Join Us

The Emmaus Community warmly welcomes new members who would like to discern being a part of our community!  

We draw upon Monastic formation processes to mutually discern whether there is a call to Emmaus.  Depending on whether one wishes to be a Companion (less intensive, local or not) or Covenanted Member (more intensive, local only) - this process can be up to two years long.  It is possible to do this as a single person or as a couple.

Each Fall, we welcome new Discerners into our Community, and this cohort journeys together through our discerner workbook "With Burning Hearts" - led by our Formation Director(s), guests from other monastic communities, and others in the community. 

This group meets every other week, and it is expected they will be joining the community in other ways between that time.  

If a Discerner is local, it is hoped they will join the community for prayer, worship, meals and presence (ie work in and around our community - such as our monthly meal at the Mustard Seed).  If they are discerning from a distance, it is hoped they will be starting to develop a way to apply the Rule in their context based on our Rule.

After completing the Discernment period, a Discerner who is either living at a distance, or who is not hoping to become a Covenanted Memmber may to become a Companion of the community.  Companions can live locally or further away and are an expression of community membership which is less intensive and more individually applied.   

Discerners can also apply to become a Novice of the Emmaus Community.  Novices live a year alongside Covenanted Members, and seek to apply the Customary (specific shared practices agreed upon by Covenated Members each year) of the community to their lives.  Novices should be local - or, at least planning to move to Victoria - since the Novitiate is a dicernment around becoming a Covenanted Member, which is a local expression of the community. 

After the Novice year is completed, a Novice may apply to become a Covenanted Member of the Emmaus Community.  Upon approval, Covenanted members take their first vows, for a set period of time after completing the Discerner and Novice processes and are now a part of the decision making processes of the community, and are expected to live in accordance with the Customary.

There are specific processes in place to move between Companion and Covenanted membership, as well as to leave the community.

Novices, Companions and Covenanted members are clothed with the clothing habit; which is a black or burgundy hoody.  Covenanted Members are also clothed with the Emmaus medallion upon being received into the community.  Exampled of these habits can be seen in the images on this page. 

If you are interested in joining the Emmaus Community, please send us an email or call us and we'll arrange a further conversation.