Community of Jesus

Last updated
Church of the Transfiguration at the Community of Jesus Church of the Transfiguration at the Community of Jesus.jpg
Church of the Transfiguration at the Community of Jesus

The Community of Jesus is an ecumenical Christian double monastery in the Benedictine tradition, which is located near Rock Harbor, in Orleans, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. [1]

Contents

At present, approximately 225 professed members, together with another fifty children and young people live as households in thirty privately owned, multifamily homes that surround the church and the guesthouse. This also includes the twenty-five celibate brothers who are living in the Zion Friary and the sixty celibate sisters who are living in the Bethany Convent. Altogether, the Community of Jesus consists of almost 275 people, from many walks of life and various church backgrounds—including Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Congregational, Baptist, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, and Pentecostal. [2]

Paraclete Press, the publishing arm of the Community of Jesus, has published many works by resident priest Martin Shannon CJ, [3] who stated to media, in 2006, that "worship and liturgy are at the core of everyday life" of the Benedictine community. [4]

History

The origins of the Community of Jesus can be traced back to the first meeting of two Episcopal laywomen, Cay Andersen and Judy Sorensen, who met in 1958 at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans. The two women began a ministry of prayer and Bible study, meeting in the living room of what was then Rock Harbor Manor, a bed and breakfast run by Andersen and her husband, overlooking Cape Cod Bay. In the early 1960s, Cay and Judy were invited to lead retreats in churches throughout New England. The Community of Jesus was incorporated under Massachusetts state law in 1970. [5] Rock Harbor Manor was renovated and converted into a retreat house called "Bethany".[ citation needed ]

For a period of time beginning in 1973, three sisters from the community sang Gregorian chants at morning services at the Heydon Chapel in Sandys, Bermuda. [6] Basil B. Elmer, a prominent member of the Community of Jesus and husband of Isabel Lincoln, great-granddaughter of William Rockefeller, was a board member of the Heydon Trust from 1975 to 1985, and Chairman until he stepped down in 2006. [7] One of their daughters became a nun in the Community of Jesus. The sisters returned to Massachusetts sometime prior to 2012.[ citation needed ]

The Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts declined to designate the group an Episcopal community, based on a 1981 study commissioned by the Boston Presbytery, which characterized the community as a "charismatic fellowship" and found "...evidence that involvement with and within the Community of Jesus [was] incompatible with Presbyterian commitments of doctrine and order." [8]

In 2021, WBZ-TV aired a report from their Investigative Team, which alleged the group emotionally abused them as former members. [1] Additionally, a documentary was aired by the CBC Television program The Fifth Estate (TV program) about Grenville Christian College related to the group, with abuse allegations. (See Grenville Christian College for more information.)

Another documentary was aired in 2021, by The Fifth Estate, with allegations related to Grenville Christian College.

Rule of Life

Bell tower at the Community of Jesus Bell tower at the Community of Jesus.jpg
Bell tower at the Community of Jesus

According to the Community of Jesus the Rule took its present shape in 2008 after final adoption by a vote of the Chapter (which is composed of the solemnly professed members). Its content is drawn from and inspired by Scripture, church tradition, the Rule of St. Benedict , and the founding principles and charisms of the Community of Jesus expressed in its founding and in its ongoing evolution. Its purpose is to prescribe a standard of spiritual wisdom for community living, and to be a basic guide for those wishing to commit themselves to the monastic life as it is pursued in the Community of Jesus.

Following a prologue, the Rule of Life is divided into two major sections, each of which has two parts. Section I sets forth the fundamental spiritual principles upon which the Community of Jesus was founded and which continue to give the community its definition. These are presented in Parts A and B under the headings of “Vocation” (God's call) and “Profession” (our response). Section II applies those principles to the procedures for membership and decision-making in the community. [9] [ better source needed ]

Church of the Transfiguration

Interior view of the Church of the Transfiguration, Orleans View of the interior of the Church of the Transfiguration.jpg
Interior view of the Church of the Transfiguration, Orleans

The Church of the Transfiguration is a contemporary expression of a 4th century basilica. [10]

