The Sisters of St. Anne | Episcopal Nuns in Arlington
The Sisters of St. Anne are an Episcopal religious community based at the Chapel of St. Anne, an Episcopal Chapel in Arlington, Ma. For those searching for Episcopal nuns near me or looking to learn more about Episcopal sisters, the community offers a life centered on prayer, service, and shared spiritual life.
The Sisters are an active and visible part of the chapel, participating in daily prayer, worship services, and the life of the community. Their presence reflects a long-standing tradition of devotion, hospitality, and faith in action.
What Do the Sisters of St. Anne Do?
The Sisters of St. Anne live a life rooted in prayer, community, and service. Their daily rhythm includes worship, quiet reflection, and supporting the life of the chapel and its visitors.
They are present at services, help prepare the Chapel of St Anne in Arlington for worship, care for the grounds, and welcome those who come seeking a place of peace and reflection.
Their work is both visible and quiet — grounded in a commitment to prayer and a deep sense of community.
Visitors searching for Episcopal nuns near me often find the Sisters of St. Anne through their connection to the Chapel of St. Anne in Arlington, MA
Meet The Sisters
Sr. Ana Clara
Sr. Ana Clara is the Superior of the Order of St. Anne. Born in the Philippines, her earliest memory of learning to pray is as a little girl, tucked in beside her mother at church. She loved learning about faith, sharing in the prayers, hearing the stories in scripture and singing the hymns. In elementary school she received religious instruction from the Sisters over her school lunch hour, and she enjoyed collecting the prayer cards they shared. Later when she was in college, she enjoyed going to visit them, and was drawn to their life of prayer. Through those early encounters, her profession and call to the Religious Life deepened, and she embraced God’s call to pray always.
In Upi, Sr. Ana Clara worked in the kindergarten, helping teach children learn to read and write in Tagalog and English, as well as their arithmetic. She helped organize the Christmas Pageant and recalls the details fondly. She treasured her time with the children, and beams when she remembers these early days of her ministry.
The vow of obedience is one especially close to Sr. Ana Clara’s heart. She describes the assurance she has had in many circumstances to go where she was asked, and to trust that God had already made things ready.
Her early love of learning and her openness to what comes continues to shape her days as she approaches new situations and challenges with her signature curiosity and grace. She loves travel and has felt blessed to see and pray with God’s beloveds in so many beautiful places around the world.
Sr. Ana Clara finds great joy living into the promise and possibility of sharing God’s healing love daily in work and prayer, listening and laughter. She sees prayer shaping every moment and opportunity – she hums and prays as she makes altar bread, and as she slips into her spot to lead the community in the Daily Offices, as well as the moments in-between.
She has helped guide the community of the Order of St. Anne through many geographic, vocational and liturgical shifts and changes over the years, and has prayefully embraced the possibilities. Holding steady in her mind and heart the guiding principle of the Order of St. Anne, “what needs doing in God’s world in this moment, and what do we have to offer?”
She is a member of the Conference of Anglican Religious Orders in the Americas (CAROA) and serves as an ex-officio member on the Board of Bethany House of Prayer.
Sr. Ana Clara firmly believes that God calls us to adapt lovingly and with grace to new realities, and she strives to incorporate flexibility, good humor and patience into each situation, giving thanks always for the many ways she sees God’s love tucked into every corner, twist and turn.
Sr. Maria Agnes
Sr. Maria Agnes shares an affinity with Martha of Bethany. If you visit the convent, you will likely find Sr. Maria Agnes wearing an apron over her habit, scurrying about, undertaking her responsibilities in support of the community to which she long ago committed herself, in love and fidelity. Her work is important to her it brings life and draws her closer to God. As does her simultaneous life of prayer. They are integrated.
Growing up in the Philippines, there was no Episcopal Church in her neighborhood. Sr. Maria Agnes’ family home was chosen as the site for monthly Episcopal Masses, followed by breakfast. In preparation for those Eucharists, Sister and her family set to work cleaning the house, readying it for their faith community.
Years later, after the trauma of the World War II, Sr. Maria Agnes followed her heart to take up vocational training, learning how to use her hands to create beautiful things. It was this that led her to the Order of St. Anne in Upi, when she learned they were hiring an embroiderer for their work room, to help create beautiful vestments.
After working there all day - sewing, embroidering, and visiting with the Sisters, she would, at night, from her nearby apartment see the light in the Sisters’ chapel as they prayed Compline. The glow of that light drew her ever closer, seeking a life of prayer and entering the Order herself. Eventually Sr. Maria Agnes was in charge of the embroidery room. One of her great joys was when she was asked to make habits for the Sisters and helping to “clothe God’s ministers with righteousness.”
She was appointed Guest Coordinator while in Lincoln, a role she cherished and still holds in Arlington. Sr. Maria Agnes loves to make everything just right for those who come to the convent.
She appreciates beauty in all God’s creation and enjoys watching the changing seasons in the Chapel gardens and observing and meeting the wide variety of visitors who come by.
