A Message from the Abbot General

Welcome! Thanks for your interest in the Company of Jesus!

The Company of Jesus is a community of believers committed to following Christ, patterning our lives after those who have walked the monastic path before us.

The Company of Jesus is a dispersed religious society in the Anglican Church in North America*. Our commitment to fellowship, prayer, encouragements, and spiritual growth brings us together, and we draw inspiration from the saints who have gone before us – especially those men and women in the ancient Celtic churches. We each are called to the monastic way, and together seek its authentic expression in our daily lives.

The Company of Jesus seeks to be faithful to the calling of Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23) that “if anyone wishes to be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” We long to be in Jesus’ company. We, therefore, are committed to making all of our lives a witness to the Lordship of Jesus. Through prayer and study, formation and service, we seek to have our entire life shaped by nearness to Jesus and His Cross. We invite those who feel called to a life of obedience, discipline, and being conformed to the image of Christ to consider applying for membership in the Company of Jesus.

As a dispersed society, most of us do not live in a monastery. Instead we exercise our gifts, talents, and charisms in our daily work. The monastic patterns of the Company of Jesus – our common Practice, our habits of study, our individual Rules of Life, and our anam cara – are all intended to foster space for each of us to live out our calling in our own contexts. With the goal that, together, we are each continually being formed into the image of Jesus Christ.

We were formerly a dual stream community of the Benedictine and Franciscan chrisms. In an effort to be more accurate and authentic, we realized that we were living a Celtic Life and following Celtic Rule of Monasticism. Celtic Monasticism is a blending of the best of Franciscan and Benedictine - the service of a Franciscan and the contemplative of the Benedictine.

Your visit here is evidence of a remarkable worldwide of interest in Christian monasticism. As you navigate through our site and learn more about us, it may be that God is leading you to join us. If you have further questions, we are happy to try to answer them. Please feel free to contact us.

God's Peace to you in your Journey!

Timothy+