At Urban Abbey we believe that the light of the knowledge of the glory of our Triune God is seen in the face of Jesus. The identity of Jesus of Nazareth clearly emerges from three phenomena: his incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection. Urban Abbey chooses to align with Jesus through Incarnational Mission, Crucifixion-Styled Community and Resurrection Empowered Movement.
Vision
Urban Abbey exists to reflect the face of Jesus.
Mission
We nurture a contemplative life where we can be transformed in the face presence of Jesus and we pursue an active life where that can be reflected to the outside community.
Why this vision and mission?
“The Church is not the source of the witness; rather, it is the locus of witness. The light cast by the first rays of the morning sun shining on the face of a company of travelers will be evidence that a new day is coming” Lesslie Newbigin
behaviors
Consistent habit and ritual embedded in a person's life direct their desires, wants, and loves toward God. This is why down through the last 1500 years, Abbeys have always followed a Rule of Life.
Rule of Life
A Rule of Life is simply a handbook to make the very radical demands of the gospel a practical reality in daily life.
— Saint Benedict
Urban Abbey has chosen to follow the Rule of Life written by Columbanus in the 6th century. We have taken his Rule and contextualized it for our own time and place in history, calling it The Urban Abbey Rule of Life. We have also created a shorter Rule of Life for quick reference. This Rule helps us to understand how we embody a Jesus-way-of-being in this world, based on the scriptures he left for our learning and encouragement.
A final thought from Columbanus’ own pen. We Irish:
“We Irish, inhabitants of the world’s edge, are disciples of Saints Peter and Paul and of all the disciples who wrote the sacred canon by the Holy Spirit, and we accept nothing outside the evangelical and apostolic teaching” (Letter 5.3).