Community of St. Michael & All Angels
Encyclopedia
The Community of St Michael and All Angels is an Anglican religious order
of nuns in South Africa
. The Community was founded by the Rt Revd Alan Becher Webb
, the second Bishop of Bloemfontein
in 1874 – although the idea was first mooted by Becher’s predecessor, Bishop Edward Twells
. In a letter he’d written in 1868, Twells highlighted the need for a Sisterhood to set up schools for girls in Bloemfontein
.
Three novices and three lay helpers under a Superior, Mother Emma, traveled from England
to Bloemfontein
via Port Elizabeth, arriving towards the end of April 1874. They immediately opened a boarding school, St Michael's
, and a day school. St Michael’s School exists to this day as one of the leading schools in South Africa.
In 1877 the Community established the St George's Cottage Hospital in Bloemfontein, the first hospital in the Orange Free State
.
The Community’s work was extended to the nearby mining town of Kimberley
, from 1876, where Sister Henrietta Stockdale
pioneered the training of nurses at the Carnarvon Hospital. She was later influential in securing the first state registration of nurses in the world, in 1891.
A St Michael’s School was established in Kimberley but did not survive beyond the first years of the twentieth century.
The Community still exists but only one sister remains today.
Anglican religious order
Anglican religious orders are communities of laity and/or clergy in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and lead a common life of work and prayer...
of nuns in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The Community was founded by the Rt Revd Alan Becher Webb
Alan Becher Webb
Allan Becher Webb was the second Bishop of Bloemfontein, afterward Bishop of Grahamstown and, later, Dean of Salisbury.-Early years:...
, the second Bishop of Bloemfontein
Anglican Diocese of the Free State
The Anglican Diocese of the Free State is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.-History:The first service North of the Orange River to be taken by an Anglican clergyman was conducted in 1850 by Robert Gray, the first Bishop of Cape Town. In 1863, Edward Twells was consecrated the...
in 1874 – although the idea was first mooted by Becher’s predecessor, Bishop Edward Twells
Edward Twells
Edward Twells was the first Bishop of Bloemfontein in South Africa from 1863 to 1869.Twells was consecrated Bishop of the Orange Free State in Westminster Abbey in 1863 under the Jerusalem Act, and went out to the colony, in the interior of South Africa, with three priests and two schoolmasters.In...
. In a letter he’d written in 1868, Twells highlighted the need for a Sisterhood to set up schools for girls in Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
.
Three novices and three lay helpers under a Superior, Mother Emma, traveled from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
via Port Elizabeth, arriving towards the end of April 1874. They immediately opened a boarding school, St Michael's
St. Michael's School, Bloemfontein
St. Michael's School, established in 1874 by the Community of St Michael and All Angels, is a public school with a boarding option for girls located in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa....
, and a day school. St Michael’s School exists to this day as one of the leading schools in South Africa.
In 1877 the Community established the St George's Cottage Hospital in Bloemfontein, the first hospital in the Orange Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
.
The Community’s work was extended to the nearby mining town of Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
, from 1876, where Sister Henrietta Stockdale
Henrietta Stockdale
Henrietta Stockdale was a nursing pioneer. Through her influence and pressure the first state registration of nurses and midwives in the world was brought about when the Cape of Good Hope Medical and Pharmacy Act of 1891 passed into law...
pioneered the training of nurses at the Carnarvon Hospital. She was later influential in securing the first state registration of nurses in the world, in 1891.
A St Michael’s School was established in Kimberley but did not survive beyond the first years of the twentieth century.
The Community still exists but only one sister remains today.
Prominent members of the CSM & AA
- Sister Henrietta StockdaleHenrietta StockdaleHenrietta Stockdale was a nursing pioneer. Through her influence and pressure the first state registration of nurses and midwives in the world was brought about when the Cape of Good Hope Medical and Pharmacy Act of 1891 passed into law...
- the founder of professional nursing in South Africa. The Anglican Church of Southern Africa commemorates Sister Henrietta annually on 6 October, the anniversary of her death - the Synod of Bishops having placed her on the church’s Calendar.
- Sister Mary Hirst Watkins - qualified in nursing and midwifery under Sister Henrietta and is acknowledged as the founder of modern midwifery training in South Africa. Watkins established a school for midwives in Kimberley in 1893. Achieving renown, an appointment in England was offered – but the invitation letter reached Kimberley on the day that she died. Sister Mary Hirst Watkins is re-interred alongside Sister Henrietta in the grounds of St Cyprian's Cathedral, KimberleySt Cyprian's Cathedral, KimberleyThe Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It became a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops gave a mandate for the formation of the new Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in...
.