Oratory of the Good Shepherd
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Oratory of the Good Shepherd (OGS) is a dispersed international religious community, within the Anglican Communion. Members of the oratory are bound together by a common rule and discipline, which requires consecrated celibacy, and are strengthened by prayer and fellowship; they do not normally live together in community but meet regularly in chapter and retreat and report to one another on their keeping of the rule.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/OGS_Cross.gif)
The spirit of the oratory is expressed in its "Seven Notes", which call the brethren to fellowship, stewardship of gifts and possessions, love, labour of the mind and to a life of joy and thanksgiving.[1]
The Rule of the Oratory requires celibacy, a regular account of spending and direction of life. The rule commits the brethren of OGS to:
- praying for one another by name each day
- daily Eucharist, where possible
- morning and evening prayer
- and to an hour of private prayer
In addition, 'Labour of the Mind' is a characteristic of the oratory, and members are expected to spend time in study – although this takes a variety of forms for different brethren.
The oratory encourages its members in their individual ministries and has among its members bishops, parish priests, lecturers, missionaries, a cathedral verger, and many others.