"We invite you to come and see," says Sr. Ann in the closing remarks of a 1999 video. It is designed to inform persons of a little-known but powerful ministry quietly taking place within the Episcopal Church: the Order of St. Helena.

Founded as a religious order for women in the Episcopal Church, the Order of St. Helena began in 1945 in Versailles, Ky. At that time, the autonomous Order of St. Anne owned and operated Margaret Hall School for girls. Nine sisters felt called by God to leave the Order of St. Anne and to establish the Order of St. Helena. Holy Cross monks lent support and encouragement and served as superiors to the sisters for the next 30 years.

By 1953 the order had grown sufficiently to purchase 50 acres in the Hudson River Valley of New York, where the largest convent was established at Vails Gate. A smaller convent was opened in Augusta, Ga., in 1961, and a third one in the heart of Manhattan in 1975. While these are the only locations today, over their 55-year history the sisters have conducted vital ministries that reached to Seattle, Liberia, the Bahamas and Ghana.

One stands a chance of crossing paths with any one of these on-the-move and dedicated women today, but like meeting angels unawares, you may not recognize them. As witnesses to a contemporary version of traditional monasticism, they have successfully combined the old and the new. Members of the order still make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; plainchant is still sung at the four Daily Offices (Matins, Diurnum, Vespers and Compline); and the sisters still live in community at places called convents. However, the convents are not cloistered; the white habit is worn at the discretion of the sisters in the house; a collegial four-member Leadership Council has replaced the position of superior; and the sisters intentionally position themselves in the midst of a hurting and hungry world.

"We have kept the study, prayer, intercessions and the rhythm of the day," says Sr. Ellen Stephen, currently a member of the Leadership Council, "and we have branched out into ministries that none of us could have imagined." She functions as a spiritual advisor and is one of several sisters who have written books.

"Who in this world would choose such a life?" some might say today. While the sisters come from backgrounds rich in cultural, ethnic, and geographic diversity (Canada, Ghana, Spain and all areas of the U.S. are currently represented) the common bond is a prayerful and committed decision to dedicate one's life in humble obedience to Christ.

"I was searching for Christian community," says Sr. Linda Julian, minister of vocations. "Before I came to OSH I had found 'community' and 'Christian' but not both in the same place."

The opportunity to explore a call to the Order of St. Helena is open to communicants of the Anglican Communion, age 21 or older, in good mental and physical health, and free from family, marital and financial obligations. Many of the sisters have been married and are now either widowed or divorced, and some have grown children.

The ministries of the 21 sisters who comprise the order are many and varied, and often reflect the special interests, gifts and abilities each had before entering the convent. Sr. June Thomas is a hospital chaplain. "When I go in as a chaplain," she says, "I don't go in as an Episcopalian, but as a Christian willing to minister to anyone, Christian or not. I am seen as a representative of God." This godly representation does not stop when she pursues her personal interest in music with a local choral group.

"It's from our relationship with God that we have the enthusiasm, energy and ability to do the things we do," says Sr. Mary Lois, who conducts an outreach ministry in New York City. Sr. Mary Michael is a psychotherapist and one of five priests in the order; Sr. Cintra leads overseas pilgrimages and writes about them; Sr. Barbara Lee exercises her ministry through working in a fabric supply store and gardening for others; and so goes the list of unique and specialized ministries.

Not the least of the ministries is that of hospitality, offered at both Vails Gate and Augusta. "I hope our guests find peace, quiet and a sense of God's presence, going home refreshed and renewed," says Sr. Elsie, guestmistress at Augusta.

Men or women, tired or inspired, Christian or not, are welcome to visit either convent anytime between Tuesday morning and Sunday Vespers. The Manhattan convent has no facilities for guests to stay overnight, but the sisters there are available for spiritual direction or to preach and conduct programs at other locations.

The sisters graciously allow guests to design a visit around their individual needs. Some come for total silence with the option of taking meals alone. Others seek spiritual direction and may make arrangements to have private consultations with one or more of the sisters. In these holy and hidden moments, a vital one-on-one ministry takes place. As one sister said, "This is most exciting when the 'aha' experience occurs, and someone comes to a deeper understanding and recognizes their own relationship with God."

Those who live close to Augusta or Vails Gate may come for the day, or to make use of the extensive libraries each convent houses. All guests are invited to participate in the daily Eucharist and in the four Daily Offices comprised of psalms, prayers, hymns and scripture readings.

An array of structured programs, workshops, and retreats is offered at Augusta and Vails Gate each year. Among the programs scheduled for 2001 are a weekend of storytelling led by Sr. Rosina, and a Haiku workshop presented by Sr. Benedicta (see web page at www.osh.org for details). Particularly sensitive to the needs of Episcopal clergy and lay people, the sisters reserved a weekend for clergy to rest after the holiday season, and Lenten retreats are being conducted at both houses.

One or two weekends will be set aside for the Fellowship of Associates, a group of men and women from all over the world who unite themselves to the community through mutual prayer, service and a life of faith. Members work with a spiritual advisor to devise a rule of life supporting them in their Christian journey. As one associate put it, "The fellowship did for me what my own church couldn't, and that is to take my faith to a deeper level."

The order may be small in number, but it is mighty in the sight of God.

Linda Phillips is a freelance writer living in Charlotte, N.C. Her husband, the Rev. Wendell Phillips, is vicar of St. Matthew's and St. Paul's churches in Salisbury, N.C.