Collect for the Society of Jesus Compassionate

Almighty and ever-living God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to bring compassion to those who are far off, and to those who are near: Raise up the Society of Jesus Compassionate to share your compassion with those we meet on the journey; prosperous us with your blessing, and inspire us to open our hearts and minds by the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, that through our words and actions, your Holy Spirit may empower us to share your healing grace as Christ's presence in the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. AMEN.

We collaborated on designing this collect for use in the Daily Office.  I wanted to bring in the feel of the Collect for Mission found in The Book of Common Prayer, hence the "far off and near" bit.  I also shamelessly borrowed, "prosperous us with your blessing," from the collect of the Community of the Resurrection (CR).  As most know, collect writing follows a rather particular set of rules in order to design and structure the prayer.  I, for one, feel it will serve as a daily reminder of our vows and our common task. 

Additionally, we are hashing out the particulars for the Society's seal which one can see a draft above.  The idea was to deconstruct the shield of The Episcopal Church by implementing St. Andrew's cross with four crosslets to signify the four founders.  The Sacred Heart image is going to be tweaked a bit.

New Foundations: the Society of Jesus Compassionate

It was a long and storied road that brought together four men in Washington, DC for the Feast of St. Columba.  Following much discernment and prayer, these four professed vows during a simple eucharist in order to establish the Society of Jesus Compassionate (SJC).  Our rule is simple.  Our vows were simple.  We vowed to one another and to the Episcopal Church--to uphold the doctrine, discipline, and worship of her.  Nothing fussy, nothing overly romantic, simply four brothers promising to one another to be in community with Christ as the center.  We are one priest and three lay brothers.    

It was a long process for me to consider this new enterprise; I fully stand in support of those seeking to live the common life in Christ under vows.  Moreover, I appreciate the genuine love and intentionality of my new SJC brothers.  Our new habits will be unveiled when we gather for our winter retreat in Augusta, Georgia.  Already, we have received many prayers and supporters from within the Church. 

I ask your prayers for us as we journey together towards Emmaus.  We live in Atlanta, Baltimore, Richmond, and Washington, DC.  We are aware of the challenges posed by a dispersed community, but feel a deeper bond by our common experience in Christ.  What joy!  What an amazing journey.