Society of the Sacred Mission

The Society of the Sacred Mission (SSM), with the associated Company of the Sacred Mission, is an Anglican religious order founded in 1893 by Father Herbert Kelly, envisaged such that "members of the Society share a common life of prayer and fellowship in a variety of educational, pastoral and community activities". Its motto is Ad gloriam Dei in eius voluntate ("To the glory of God in his will"). Owing to the long association with Kelham, and the theological college there, the Society is often known colloquially as the "Kelham Fathers", although it has now become a mixed community for both men and women. There are three types of membership in the society: professed members, who remain celibate and live in community, taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience (the Evangelical Counsels); associate members, who also live or work in community, but do not take vows, and may be married; companions, who do not normally live in community, and who take a single vow to "endeavour to live [their] whole life to the glory of God", form the Company of the Sacred Mission. Professed members have included Gabriel Hebert and George Every. Although it has been involved in many other ventures, the major work of the Society has been the theological training of candidates for ordination in the Anglican Communion, carried out at two major theological seminaries: Kelham College in England, and St Michael's House in Australia.