The Community of the Resurrection

The Community of the Resurrection
Name	Community of the Resurrection
Founder	George Herbert Palmer Tomlinson
Founded	1892
Location	Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England
Affiliation	Anglican Communion
Type	Anglican religious community

The Community of the Resurrection is an Anglican religious community founded in 1892 in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. The community developed amid currents shaped by the Oxford Movement, Anglican Communion, Church of England, and religious revival in late 19th-century United Kingdom. Its members have engaged with missionary work, theological education, and social action across England, South Africa, Uganda, and other parts of the British Empire and the wider Christianity world.

History

The community emerged from influences including the Oxford Movement, Tractarianism, and figures such as Edward Bouverie Pusey, John Henry Newman, and Edward Meyrick Goulburn. Early leaders drew on precedents like the Community of St John Baptist and the Community of St Mary the Virgin while reacting to changes in the Victorian era religious landscape and debates within the Church of England. During the early 20th century the community engaged with controversies tied to Anglo-Catholicism and debates at the Lambeth Conference. Its missionary expansion included foundations in South Africa, where members ministered amid contexts shaped by Apartheid, interaction with leaders such as Desmond Tutu, and collaboration with institutions like St Augustine's Seminary. The community's educational and clerical influence intersected with King's College London, Durham University, and theological movements represented by figures like Charles Gore and William Temple. Wars and social upheavals—including service during the First World War and Second World War—affected recruitment and ministry, while postwar cultural shifts prompted renewal and reconfiguration in dialogue with Second Vatican Council developments and ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches.

Beliefs and Spirituality

The community's theology is rooted in Anglo-Catholicism, with liturgical practices influenced by Book of Common Prayer, Ordinariate-style ceremonial renewal, and sacramental emphasis associated with Eucharist devotion and Marian piety familiar to proponents like Henry Edward Manning and Hugh Ross Williamson. Members combine monastic disciplines with pastoral ministry, reflecting traditions of monasticism exemplified by Benedict of Nursia and revivalist patterns linked to John Keble and Richard Hurrell Froude. Spiritual formation draws upon classics such as the writings of Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and modern theologians including Karl Rahner, Joseph Ratzinger, and Dom Gregory Dix. Engaging in social witness has brought theological dialogue with figures like Oscar Romero and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and liturgical scholarship connected to Dom Gregory Dix and Alcuin Reid.

Structure and Governance

Governance follows a hybrid model combining elements of monasticism and Anglican canonical structures under the authority of diocesan bishops such as those of Leeds and formerly Wakefield. Leadership roles include a superior comparable to an abbot, a chapter resembling governance in communities like the Community of St John Baptist, and oversight by bodies connected with the Church of England General Synod. The community interacts with institutions such as Mirfield School of Theology, diocesan synods, and ecumenical councils including the Anglican Consultative Council. Legal status in the United Kingdom aligns with charity law and trust instrument practices seen in organizations like Christian Aid and United Society Partners in the Gospel.

Houses and Ministries

Houses and priories were established in locations across England, Scotland, South Africa, Uganda, and Brazil, often adjacent to parish churches, seminaries, hospitals, and schools including links to St Michael's College, Llandaff, King's College London, and missionary networks like the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Ministries have encompassed parish work, theological education, retreat direction, chaplaincy in hospitals and prisons such as HMP Leeds, pastoral care in industrial communities like those in West Yorkshire mill towns, and ecumenical engagement with bodies including the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Roman Catholic Church. Collaborative projects have involved organizations such as Shelter, Christian Aid, and local diocesan initiatives.

Formation and Daily Life

Formation combines stages akin to postulancy and post-novitiate seen in other religious communities, with vows consonant with teaching in Canons of the Church of England and patterns comparable to formation in Community of Saint Mary. Daily life integrates the Divine Office, Eucharistic celebration, study, pastoral work, and community prayer influenced by texts like the Book of Common Prayer and commentaries by John Henry Newman and Richard Hooker. Practice includes manual work, hospitality modeled on Benedictine customs, and retreats inspired by Ignatius of Loyola and Julian of Norwich. Members participate in conferences, continuing formation with links to Durham University, University of Oxford, and ecumenical seminars convened by bodies like the World Council of Churches.

Notable Members and Legacy

Notable members and associates interacted with prominent figures such as Charles Gore, William Temple, Michael Ramsey, and Desmond Tutu, and influenced clergy and laity linked to Oxford Movement legacies, theological education at King's College London and St Stephen's House, Oxford, and missionary developments in Africa and South America. The community's legacy includes contributions to liturgical renewal, theological scholarship, and pastoral training evident in connections with scholars like Dom Gregory Dix, Austin Farrer, and Eric Mascall, and in institutions including Mirfield Centre and diocesan seminaries. Its archives and publications have informed historians of Anglicanism such as A. R. Vidler and Gillian White and continue to shape discussions within the Anglican Communion and wider Christianity concerning monastic life, social witness, and ecumenical engagement.

Category:Anglican orders and communities Category:Christianity in West Yorkshire