Gospel Manner of Life and Ministry
What does it mean to join with Jesus Christ to “make all things new?”
Our manner of life and ministry opens the “eye of our hearts” to see that we have been formed in the image and likeness of Christ. St. Irenaeus says, “The glory of God is a human person fully alive!” Our primary work is to contemplatively consider and compassionately live and work at this revealed reality and relationship between ourselves, one another and our God who is “all in all.”
Our partners in life and ministry learn and teach this manner of life informed by the Gospel and model of Jesus Christ exemplified in the early Franciscan tradition of places for renewal and re-creation, often near cities and places of education. These fraternities that tended to include many in their life offered “peace and prayerful re-creation” between “the mountain” and “the marketplace.” An outgoing or “apostolic model of contemplation” was lived through the dynamic elements of:
- Silence
- Simplicity
- Solitude
- Service
Our prayerful and contemplative lifestyle celebrates and proclaims an active awareness of God’s presence with and care for all creatures.
We learn, pass on and participate in this awareness by actively caring for ourselves, one another, our earth and sharing in this mutual care as a larger community “going out to all the world.”
The Mt. Irenaeus community, open to all people, ages and cultures, is guided by a resident community. The resident community models the hospitality and relationship building, the importance of inclusion and collaboration in light of the fundamental relationship we all have with a common creator in our Christian tradition.