companions on an ancient path

Companions on an Ancient Path

Are you contemplating your

life’s journey?

Do you want to experience life

in community?

Learn more about prayer?

Develop the gifts God has given

you in service to others?

Follow Jesus’ example of action

and contemplation?

Balance friendship with silence

and solitude?

Be a change-agent for the

church and a missionary to our

culture?

Would you like to be part of a

new monastic expression within

an established community of

prayer and service?

Then consider being a

Companion on the Way

with the

Sisters of St. John the Divine.

“Thus says the LORD:

Stand at the crossroads, and

look,

and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way lies;

walk in it,

and find rest for your souls.”

(Jeremiah 6:16)

The Sisters of St. John the Divine

invite women between the ages of

22 and 40 to join them on an

ancient path,

from September 2016

to August 2017

exploring an expression of new

monasticism rooted in the Anglican

tradition.

Companions will

• develop a rhythm of life including

corporate and private prayer

• share their gifts and find new gifts

• engage in service to others

• develop leadership skills

• find help in discerning future

directions –

while living in intentional community.

Room and board are provided free at St.

John’s Convent in Toronto, and most living

expenses are covered by the Sisterhood.

Spiritual formation will be provided through

courses at Wycliffe College, University of

Toronto on topics such as

• Contemplative prayer in active ministry

• Christian classics

• Monastic history and values

• The missional church

Wycliffe courses:

• may be audited (with no requirement of

papers or exams)

• or may be taken for credit by those who

are in an academic program

And there will be discussion groups and

individual guidance on topics such as

• Creating a personal rhythm of life

• Discerning your future

• Integrating monastic values into

contemporary life

• Developing leadership skills for a

missional church

What do the Sisters hope for

from the Companions program?

The Sisters desire to plant new seeds of

community life and mission that will help

renew monastic life both in the church and

for the church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that

the renewal of the church will come from the

“ancient future” monastic tradition, taking us

back to the roots of the gospel and giving us

a viable alternative to the consumerism and

individualism of our culture.

As St. Benedict’s Rule did 1500 years ago,

we believe the monastic life provides a

radical way of following Jesus. Companions

will learn how to make that life relevant to

their generation.

Benedict established “a school of the Lord’s

service,” and that is what we want to do.

Who is Eligible?

Companions will be women between

the ages of 22 and 40 with

• a desire to deepen their relationship with

God

• a willingness to follow Jesus in his radical

obedience

• an openness to the leading of the Holy

Spirit on the path of life

They will

• be members of the Body of Christ,

whether through baptism or intention

• be regular participants in some spiritual or

religious community

• have the ability to live creatively with

others in community

• be in excellent mental and physical health

Above all, they will be women

who have

• a love of prayer

• a commitment to compassionate action

• a desire to learn

Who are the Sisters

of St. John the Divine?

Inspired by the Rule of St. Benedict, we are a

contemporary expression of the monastic life for

women within the Anglican Church of Canada.

The Sisterhood is young – only 130 years old!

But we follow a path as old as Jesus . . .

. . . and as new as the sunrise each morning.

Our Mission Statement:

Founded in Toronto in 1884,

we are a prayer- and gospel-centred

monastic community, bound together

by the call to

live out our

baptismal

covenant in

the monastic

life.

Nurtured

by our

founding

vision of

prayer,

community,

and

service,

we are open and

responsive to the

needs of the

church and the

contemporary

world, continually

seeking the

guidance of the

Holy Spirit in our

life and ministry.

During our 130 years in the Canadian

church, we have had houses and

ministries across Canada.

founded and ministered in hospitals,

homes for the aged, schools, and

community missions.

and provided hospitable places for retreat, renewal, and spiritual guidance.

St. John’s Convent, Toronto,

Today, we are located at

and St. John’s House, Victoria, BC.

We also serve at St. John’s Rehab (now part of Sunnybrook)

and we enjoy rest and relaxation at

the Sisters’ cottage in Muskoka.

Wherever we are,

Associates and Oblates gather,

guests come for retreats

and workshops,

we give and receive spiritual

direction,

we participate in diocesan events,

we make decisions together,

we play together,

and most important, we pray

together . . .

. . . which also means choir practice!

Our current areas of mission

include

• Providing a centre of spirituality, prayer,

worship, and music

• Outreach to others through preaching,

teaching, retreats and missions

• Pastoral and spiritual care

• Education and spiritual formation

• Community life

Join us as a Companion,

helping to meet the spiritual hunger

and material needs of the world around us.

What will Companions do?

share in prayer and worship

with the Sisters,

sing and make music to the Lord,

develop community,

participate in the Sisters’

ministry of hospitality,

welcome retreat groups,

share in some household

duties,

participate in classes and discussions,

read and study,

receive individual & group

mentoring,

assist at

St. John’s Rehab,

serve others in community-

based ministries,

and have fun!

What will a day in the life of a

Companion look like?

Morning

6 am Early coffee/tea

Individual quiet time

Walk or exercise

7:45 Breakfast

8:30 Morning Prayer

9:00 Daily community conference

9:30 Depending on the day:

Study/class OR

Work in Sisters’ ministries

Afternoon

12 noon: Eucharist

12:45 Dinner

1:30 Personal time (resting,

walking, reading)

2:30 Depending on the day:

Study/class OR

Work in Sisters’ ministries

Work in neighbourhood ministries

Evening

5 pm Evening Prayer together

5:30 Supper

6:15 Dishes and clean-up

7:00 Community time / recreation

Depending on the day

with the Sisters OR

among the Companions

8:10 Compline

(night prayer)

8:30 Quiet time

Time Off (Yes!)

Mondays: Day off

Thursday evenings: Free time

Saturday evenings: Free time

One Monday a month is a retreat day

Four weeks during the year are vacation

One week a year is a guided retreat

Would you like a year’s travel adventure as

we follow Jesus on the road of prayer,

community, learning, service, and creative

enjoyment?

then

BE A COMPANION ON THE WAY

The Sisters wish to thank

Phil Hamilton for design of print materials

Molly Finlay for writing promotional materials

Karen Isaacs for the Companions website

Barbara Jenkins for facilitating the Wycliffe

course connection

George Sumner and Peter Mason for their

vision and support

Tom Arban, Michael Hudson, and Sisters of

SSJD for photos

www.ssjdcompanions.org

www.ssjd.ca