About Us
Who is the Community of Celebration?
You may be surprised — we’re a religious order in the Episcopal Church, established in the Anglican Church in England and Scotland. Our roots stretch back to the mid-1960’s in Houston’s inner-city Church of the Redeemer, and today the Community’s home is in Aliquippa (near Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania, with members living in England. Currently, the Community’s network of Companions and Partners in Ministry stretches across the world.
A religious order? Like monks and nuns?
Yes and no. We’re different from traditional orders: we don’t wear habits, for instance, and our membership includes men and women, married and single, adults and children, clergy and laity. Our rule of life is a modified Benedictine Rule.
What makes us a community?
Worship. At the heart of our life is the daily discipline of worship prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer. Our commitment to worship, as the center of life, is the source of our identity, our ministry, and our music.
What is our mission?
Simply put, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by living in community and offering ourselves in service to the Church and to the world. We are committed to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people; and to respect the dignity of every human being.
When you listen to one of our recordings, when you sing one of our songs or psalms or hymns, when you participate in one of our retreats or conferences, you share in the fruit of our life together, in our commitment to celebrate all of life in Jesus Christ: the happy and the sad, the successes and the failures, the good and the bad, the whole of life in worship.
Our Rule and joining the Community
Our rule of life is a modified Benedictine Rule spanning many pages — the vowed framework Community members live by. And yes, people do join: there is a process toward life-vows lasting several years, during which the person and the community discern a possible call to life in community together. All are welcome to begin that conversation.
Go deeper
- Companions of Celebration — our network of mutual support in Christ
- Partners in Ministry — former members and friends ministering together
- Out of print books — free PDF downloads of the Community’s books
- Celebration, an introduction — a PowerPoint presentation about the Community
View more information about our ministries and hospitality.