Sr. Felicitas
Sr. Felicitas was raised on Long Island in the Bahamas and in her teens entered the Nassau Branch House of the Society of St. Peter’s. Her family were not pleased with her decision, but she is a person who knows her own mind and would not be deterred. When celebrating the 60th Anniversary of her life profession, she was delighted to welcome family and friends who came to celebrate her faithful service to God.
At the Branch House in Nassau, Sr. Felicitas was given driving lessons and chauffeured older Sisters around the Island in snazzy automobiles, including a Westminster and Hillman, and she enjoyed this responsibility very much.
Sr. Felicitas was called to the Main Convent of the Society of St. Peter’s at Laleham Abbey, Staines, Middlesex, England and while there was given the opportunity to visit the Order of St. Anne in Arlington, Massachusetts, which was Benedictine. The emphasis on work and prayer suited her and she transferred to the Order of St. Anne.
In Arlington, Sr. Felicitas was a House Mother at the St. Anne’s School, and then in Lincoln was a generous and loving caretaker for the elderly Sisters, frequently preparing special foods to entice them to eat and to bring them joy.
A lover of animals, Sr. Felicitas has enjoyed the companionship of several kitties and remembers them fondly, including Tabitha, Sassy and Dolly. She enjoys seeing the animals that frequent the convent gardens, and observing their antics.
For the past 25 years, she has spent a good deal of time driving grocery carts, planning menus, cooking and hosting dinners for retreats and guests as well as the Sisters.
Her menus are works of art, incorporating her humour and delight in God’s creation.
Famous for growing abundant rhubarb, serving exquisitely baked fish and for daily proclaiming the Glory of God with gusto, Sr. Felicitas continues to live into and honour the Rule of Life that shapes the Order, and prays that others will, through the Sisters, come to know, love and serve God.
Sr. Maria Teresa
Sr. Maria Teresa was born in the Philippines and spent her childhood living on islands, surrounded by the beautiful flowers that grow in the tropics and the gift of a close-knit loving community which has shaped her life.
Family and friends have always been important to Sr. Maria Teresa and proved to be an introduction for her to the religious life. The Order of St. Anne had a convent in her grandparents’ village where she often saw Sisters who were related to her friends and family. She remembers admiring the Sisters and thinking, “Maybe one day, I will also be a nun”.
After finishing high school, she went to college and while there felt a clear call to enter the convent. While she was still a novice, the Sisters were sent from the Phillipines to the newly opened Bethany Convent in Lincoln, MA and it was there that Sr. Maria Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows. A longtime friend of the Sisters, the Bishop of Southern Philippines, Rt. Rev. Constancio Manguramas, was in the United States and presided at her special occasion, bringing her two worlds together in a lovely way.
The new convent was brimming with Sisters of all ages and individuals under their care. Sr. Maria Teresa took on any job given to her. She started working in the Chapel and sacristy, offered respite for House Mothers, helped with guest rooms, linens and in the kitchen. When the Lincoln convent closed, most of the remaining Sisters transferred back to Arlington, but there was not enough room for all of them while a new convent was built. Sr. Maria Teresa stayed for a time in the Cambridge convent, again doing what was needed both there and in Arlington.
Sr. Maria Teresa works as the Sacristan for the Chapel of St. Anne. Many of the priests who share in taking services in the Chapel comment how beautifully everything is prepared for the Mass. Sr. Maria Teresa takes great pride in her work and ensures that everything is just right. She is a gardener and loves to care for the flowers inside and outside the convent and enjoys arranging them in colorful ways. Harvesting tomatoes also brings joy. She finds satisfaction in cooking Filipino food and encouraging people to enjoy it, continuing the tradition of hospitality and welcome that has faithfully shaped her life.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. The Sisters of St. Anne are an Episcopal religious community based at the Chapel of St. Anne in Arlington, MA. For those searching for Episcopal nuns near me, the Sisters offer a welcoming and visible presence rooted in prayer, service, and community life.
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The Sisters of St. Anne are Episcopal sisters who live a shared life centered on prayer, worship, and service. Based in Arlington, Massachusetts, they are an active part of the Chapel of St. Anne and its spiritual community.
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The Sisters of St. Anne participate in daily prayer, attend and support chapel services, and help care for the chapel and its grounds. Their work reflects a life of devotion, hospitality, and quiet service within the Episcopal tradition.
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Visitors attending services or spending time at the chapel may see the Sisters of St. Anne present and participating in the life of the community. Their presence is a natural and meaningful part of the worship experience at this Episcopal Chapel in Arlington, MA.
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Yes. The Sisters of St. Anne are part of the broader Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition. They represent a long-standing form of religious life within the Episcopal faith, grounded in prayer and community.
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The Sisters of St. Anne, located in Arlington, MA, are one of the Episcopal religious communities in Massachusetts. Those searching for Episcopal sisters in Massachusetts will find a welcoming and active community at the Chapel of St. Anne.
