Folk albums by nuns were fairly common in the 1960’s and 1970’s; this site features Roman Catholic religious such as Juliana Garza and the School Sisters of Notre Dame. This one, however, is different in one important respect: the sisters are Anglican. Two of them were of the Community of the Holy Name in Malvern, England, and one was of the Community of St. Mary the Virgin in Wantage, England.

The album has a melismatic quality that separates it from many other albums, sometimes having a faint echo of Hildegard von Bingen, although I doubt the performers would make the analogy. The instrumentation is light, the vocals are excellent. It’s definitely worth a listen.

1977

The songs:

Water, Wind & Fire
Come Up to Jerusalem!
Welcome, Jesus!
O Beautiful!
Pentecost Song
Glory Blues
I Wake in the Morning
Come Unto Me
Trinity Song
Adonai!
Oh Living One!
When I Say, ‘Jesus’