About Us A Community whose heart honors the past, but whose eyes are fixed on the Future The Companions of St. Luke ~ OSB are a community whose pursuit of union with God is hallmarked by individual prayer life, communal prayer offices, work and ministry. The community is rooted in the ancient tradition of the Rule of St. Benedict. Through the 1500 years since the writing of the Rule, Benedictines have taken the model of the Rule and modified it to meet historical and cultural needs. The Companions of St. Luke ~ OSB continue in this tradition by opening new possibilities for monastic life in the new millennium while remaining a school for the Lord's service. No longer bound by monastery walls, the Lord's service is exercised by the Companions in the world, in God's creation. In Chapter 4 of the Rule, St. Benedict encourages his followers to "relieve the lot of the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick, bury the dead and console the sorrowing." These "tools for good works" are a beginning point for Christian living. Each Companion determines, based on their own skills and interests, how these "tools for good works" will be practiced in their own lives. The threefold Benedictine vows call each Companion to a life of conversion and, through conversion, a life of reconciliation and healing with God and our neighbor. The Rt. Reverend William Sheridan, retired Bishop of Northern Indiana and former Bishop Visitor of the Companions wrote: "The Companions of St. Luke is Benedictine through and through, in its ethos, philosophy and liturgical worship, and after considerable time reviewing the Customary, I find it makes godly-common sense."
Religious Life Redefined for the 21st Century
The Companions of St. Luke ~ OSB, with the help of the Holy Spirit, are redefining Benedictine Religious life. For hundreds of years, monastic walls defined Religious life. As we enter the third millennium, walls once again help define Religious life, but this time there is a difference.
They are Invisible.
The Companions of St. Luke believe that walls serve an important and useful function. They have a utilitarian purpose; they provide shelter, safety and lodging. However, walls of rock and mortar have the capacity to limit our experiences and walls without heart or spirit are nothing more than human constructs. A monastery of the heart, though, provides an unlimited ministry. Our commitment to Christ, to those with whom we share our journey and to the Benedictine vows of stability, obedience and conversion of life are essential elements of the Companion's monastic "walls". In addition, work strengthens our walls. St. Benedict asks us to live a life that is balanced between work and prayer. Hard work, honest work is an outward expression of our thanks to God for the necessities of life that He has provided. Prayer fortifies our walls and opens the doors to heaven. Prayer is the way in which we enter into dialogue with the Divine and open ourselves to revelation. Sacrifice consecrates our walls. Sacrifice, the willingness to give unstintingly of ourselves, opens us to a deeper understanding of and companionship with Christ, who gave all that our earthly journey need not be a solitary one. Sacrifice also opens the way to companionship with our fellows and thus provides us with a deeper experience of our humanness and the humanness of others.
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