Our Charism

The Companions of Mary the Apostle proclaim the renewing and transforming power of encountering Christ in our lives and in the world. We announce the good news of new life whenever, however, wherever we can. We do that through both the way we live and what we say. Our members share a call to follow Jesus, whether they do this in churches, on their margins, or outside institutions altogether.

To a Church whose form is changing, we share the mystery of meeting the risen Christ. We announce resurrection to those locked in the upper room. We look for those not reached by the existing Church and those who have turned away. We aim to support the spiritual journeys of all people.

We do this as Companions of Mary Magdalene, who encountered Jesus in life and beyond. She experienced deep healing and accompanied him on the Way. As Jesus suffered on the cross, she kept vigil. As she wept at the tomb, she found the risen Christ instead. Jesus sent her to tell the good news of resurrection: “I have seen the Lord.” For this reason, she is known in the Eastern Church as the Apostle to the Apostles.

This encounter with Christ is central to our lives together. God has called us to lament and protest suffering and injustice, while also giving us the gifts of freedom, gratitude, and joy in being found and being loved in Christ. We share the good news of risen life through Christ’s love, in the here and now as well as the life to come.

We affirm that God is beyond categories and that the power of the Divine is accessible to all. Because language shapes experience, we use expansive, diverse images of God in worship and prayer. We honor hard questions about God, and resist easy answers. We offer ourselves for ongoing learning and dialogue.

While we foster leadership in all whose lives are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, we respond to a special call to celebrate the leadership of women and other marginalized people. The Spirit leads us to challenge any boundaries that limit the spread of the Gospel, and to notice what we are missing when voices are silenced.

With Mary Magdalene, we live on the border between what has been and what is emerging. We are blessed by the renewal and healing offered by knowing Jesus. We follow Jesus through the fear and pain of misunderstanding, rejection, and danger, confident in the promise of new life.

We are weaving a new tapestry of community life that draws on Scripture, contemporary experience, and the wisdom of the ages. We experience the Spirit calling us to gather the diverse threads of religious traditions and ways of life in order to witness to God’s creative, life-giving love in the world. While each thread is distinct, together they bind Companions to one another and to the tapestry the Spirit is weaving in the world.

Monastic Companions make vows of Conversion of Life through poverty, chastity and obedience. The Rule of the Companions of Mary the Apostle creates a context for living into these vows and shapes the way we live in community.

By the grace of God we journey together with Christ.