The interior of the Church is filled with hand-crafted mosaic [11] and frescoes painted by Silvestro Pistolesi of Florence, [12] as well as glass and stone artwork. [13] The bronze doors are by Romolo Del Deo. [12]

E. M. Skinner organ

Built by Nelson Barden & Associates of Boston, MA, the organ at the Church of the Transfiguration is a restoration and expansion of components from a number of twentieth-century organs of the Ernest M. Skinner Organ Company. When completed, it will include 150 ranks and 12,500 pipes, making it one of the six largest organs in the country, and in the top ten largest in the world. [14]

Elements Theatre Company

Elements Theatre Company was founded in 1992, by several members of the Community of Jesus. They perform year-round on Cape Cod, as well as touring nationally and internationally. Recent tours have included performances at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center (New York), The New School for Drama (New York), 92nd Street Y (New York), East 13th Street Theatre, home of Classic Stage Company (New York), St. Malachy's - The Actor's Chapel (New York), Chicago Theological Seminary (New York), Chicago Public Library, Dominican University (River Forest, IL), and the Cathedral of St. Christopher in Barga, Italy.[ citation needed ]

Recent performances include Talking Heads by Alan Bennett, [15] God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, [16] [17] A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, [18] Pillars of the Community by Henrik Ibsen, The Dining Room by A.R. Gurney, The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, [19] The Doorway by Phyllis Tickle, The Trial of Jesus by John Masefield, and Rumors by Neil Simon. Recent Shakespeare performances include, Merchant of Venice [20] , Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream , [21] and Julius Caesar [22] [23] .

Criticism

Around 1973, Cay Andersen became involved in promoting the "Diet, Discipline, and Discipleship" ("3D") weight loss program, which seemed to focus on sin and guilt as a way to lose weight. [24]

It is characterized as a cult on the CBC/Radio-Canada program The Fifth Estate (TV program). [25] CBC describes them as “a mysterious and abusive Christian cult in Cape Cod, Mass." [26]

They were included in the 1990 book Churches That Abuse by Ron Enroth. [27]

In 1993 allegations of abuse were explored on the Chronicle News Magazine which aired on Channel 5 in Boston, Massachusetts. [28] Controversy surrounding alleged abuse further emerged through a successful class-action suit against Grenville Christian College, which had close ties to the Community of Jesus. Grenville's co-founders were all members of the Community of Jesus, including pastors Betty and Charles Farnsworth, who also served as headmaster, and fellow headmaster J. Alastair Haig and his wife, Mary Florence Mollard Haig, each of whom was named in the lawsuit. [29] [30] [31] The Haigs divorced and Mary remarried in 2006. She moved into the Cape Cod enclave with her second husband, John Philip French (January 19, 1930 - January 1, 2018), who was a member of the board of directors for the Community of Jesus until his death in 2018. [32]

In February 2020, a Canadian court cited the influence of the Community of Jesus in the abuse of students at Grenville Christian College. [33] In the case opinion, Judge Janet Leiper of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice wrote: “I have concluded that the evidence of maltreatment and the varieties of abuse perpetrated on students’ bodies and minds in the name of the (Community of Jesus) values of submission and obedience was class-wide and decades-wide.” [34]

Aaron Bushnell was raised in the Community of Jesus, but left as a young adult. In the last years of his life, he described himself as “a survivor of a toxic, abusive family system” and spoke jokingly of liberating people at the Community. Before his death through self-immolation in 2024, he wrote in his will that if his friends held a funeral, he did not “wish for any members of the Community of Jesus to be present. They are in love with the system that I am trying to burn.” [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Cod Baseball League</span> Collegiate summer baseball league

The Cape Cod Baseball League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousand former players who have gone on to play in the major leagues.

Cape Cod Mall is a shopping mall in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The mall opened in 1970 and was renovated and expanded in the late 1990s, bringing the property to 723,605 square feet (67,225 m2) of gross leasable area. It is currently managed and partially owned by Simon Property Group. The anchor stores are Marshalls, Best Buy, 2 Macy's stores, Regal Cinemas, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Barnes & Noble.

