Who We Are

We are a dispersed ecumenical community united through shared Communion, guided by the Rule of St. Augustine and the invocation of the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Walsingham.  

The Order is rooted in Anglican Spirituality and finds its home within the Episcopal Church, but is open to all individuals from churches in communion with the See of Canterbury.  The Canons are guided by the Vita Canonica;  a commitment to a life that uniquely blends the active ministry of a cleric with the discipline of a monastic rule. The Order includes lay and ordained brothers and sisters.  

1. We are a service-oriented community actively dedicating our lives to the service of God's people.
2. We are a prayerful community striving to maintain an interior life of prayer and contemplation while simultaneously engaging in active service and work for the Church and the greater society.
3. We are an Augustinian community who values the intellectual life, dedicating time to study and learning to pursue truth, operating under the principle that authentic human wisdom aligns with divine wisdom. 
4. We are a Christ centered community, living by the virtues of Love (unity and charity) embodying them in our ministry to our communities, with a focused commitment to serving the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.  

We are dispersed not to withdraw, but to serve, actively dedicating our diverse ministries to the building up of the Church and the faithful proclamation of Christ in the world as an intentional community of faith.

For the CLW, it's not simply "doing ministry"; it's religious life as ministry. The Brothers and Sisters of the Order seek an incarnational presence in the parish and diocese by supporting and strengthening the established Church.

Our ministry includes a deep commitment to theological engagement and formation. We serve the Church directly by participating in teaching, writing, and intellectual discourse, ensuring the faithful are well-rooted in sound doctrine and practices of the Church.  

The daily spiritual life of the Canons is anchored in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and other church specific disciplines. The Daily Office (Morning and Evening Prayer) is prayed by all members at synchronized times, creating a common spiritual rhythm despite our physical distance.

The Order's Apostolic Service is rooted in the belief that God is active in the secular sphere, calling our Brothers and Sisters to ministry in different contexts including parishes, schools, hospitals, or social service agencies.