Ayres, Anne

(Jan. 3, 1816-Feb. 9, 1896). The first American nun in the Anglican tradition. She was born in London and came to the United States when she was twenty years old. She was deeply influenced by William Augustus Muhlenberg. At his Church of the Holy Communion, New York, she made monastic vows on Nov. 1, 1845. In 1852 the order was regularly organized as the Sisterhood of the Holy Communion. For most of her life she and her associates were in charge of nursing at St. Luke's Hospital, founded by Muhlenberg. Her major published work was The Life and Work of William Augustus Muhlenberg (1880). See Holy Communion, Sisterhood of the.