Woodwell Climate Research Center, formerly known as the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) until August 2020, is a scientific research organization that studies climate change impacts and solutions. The International Center for Climate Governance named WHRC the world's top climate change think tank for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Grenville Christian College is a former private boarding school located in the rural community of Maitland, some 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Brockville, Ontario, on the bank of the St. Lawrence River. "

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Cod Potato Chips</span> American snack food company

Cape Cod Potato Chips is an American snack food company best known for their brand of kettle-cooked potato chips. The company is headquartered in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Cape Cod Potato Chips is a brand owned by Campbell Soup Company since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orleans Firebirds</span> Collegiate summer baseball team in Massachusetts

The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play their home games at Eldredge Park in Orleans, which opened in 1913 and is the CCBL's oldest ballpark. The Firebirds are owned and operated by the non-profit Orleans Athletic Association.

The Diocese of Ontario is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada, itself a province of the Anglican Communion. Its See city is Kingston, Ontario, and its cathedral is St. George's, Kingston. The diocese is not coterminous with the Canadian civil province of Ontario, but rather encompasses approximately 17,700 square kilometres of it, comprising the counties of Prince Edward, Hastings, Lennox and Addington, Frontenac, and Leeds and Grenville. Apart from Kingston, other major centres included in the diocese are Belleville, Brockville, and Trenton. The diocese ministers to approximately 8,500 Anglicans in 45 parishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brewster Whitecaps</span> Collegiate summer baseball team in Massachusetts

The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook Field on the campus of Stony Brook Elementary School in Brewster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwich Mariners</span> Collegiate summer baseball team in Massachusetts

The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Field in the historic village of Harwich Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourne Braves</span> Collegiate summer baseball team in Massachusetts

The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park on the campus of Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School in Bourne. The Braves are owned and operated by the non-profit Bourne Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotuit Kettleers</span> Collegiate summer baseball team in Massachusetts

The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Kettleers play their home games at Lowell Park in Cotuit. The team has been owned and operated by the non-profit Cotuit Athletic Association since 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wareham Gatemen</span> Collegiate summer baseball team in Massachusetts

The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Field in Wareham.

The Cape Cod Islanders were a Tier III junior ice hockey team from Massachusetts. They were most recently a member of the North American 3 Hockey League and played at the Falmouth Ice Arena in Falmouth, Massachusetts. In 2019, they announced they were relocating to Canton, Massachusetts, as the Canton Cubs, but were removed from the league schedule at the beginning of the season.

First Citizens' Federal Credit Union is a federally chartered credit union headquartered in Fairhaven, Massachusetts in the AT&T Building on Mill Road.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is a hook-shaped peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts in the northeastern United States. It encompasses a variety of ecosystems, including marine, estuary, freshwater, and terrestrial environments, which provide vital habitats and breeding grounds for a diverse range of animals, including endangered North Atlantic right whales and humpback whales. Additionally, the region supports commercial fisheries and shellfish farming operations with substantial economic value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Park (ballpark)</span> Baseball venue in Cotuit, Massachusetts

Elizabeth Lowell Park is a baseball venue in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, home to the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). The former Elizabeth Lowell High School was located just to the west of the field. Lowell Park is one of three CCBL ballparks that does not have lights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKeon Park</span>

McKeon Park is a baseball venue in Hyannis, Massachusetts, home to the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). The Hawks play on Judy Walden Scarafile Field located at McKeon Park. Saint John Paul II High School is located just to the west of the field in the old Barnstable High School building.

Henry Gordon Hill was the Anglican Bishop of Ontario from 1975 until 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B.F.C. Whitehouse Field</span> Baseball venue in Harwich, Massachusetts

B.F.C. Whitehouse Field, or Whitehouse Field, is a baseball venue in Harwich, Massachusetts, home to the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL).

