About

The Emmaus Community is a Neo-Monastic community whose recognition of Christ in our midst leads us to walk the Way of love through prayer, simplicity and presence with each other and in our neighbourhood.

By 'new monastic' or 'neo-monastic' we mean that we draw on the ancient wisdom of the Christian monastic traditions - even as we live ordinary lives.

We live by a Rule of Life which guides our common life together.

Our Rule includes daily prayer, redemptive presence and partnership in our neighbourhoods, practicing sabbath, and seeking to live lives that are more connected with others and with God's creation - while living simpler and less cluttered lives as we seek to follow Jesus.

Some of us live in community houses (such as Belmont House) and others live within proximity to it.  We closed our Priory due to Covid and are currently doing daily prayer online and/or at AbbeyChurch (St. Matthias) at 600 Richmond.  

We have 'Covenanted Members' - who live our Rule, in community, in the neighbourhood as their primary spiritual community.  We also have 'Companion Members' - who live a less intense application of the Rule and focus their energy into their own contexts and other communities.  We also have many 'friends' who chose to be part of the community without naming aformal connection.

We pray most weekdays, share meals regularly, deepen our spiritual practices through discernement and formation.  We brew beer and make elixers and run a Sunday worship called the AbbeyChurch, which is open to all.  We also have an active Wild Church (outdoor, and ecologically conscious) expression of church.

We are currently exploring the development of a residental monastic hub to deeper our monastic witness.

Our name (pronounced ah-may-us) comes from an early Christian story, as told in the Gospel of Luke chapter 24:13-35. We chose this name because of the themes of shared meals, walking with Jesus, welcoming the stranger and experiencing the resurrected Christ in our midst with 'burning hearts'.

The Emmaus Community is a shared ministry of The Anglican Church of Canada - Diocese of BC  and The United Church of Canada - Pacific Mountain Region.

We welcome Christians of all stripes into discernment around membership including LGBTQ2IA+ Christians.

If you're interested in visiting or joining the community, please drop us a line at [email protected]