The Common Rule of

The Fellowship of The Way of the Cross

I. Preamble

• We are a society of clergy primarily of the Episcopal Church, seeking to glorify, love and serve God ever more faithfully and to minster according to God's calling. Our desire is to be contemplatives in action who draw draw from the wellsprings of intimacy with God as the primary source of energy and guidance for ministry. Our fellowship flows out from our relationship with God the Holy Trinity and with each other as colleagues in ministry. Although we do not live in physical community, we are united by a Common Rule of Life, a daily Office of prayer, an annual retreat and days of reflection. Since Christian life and ministry are communal, we seek to develop communities of prayer, reflection and action with those among whom we live and serve. We are also linked with those who have gone before us in this Fellowship.
• Our Purpose is ...
  • ... to nurture the spiritual life among the Fellowship and in the Church;
  • ... to practice and encourage Christ-like love among all people, especially among clergy;
  • ... to strive for authenticity in the Christian Faith;
  • ... to increase effectiveness of ministry by working and praying in love and companionship with others.
• As clergy we are not ordained to a higher station of spiritual privilege. Neither our ordination nor this Fellowship should tempt us to separateness, exclusiveness, pride, arrogance, or the illusion of superior holiness. We are called to particular forms of servanthood among the servants of God. As a Fellowship we are bound together in love and obedience to Christ and united by the one spirit, yet we are free under God to be diverse in our convictions about matters of Church discipline and practice. We respect each other's conscience and our prayerful responsibility to live as God leads us. As a Fellowship we espouse no cause but Christ's and the Kingdom of God.
• To help us live these purposes we have established by mutual consent a Common Rule, to be observed by all Members and Probationers; provided that in case of an individual need the Superior may permit modifications of the Rule.

  The Rule is a source of wisdom and support, a railing to keep us from falling from the way of Christ. It is not a law requiring the mechanical doing of spiritual acts. It is not intended to add a burden or overwhelming sense of guilt. Rather it is a gift and guide, a means of measure and encouragement to help us live and work in constant communion with the Word and Spirit of our Lord, who alone is the source of spiritual life and growth. The Rule gently and persistently calls us in the midst of our daily routines to a life of growth in love and responsiveness to our Lord. The way of life, which is the goal of our Rule, is described in Scripture. We meditate on these passages often praying that God will fulfill them in us and in all people.

II. The Rule of Life

Christ leads us through daily life and ministry in the Way of the Cross, a personal and communal way of struggle and surrender, dying and being raised up by the power of the Holy Spirit. Aware of the temptations of the word, the flesh, and the devil, and the joy that is set before us, we seek to dwell in Christ's transfiguring light and there find grace to walk with Christ the reconciling Way of the Cross.

In the context of this vision we covenant with each other to travel together in the Way of the Cross, relying not on ourselves but on God's help as we seek to live in this way.

In the life of prayer we seek ...

• to grow in the constant awareness of the presence of Christ, and to attend to the voice and inward motions of the Spirit;
• to anchor our lives in the death and resurrection of our Lord by receiving Holy Communion at least once a week, with proper preparation before and thanksgiving after;
• to follow a minimum daily discipline for communion with Christ, including:
  • at least one of the Daily Offices of the Book of Common Prayer (or some comparable office);
  • the Office of the Fellowship (at or near noon if possible), praying for members by name at least weekly;
  • study and reflection on Holy Scripture (and other spiritual reading);
  • meditation, at least twice weekly;
  • regular prayer for members of our parish, co-workers, and the person who is our Bishop;
• to make a rule concerning fasting and abstinence;
• to undertake sacramental confession and reconciliation as conscience and need shall dictate;
• to make a rule for the keeping of Lent;
• to undertake each Embertide a self-examination upon our baptism and ordination vows and this Rule;
• to make a retreat annually, with the Fellowship if possible.

In the work of ministry we seek ...

• to live as authentic, growing Christians, mindful of our Baptism and Ordination vows, seeking to draw people into God's Kingdom;
• to be present to the world in which we are called to minister as reconcilers and peacemakers, seeking Christ especially in the needy and those who we do not like;
• to stand courageously and humbly for Christian moral values through our words and actions;
• to devote time to the service of those in need, prayerfully working to fulfill our part of the evangelical and social mission of Christ's Church;
• to live soberly, avoiding occasions of temptation;
• to live simply, and respecting the partnership of one's spouse (if any), to tithe or move steadily to tithing;
• to provide good and caring time for our families;
• to observe regular sabbath times for rest and recreation, weekly and annually;
• to remember that faithfulness consists not in doing extraordinary actions, but in doing all things in God's presence, for God's glory.

In the Fellowship we seek ...

• to be often in prayer for each other;
• to live in love and peace with each other, avoiding destructive criticism, and being ready to help each other in the work of ministry and in the spiritual life;
• to see ourselves as responsible to each other for our efforts to live according to this Rule, knowing that by doing so we support one another in our weakness;
• to consult with our Bishop and the Superior of the Fellowship when seeking a place to work;
• each year in Eastertide to reflect prayerfully upon this Rule and to make a written report to the Superior upon our life in relation to it;
• as we are led, to invite others to explore whether God might be calling them to join us in this community of prayer and vocation as we seek to walk together the Way of the Cross which leads to Life through Christ our Lord.

III. The Prayer of Vocation

O Lord my God, I am not worthy to have you come under by roof; yet you have called your servant to stand in your house, and to serve at your altar. To you and to your service I devote myself, body, sould, and spirit. Fill my memory with the record of your mighty works; enlighten my understanding with the light of your Holy Spirit; and may all the desires of my heart and will center in what you would have me do. Make me an instrument of your salvation for the people entrusted to my care, and grant that I may faithfully administer your holy Sacraments, and by my life and teaching set forth your true and living Word. Be always wih me in carrying out the duties of my ministry. In prayer, quicken my devotion; in praises, heighten my love and gratitude; in preaching, give me readiness of thought and expression; and grant that, by the clearness and brightness of your holy Word, all the world may be drawn into your blessed kingdom. All this I ask for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ.    Amen.

Ascensiontide, 1994 (Preamble updated Ascensiontide, 2006)