S. Luke, You wrote :“Maccabees, not all Protestants were born of Lutheran descent. in fact, not all “Protestants” are protestant.”

NOT ALL PROTESTANTS ARE PROTESTANT !

I say,“If they are Protestants then they are Protestant”. You are saying that some Protestants ARE NOT Protestants.

Please tell us how some Protestants CAN BE Non-Protestants.

Can some CATS not be CATS?:tiphat:
 
I don’t know if they are still active, but Lankenau Hospital in Overbrook, PA (which is actually right across the street from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary) was founded by Lutheran Deaconesses.

I know of a community of Episcopalian Nuns who live in my area. They have a convent in Mendham, NJ.
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Volodymyr:
I believe Lutheran " nuns or monakhini" are found in Evangelische Lutheranische Kirke since 1836 but called diakonesses. A diakoness movement initiated by certain Theodor Fliedner in 1836 to allow honorable Lutheran women to help church. Most such communities were women who were med-sisters in hospitals. There were training Houses for such unmarried diakonesses in Germany and Skandinavia. I believe that there are Diakoness Lutheran Hospitals maintained by such med-sisters in America including in Philadelphia.

Such communities may have also influenced St. Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna who was German by birth in founding the Marfa-Marijinskaja Convent in Moscow. Then thrown into pit by Bolsheviks to be martyr.
Click to expand...
 
Anglicans have several orders of monks and sisters, and also nuns. (Sisters & nuns are different). The Catonsville community mentioned above is All Saints Sisters of the Poor. An exemplary group. Look here:
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most of these communities are composed of lay and married people. their websites are poor and the idea of an anglican franciscan is a joke. last time i checked, st. francis was obedient to the pope, as was st. benedict. these communities contradict themselves. it’s like a catholic community following the rules of Calvin or Luther.
 
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