"Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat." (Matthew 10:10)
All members interested in joining the Order begin as a Missionary Brother. Our first mission is to spread the word of God into the world. To do this, we build missions and provide the sacraments, much like the early Celtic Church did, yet there is a level of formation that takes place that helps the man to grow and discern this way of life. In essence, the entirety of the goal of formation is to help prepare the man for his journey and his mission. We are looking for true soldiers of Jesus Christ, willing to go out and proclaim the Gospel with boldness, upholding the tenants of the faith.
The formation process begins with a letter of inquiry to the Abbot requesting to formally join the community. A letter may be sent to [email protected] . From there the man will request to join the Order. He will be placed on the formation list and will begin the formation process. The requirements of the Order of St. Columba are simple:
1. Be at least 18 years of age and a practicing Christian.
2. Have received all the Sacraments of Initiation of the Catholic or Orthodox Church and make a confession of faith in the belief of all 7 sacraments as part of the ordained ministry instituted by Christ. Documentation for both will be received at application. Those who come from the Anglican and Episcopal churches will need to also give their sacraments. These forms will be reviewed. Those that are ordained will need to be properly ordained to the Priesthood. This is because the Anglican, Lutheran and Episcopal churches do not necessarily carry with them Apostolic Succession. Each Priest, or lay member, coming to the Order from these backgrounds will be reviewed to determine if they need to receive orders sub-conditione.
3. Be comfortable with professing the three evangelical vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.
4. If married, have the approval of your spouse. The spouse of a priest must understand that we have set fasting times and traditions, especially if ordained priest, that must be followed. Following these fasting times and statutes is what it means to be obedient in the three evangelical vows and is necessary for living the life called to live in Christ.
5. Men do not need to leave their faith communities in order to be a part of the Order of St. Columba, it is highly encouraged that they maintain participating in their communities until such time as they are ordained to the Priesthood. Those that are ordained deacon should visit the Abbot, one of the order's priests, or an HCCI priest, to receive communion and should maintain a tabernacle in their home so that they can maintain Jesus in the house. As an order we believe in the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, it is truly Jesus, truly present and all men must understand and take the precautions of carrying something holy when they receive Jesus. If asked, the Order can provide Jesus for adoration, it is up to the man to provide the tabernacle and monstrance, and he must have approval from the abbot. Those in need of confession may confess to an HCCI priest, Orthodox, or Catholic priest as well.
Our formation takes place over a distance through using the Order's YouTube videos, one on one zoom calls and community meetings. All members are required to buy a habit to be clothed in and a copy of the Customary of St. Columba of Iona. The former will be required for being habited in the habit of St. Columba, the second will be a daily requirement for all brothers, or the use of some other approved breviary for prayer with the community on a daily basis.
Brothers are expected to act as missionaries in the place where they reside and should seek out opportunities in chaplaincy or missionary work to some degree. This can look like using a room in the house on Sundays for gathering people for prayer of the hours, or bible studies, doing homeless ministries or working in local shelters. It does not have to be as formal as making chaplaincy your job, many men in the independent Catholic movement still work their secular job, even as Priests, much like our Eastern Catholic Brothers.
It is highly encouraged that all brothers take a consideration for Holy Orders (Deacon and Priest) and the Minor Orders (Reader, Cantor, Doorkeeper, Candle bearer and Subdeacon). All brothers participating in building the initial stages of a mission will be ordained up to Subdeacon and will be referred as Subdeacon, or Brother.
The general requirements of all brothers, according to the rule and statutes, are:
1. Reading the Daily Readings.
2. Praying the Celtic Divine Office daily (Morning and Evening required) from an approved Breviary. The Order as a whole uses the Customary of our Holy Father Columba of Iona, but others are also approved. Please see the links under the Curia to see approved liturgical documents.
3. Reading holy reading such as the life of St. Columba, the Imitation of Christ by Kempis, or some other spiritual work of the Saints of the Church.
4. or, Praying the Holy Rosary daily.
Members go through an extensive discernment and classroom study.
For the first 6 months, those who make inquiry are called candidates and will learn about the Order, its traditions and its mission. Members should expect to spend roughly two to three hours once a month in community via zoom and some time reading the rule, statutes and other spiritual readings.
Some books that are apart of our formation: The Life of St. Columba of Iona, by St. Adamnan Celtic Way of Prayer by Esther De Waal Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter III Celtic Spirituality An Invitation to Celtic Wisdom: A Little Guide to Mystery, Spirit, and Compassion by Carl McColman
After 6 months, the candidate can be clothed in the habit of St. Columba marking their formal entrance into the Order after a 5-day retreat at our Monastery and Retreat Center in North Georgia. At this point they will be called Brother.
Following candidacy. they are now a part of the Novitiate. In the novitiate, people confuse this phase as a period of intentional waiting. Yet, in our day to day lives, we are required to not only pray, but also to commit ourselves to obedience to someone else. The novitiate year provides a space for you to truly discern if you are being called to this community. It also gives you time to work with the tools of our life so that you can become confident in the use of them. The novitiate can take however long it takes, it is up to the Abbot, or the prior of an individual house (region), to make the decision if a novice is ready to move to the next stage.
Following the Novitiate, brothers will continue their work in whatever ministry they currently reside and require. The Order for its part will try to fulfill whatever requirements the novice needs, but it must be understood that the order cannot provide any compensation for the formation of missions.
The order does provide ordination to the Priesthood for all single and married men. The Order uses the Seminary of St. Gall, the primary seminary of the HCCI, for the ordination of men. These studies can take place following the Novitiate year and only after one has taken a three year temporary promise to live the rule and statutes of St. Columba. Please note that should you feel called to be a Deacon or Priest, then the Abbot will forward your name to the Rector of the Seminary. Those who are already in Holy Orders must be incardinated into the HCCI, in which case your name will also be sent to the Rector of the Seminary. The Order of St. Columba does not determine the requirements for Ordination, nor what it will take for you to be Ordained. This determination is at the sole digression of the Rector of the Seminary and the Primus of the HCCI. The Order for its part will accompany all men on the journey towards the clerical life and all men are urged to discern a call to some form of ordained ministry, either minor or major orders.
Following the three years of temporary promise, brothers can make their perpetual promises to the community and will be permanent members of the Order.