Judith Walden Scarafile is the former president of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), serving from 1991 to 2015. She is featured in the Diamond Dreams exhibit of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

References

  1. 1 2 Neff, David (20 October 2010). "The Art of Glory". Christianity Today . Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  2. ↑ "History". Community of Jesus. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Martin Shannon CJ". Paraclete Press . Retrieved Mar 25, 2023.
  4. ↑ LaBounty, Gloria (2006). "Jesus... put me here" (PDF). The Sun Chronicle. The Sun Chronicle. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Blog, Religion News (Oct 8, 2007). "Mothers of invention: the women behind the Community of Jesus" . Retrieved Mar 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ Bhattacharya, Raj. "Heydon Trust Bermuda Park and Chapel", Bermuda Attractions
  7. ↑ "Taps: A Supplement to Assembly Magazine". Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. Mar 25, 2007. Retrieved Mar 25, 2023– via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Mulder, John M.; Coalter, Milton J.; Weeks, Louis B. (Jan 1, 1992). The Organizational Revolution: Presbyterians and American Denominationalism. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN   9780664251970 . Retrieved Mar 25, 2023– via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "The Rule of Life | The Community of Jesus". The Community of Jesus. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  10. ↑ Mark Ogilbee and Jana Riess (21 December 2006). "10 great places to receive tidings of comfort, joy". USA Today . Archived from the original on 16 July 2015.
  11. ↑ Richard Dyer (11 July 2005). "A work of biblical proportion, 'Pilgrim's Progress' has real spirit" . Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  12. 1 2 ""The Art & Design of the Church of the Transfiguration", Cape Cod Today, December 18, 2018" . Retrieved Mar 25, 2023.
  13. ↑ Milton, Susan (21 November 2010). "Art becomes religious experience". Cape Cod Times . Hyannis. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013.
  14. ↑ Sullivan, James (7 August 2014). "SharonRose Pfeiffer on the amazing E.M. Skinner organ". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "'Talking Heads' paints pictures with words". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  16. ↑ "The Barnstable Patriot - Elements Theatre Company Creates Chaos in Reza's God of Carnage". www.barnstablepatriot.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  17. ↑ "Civility turns ugly in clever 'Carnage'". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  18. ↑ "'Carol' rings in Christmas spirit". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  19. ↑ "'Cherry Orchard' is tribute to Chekhov in Orleans". Wicked Local. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  20. ↑ "Encountering the Other in Shakespeare". America Magazine. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  21. ↑ "Hex in the city". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  22. ↑ "The Barnstable Patriot - Lend your ears to Elements' Julius Caesar". www.barnstablepatriot.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  23. ↑ "Elements 'Caesar' a powerful production". capecodtimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  24. ↑ Mulrooney, Margaret M. (Mar 25, 2003). Fleeing the Famine: North America and Irish Refugees, 1845-1851. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   9780275976705 . Retrieved Mar 25, 2023– via Google Books.
  25. ↑ Estate, Fifth (Nov 11, 2021). "Ontario school with history of abuse linked to U.S.-based cult". CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  26. ↑ Sawa, Timothy; Culbert, Andrew; Malik, Saman; McKeown, Bob. "School of secrets". newsinteractives.cbc.ca. CBC. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  27. ↑ http://www.reveal.org/development/Churches_that_Abuse.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  28. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Community or Cult? [part 1-1]. YouTube .
  29. ↑ "Former students win class-action against Grenville Christian College". cbc.ca. CBC. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  30. ↑ "Former Grenville Christian College students tell harrowing stories of abuse". thestar.com. Feb 29, 2016. Retrieved Mar 25, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Genter, Ethan. "2 face charges from Community of Jesus incident", Cape Cod Times, November 29, 2019" . Retrieved Mar 25, 2023.
  32. ↑ "John P. French 1930 - 2018". legacy.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  33. ↑ "Coffey, Denise. "Court cites Community of Jesus influence in abuse of students", Cape Cod Times, February 28, 2020" . Retrieved Mar 25, 2023.
  34. ↑ http://static.djlmgdigital.com/cct/capecodonline/PDFs/courtruling_2_26_20.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  35. ↑ Zuylen-Wood, Simon van (2024-06-19). "Aaron Bushnell's Agonies". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2024-06-20.

41°47′57″N70°00′24″W / 41.799071°N 70.006599°W / 41.799071; -70.006599

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.