Society of Our Lady of the Isles facts for kids
The Society of Our Lady of the Isles (SOLI) is a small group of women who live together and pray. They are part of the Anglican Church, which is a type of Christian church. This group was started in the late 1900s.
The SOLI community lives in Shetland, a group of islands far north of Scotland. They are part of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is the Anglican church in Scotland. Their home is one of the most faraway religious communities in the whole Anglican Communion (a worldwide family of Anglican churches).
The women in SOLI follow special rules for how they live and pray. These rules mix ideas from different old Christian groups, like the Franciscans and Cistercians. They also include many ideas from early Celtic Christianity, which was practiced in places like Scotland and Ireland long ago.
How SOLI Started
The story of SOLI began in 1984. A woman named Reverend Mother Mary Agnes moved to the island of Fetlar in Shetland. She wanted to live a quiet life of prayer, away from busy places. She found a simple cottage with a small barn. She turned the barn into a small chapel for prayer.
Soon, other people started to visit Mother Mary Agnes. Some even stayed to live with her. By 1988, they officially formed a group called the Society of Our Lady of the Isles. In 1993, the church officially recognized Mother Mary Agnes as the leader, or "Superior," of the group.
Life in the Community
The first homes for the SOLI community were built on Fetlar. They had a safe and modern main house. A new chapel was also built there, called "Christ the Encompasser and all his Angels."
Some people who don't live at the convent full-time still support the SOLI community. They are called 'oblates'. These oblates follow some of the community's rules and make simple promises, but they don't take the full vows that the sisters do.
In 2015, the community moved from Fetlar to another island called Unst. They moved because Unst has more doctors and social help available. One of the sisters now lives in a special sheltered home in Uyeasound on Unst. The community built a new chapel and house at Westing, on the Atlantic coast of Unst. Their old buildings on Fetlar were sold.
Places of Worship
The SOLI community has had several special chapels where they pray:
- The Byre Chapel: This was the very first chapel on Fetlar. It was made from a barn. It was simple and rustic, meaning it used natural, rough materials. One end of the barn was still used for the community's goat!
- The Chapel of Christ the Encompasser and All His Angels: This was a newer chapel built on Fetlar. It was part of the main convent buildings. The sisters prayed here every day, and a Sunday church service was held here. This chapel had amazing views of the sea.
- The Chapel of Jesus the Good Shepherd: This is the newest chapel. It is part of the community's new buildings on the island of Unst.
