Developing a Diocesan Rule of Life
December 21, 2023
Many of us are making resolutions as we begin the new year. Perhaps we want to read more, lose weight, or travel more. We may set a very deliberate plan to achieve those personal goals. But when was the last time we prioritized our spiritual lives in the same way?
If we're not intentional about our spiritual development, it's easy to get distracted and lose sight of our relationship with God, which is the foundation for everything else in our lives.
Instead of another resolution, Bishop Deon Johnson says we should consider committing to a Rule of Life.
Sr. Donna Ruth Hawk-Reinhard, a member of the Anamchara Fellowship, is one of several in our dispersed religious community working to develop a diocesan rule of life. She made the following presentation at our annual diocesan convention on Nov. 4, 2023, to explain what a rule of life is and how this process is progressing.
In March of 2023, Bishop Deon contacted members of the various dispersed Religious resident in the Diocese of Missouri and asked us to develop a Rule of Life for the Diocese based on the Diocesan Mission Statement and Vision Statement.
We, members of
- the Anglican Order of Preachers,
- the Order of St. Francis,
- the Third Order Society of Saint Francis,
- Rivendell Community, and
- Anamchara Fellowship,
began a several-months-long conversation that included to try to determine how we would go about this task.
We discerned together that we need to begin with What is a Rule of Life?
Sometimes it’s easier to begin with what something isn’t …
A Rule of Life is NOT:
- It is NOT a set of “DOs” and “DON’Ts”
- It is NOT a straightjacket.
So, then, what is a Rule of Life?
- A Rule of Life is a set of commitments that guide our daily life in Christ.
- A Rule of Life is a way of giving structure to our commitment to living out the Baptismal Covenant.
We determined three basic things about creating a possible Rule for the Diocese:
- While the Diocesan Mission and Vision Statements will provide context, any Rule of Life must, at its core, be based on our baptismal covenant.
- While religious orders can (and do) impose Rules on their members, that Rule emerged from listening to the life of the order. Similarly, a Rule of Life for the Diocese needs to grow organically from the parish level up.
- The Rule must be general enough that it can be adapted to unique circumstances to provide a Rule for the parish, and a Rule for a Parish must be general enough that any parishioner can adapt it to their own lives.
After prayerful conversation among the Dispersed Religious and consultation with the Bishop, we believe that we have arrived at a METHOD that will end with a Rule that can be adapted to every member of the diocese.
This method builds upon our diocesan experience of discernment that the Search Committee for our Bishop introduced to us – of listening carefully to what the Spirit is doing among us and calling us to do and acting what we hear.
We envision three phases of developing the Rule of Life for the Diocese of Missouri:
- Phase 1 is now nearly complete: Deciding what path we will take, a timeline for actions, and developing a curriculum for use with parishes.
- Phase 2 will consist of working with parishes to see how they are currently living into the Baptismal Covenant, in the context of the Diocesan Mission and Vision Statements. Discussions will be facilitated, and the information collected, by members of the Religious in the Diocese and analyzed to create a Rule for the Diocese. We hope to have completed this phase by next year’s Convention.
- In Phase 3 we will again work with parishes to adapt the Diocesan Rule to their unique circumstances.
This phase should be complete by Convention in 2025.
We are asking three things from you and your parish:
- We ask that you be open to this process and to the IDEA of a Rule.
- We ask that you open your parishes to members of the Religious Communities in the Diocese as we gather the information we need to develop an adaptable Rule, and later to help you adapt the Diocesan Rule to your unique parish life.
- We ask that you encourage participation from your parishioners in this work. Without their input we cannot succeed.
Our gratitude goes to Sr. Donna Ruth and everyone in our dispersed religious community for their work on this project.
If you would like to learn more about developing a Rule of Life for the Diocese, contact Sr. Donna Ruth.
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