From Anchorhold to Parish

The theme of the third conference, held on the campus of Nashotah House from June 23-25, 2022, was "From Anchorhold to Parish: English Monasticism & Anglican Spirituality." The sixteenth-century Church of England was greatly influenced by late medieval English monastic spirituality. John Bede Pauley and Bede Thomas Mudge have both shown the monastic influence, especially from the Benedictines, on the Book of Common Prayer; and scholars such as Eamon Duffy have demonstrated the continuity between late medieval devotional practices and early Anglican piety. The use of the vernacular and an emphasis on the suffering Jesus, for example, are late medieval themes that recur in early Anglican faith and practice. Thus, the 2022 conference sought to explicate how late medieval English monastic spirituality was resourced by early Anglican Christians in both their personal devotional life and in parish practice. The conference consisted of four plenary talks by two speakers and included much time for informal discussion and interaction. The speakers included Dr. Ann W. Astell (Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame) Rev. Dr. Bryan D. Spinks (Bishop F. Percy Goddard Professor Emeritus of Liturgical Studies and Pastoral Theology at Yale Divinity School)