Associates

The Community of Nazareth recognises that not all who are drawn to its life are called to profession. Some may feel a real connection to the prayer, spirit, and vision of the Community while remaining rooted in their own homes, parishes, and daily responsibilities.

The Associates of the Community are those who walk alongside the us in a committed but non-professed way. Their relationship with the Community is one of prayer, companionship, and shared spiritual purpose, shaped by the hidden life of Christ at Nazareth and the common life of prayer that flows from it.

Associates are not members of the professed body of the Community, and this path does not involve vows, habit, or a role in governance. Rather, it is a way of belonging alongside the Community while living out a personal vocation in the ordinary circumstances of life.

Associates are invited to support the Community through prayer, encouragement, and friendship. They are encouraged to develop a simple personal rule of life, appropriate to their circumstances, and to grow in faithfulness, stability, and love in the place where God has set them.

This may include:

regular prayer for the Community
participation in the sacramental life of the Church
a rhythm of silence, reflection, and devotion
an attentiveness to the hidden, humble, and faithful way of Nazareth

The precise shape of this will vary from person to person. The vocation of an Associate is not to imitate the professed life exactly, but to live in spiritual companionship with the Community in a way that is honest and sustainable.

As a newly founded community, we are dedicating this first season of our life together to prayer, formation, and deepening our common life under the Rule.

In order to allow this foundation to take proper shape, we will begin welcoming our first postulants in Spring 2027.

Those discerning a connection with the Community of Nazareth as Associates will be invited to begin that journey in Autumn 2027.

This is simply because we want to take care to build well before we begin receiving others into a formal relationship with the Community.

Those who feel drawn to the Community’s life are very welcome to remain in touch, to pray for us, and to follow the growth of the Community in this early stage.

When the time comes to open the Associates path, further information will be shared here.

Make an Enquiry

Those who wish to begin a period of discernment are invited to make contact with our Novice Director. An initial conversation does not imply expectation or obligation.

The Novice Director is the first point of contact for those wishing to have an initial conversation. Contact him at: novicedirector@nazarethcommunity.org.