The Community values greatly the fellowship, prayer and support of our wider family and friends around the world, including…
Oblates and Associate
Our Oblates, whether lay or ordained, make promises of poverty, chastity and obedience, renewed every three years. The word ‘oblate’ has at its heart the idea of offering – in this case the offering of one’s life to God in a structured way. They have a close association with the Community, promising to order their lives in relation to the vows of stability, obedience and conversion of life, wherever they live and work. They are encouraged to stay regularly at the House of the Resurrection, strengthening the links which bind them to the Community as well as helping in the work of the Community. Our Associate is our Oblate-alongside, living close by, and joining us daily in our work of prayer and hospitality.
If you would like to find out more contact the Chaplain of the Oblates, Fr Nicolas CR.
The Oblates’ Commitment
Poverty is marked by aiming to live simply at all times and involves a ‘dying to live’. We are accountable for all that God has given us. To follow Christ is to be obedient to our Father and one another, something which spreads through our life. Oblates desire to love the will of God and so to uphold His honour and proclaim the dominion of Christ.
Chastity, which for the Oblates and Associate includes celibacy, is a gift from God. Every aspect of life is touched by it – self-control, not only with respect to food, drink and sexual activity but also in relation to kinds of pleasure which are harmful to others and to oneself. What matters most is the desire to put God first, and in consequence to look to the greatest good of other human beings.
The pattern of an Oblate’s life includes the two rhythms of office and eucharist (every day when possible), time daily in prayer with intercession for the needs of the Church, the world and Community, time annually for a retreat and seeking for opportunities in the everyday for stillness, as well as the penitence and study which deepens our love of God. The end of all this is the dedication to the Resurrection, shown in the fruit of the Spirit, proclaiming a world made new in Christ.
Companions
Companions of the Community of the Resurrection live away from Mirfield but share in CR’s Charism and are committed to a Rule of Life.
The Companions are friends of the Community. They support – and are supported by – the work and mission of CR, following a routine of life of daily prayer, worship, witness and service. Many who come to know the Community value sharing its work and Charism in their own lives and locations. There are local groups of Companions spread across the UK and overseas – please contact our Companions Office for more information.
A section of this website is dedicated to the Companions, including a secure area which can be accessed using details supplied by the Companions Office. For more information, please contact the Companions’ chaplain, Fr John CR.
Society of the Resurrection
A new kind of monastic commitment for those living, working, and praying out in the world.
The Society of the Resurrection – which shares its name with the body that was the forerunner of CR – is a world-wide group of women and men, single and married, lay and ordained, who share in the Community of the Resurrection’s Charism and seek to live out that Charism in close association with the Community. They live by a rule that is quite specific, with emphasis on prayer, the Eucharist, study, and mutual encouragement. Members of the Society seek to attend at least one Solemn Mass at Mirfield per year and stay in contact at other times. There is an annual gathering, usually at Corpus Christi, at the Monastery in Mirfield, which usually includes an overnight stay (or longer), Mattins, Mass, Evensong, a Chapter meeting for Society business and one for reflection on the keeping of the rule. Those who are unable to attend are invited to join online. There is also often another more informal meeting in the autumn. Throughout the rest of the year, members keep in touch by electronic or other means.
For more information about the Society of the Resurrection, please contact its Warden, Fr George CR. As part of a process of discernment, enquirers will be put in touch with an existing member of the Society, and asked to meet with them to explore SR’s rule and ethos.