About Us Benedictine house

The Community of Christ the Sower, North America is an Anglican religious institute for men or women, married or single, living in community or residing in their own homes, under the guidance of the Rule of St. Benedict. We are a dispersed order with members living in Canada and the United States and share a common spiritual heritage with our CCS counterparts in England.

We are canonically resident in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, a diocese in The Anglican Church in North America. To learn more about the ACNA, please visit our Links page.

It is our firm belief that all people, in all places and in all times, are called to live redeemed and sanctified lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Fulfilling our motto to "restore the sacred," we accompany fellow pilgrims on this spiritual journey in order to offer support, encouragement and companionship along the way.

Our charism is both contemplative and active and as our Constitution states "we exist to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, share fellowship in His name, provide mutual support by the grace of the Holy Spirit, worship God the Father in Spirit and in Truth, promote personal holiness and minister to the needs of others."

Our Community is unique in many ways. For one, our Rule of Life is seeker-driven, which means that within the context of the Holy Rule of St. Benedict each individual develops their own program under the direction of a spiritual advisor. This flexibility allows each person to adapt a program specific to the call on his or her own life.

Also, we are open to any baptized Christian of mature faith. Our roots go deep into the Anglican tradition, but we are open to the working of the Holy Spirit and the ecumenical implications of Christ's prayer in John 17:21, 'that they all may be one.'

Nicholas Ferrar window We provide different levels of association in order to accommodate the various demands of work and family life. Some of our members enter a formation process which leads to the profession of simple vows. Other members, known as Friends/Associates, do not profess vows but may participate fully in our life of prayer and service as well as attend all functions at the Priory such as retreats and other Chapter gatherings.

We speak an ancient language to a modern world, we walk the Benedictine way with Christ the Sower, we remember and take as our mission statement the final words spoken by Nicholas Ferrar to his community on December 4, 1637:

"It is the right good old way you are in

Keep in it"