Are there any saints or monks and nuns in the Anglican church?

Answer 1

Yes, very much so. There are several Anglican orders of monks and nuns, who live in community similarly to Catholic monks and nuns. For example, the Anglican Benedictine Order is thriving within the Anglican Church. In all there are over a dozen male monastic orders within the Anglican Church worldwide, split into many more communities, around fifty female orders and around eight or so mixed orders, all split into many communities worldwide. However, unlike Catholic orders, Anglican orders are less strict, and follow the Anglican doctrine rather than Catholic dogma. There are currently about 2,400 monks and nuns in the Anglican communion, about 55% of whom are women and 45% of whom are men. Anglicans recognise saints too - most Anglican Churches are dedicated to a particular saint (eg, there are many dedicated to St Andrew, St Philip, St John etc). Another example is St Paul's Cathedral in London which, as well as being the Cathedral Church of North London, is primarily an Anglican Church. Also, special days are set aside within the Church's calendar where special prayers are said in Thanksgiving for the saint's life (usually the day that the saint was born or died). The big difference, however, between Anglicans and Catholics is that, except for the small Catholic wing of the Anglican Church, Anglicans do not 'pray' to saints or ask saints to 'pray' for them in heaven, as Catholics would. Nor do they ask the saints to be mediators between God and us. Neither to they revere the relics of saints as something sacred. On the whole, Anglicans regard such practices as verging on necromancy and idolatry, and their practice is forbidden in the 39 Articles of Faith as laid down when the Church was founded. Anglicans believe in Biblical teaching that we have but one Mediator - Jesus Christ - and therefore, whilst recognising the Communion of Saints that have gone before, do not pray to, revere, plead with, or ask for intercession of the saints or any other practice common in the Catholic Church which is unBiblical and, as the 39 Articles state, are "rather abhorrent to God".