View source for Community of the Sisters of Melanesia

The '''Community of the Sisters of Melanesia''', more usually called The Sisters of Melanesia, is the third order for women to be established in the [[Church of Melanesia]], which is the [[Anglican]] Church of [[Solomon Islands]] and [[Vanuatu]].

The first women's order was the defunct [[Sisters of the Holy Cross (Melanesia)|Sisters of the Holy Cross]], whose members transferred to the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in 1950.

In the late 1960s, the then [[bishop]] of the [[Diocese]] of Melanesia hoped to establish a group of women [[Franciscan]]s in [[Honiara]]. They could not come, but the [[Community of the Sisters of the Church]] came and prospered.

A little more than a decade later, one woman named [[Nesta Tiboe]] felt that there was room for a community of sisters working in the Solomon Islands which followed the ideals and structures of the [[Melanesian Brotherhood]]. This turned out to be the Sisters of Melanesia.

There are about 110 sisters and over 50 novices at [[Verana'aso]], [[Maravovo]], Western [[Guadalcanal]]. The [[Head Sister]] is [[Sister Catherine Rosa]]. Besides Verana'aso, they have households in Honiara, CDC, [[Auki]] and South [[Malaita]].

The [[novice]]s wear a blue dress and upon admittance into the Sisterhood change into a green dress with a white veil with a green trim. The sisters wear a heart-shaped medal around their necks.

==Sources==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
*Richard Toke. [http://www.anglicancommunion.org/provincialnews/melanesia/client/news/client_news_detail.cfm?naid=832 "Religious Order celebrates silver jubilee"]. ''Melanesian Messenger'' 060608-1, June 8, 2006. The Anglican Communion 
*[[World Council of Churches]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110521180222/http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/pacific/solomon-islands/church-of-melanesia.html Church of Melanesia]
*Kevin Ward, Andrew Wingate, Carrie Pemberton (eds.) [https://books.google.com/books?id=NVwxJh33ptQC&dq=Community+of+the+Sisters+of+Melanesia&pg=PA48 ''Anglicanism: a Global Communion''], pp.&nbsp;48–49. Church Publishing, Inc., 1998. {{ISBN|0-89869-304-7}}
 
{{Anglican orders}}

[[Category:Anglicanism in the Solomon Islands]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in the 1960s]]
[[Category:Anglican orders and communities]]
[[Category:1960s establishments in Oceania]]
[[Category:Women in Oceania]]