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Who are A People of Peace?
We are a community of Catholics who meet regularly to pray with the hope of
living in radical faithfulness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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How long has the Community been together?
We formed our first household in Saskatoon, SK, September 1, 1975. In 1976 we
moved to the North End of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where we have been since. Together, we have sought to be formed in obedience to the call of Jesus through the Church.
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Are you a cult?
By definition a cult is any system of religious worship, which we are. However, in the colloquial use "cult" often refers to an oppressive, isolated, brain-washing, self-focused group, which we are not. A People of Peace Community has enjoyed the blessings of every Archbishop of Winnipeg from Cardinal Flahiff to Leonard Wall. Archbishop Adam Exner approved our Rule of Life in 1984. We continue to hold Archbishop James Weisgerber in the highest esteem. Several priests have served as Community advisors.
Our leaders do not govern as such. They offer service and guidance, but do not coerce. Decisions are made by the people who are most affected by them, with the goal that we each take seriously our individual responsibility before God.
We encourage members to get counsel from outside the Community, to be involved in outreach, and to appreciate ways of living our faith that differ from ours. We enjoy warm fellowship, both as a community and as individuals, with diverse groups and people.
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What is community life like?
Our Community is a gathering of Catholics who aspire to live out our lives in radical commitment to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We embrace the call of Jesus' love in our lives, along with a lifestyle which encourages love for God and others. We welcome the call to be living witnesses of the Gospel and embrace the obligation to labour towards making disciples of Jesus of all nations. Membership
is not difficult; the only requirement is regular attendance at our prayer meeting,
which is open to all.
Our houses are privately owned but considered to be the Lord's households, with the members — whether single adults, married couples, or children — making varying commitments to lifestyle and service.
Our primary motive for living as a community is not the benefits of communal living, although we find them to be considerable. Our first reason for our life together is, and always must be, the hope that by this response to the call of God we are being formed in Jesus and empowered to live the Gospel. Our goal is the
complete surrender of our lives to the love of Jesus.
Our apostolate begins with prayer, which strengthens us to offer service, particularly to the poor and downtrodden, offering them hospitality by opening our hearts to them and sharing our homes with them. As members of the Catholic Church, we are called to proclaim the tremendous desire of our Lord to release the powers of His Holy Spirit upon all who call on Him in faith. The Holy Spirit
transforms our lives and brings us to an ever-deepening unity with the Church.
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How did the Community develop?
In early 1972, Mark received a healing from alcoholism through a deep revelation of God's love for him. Abandoning his life to the love of Jesus, Mark became involved in leading a university charismatic prayer meeting in Saskatoon, taking university classes and counselling at a rural Christian rehabilitation house.
In 1975, he and his new wife, Elaine, offered their home to anyone in the prayer group who wished to live as a Christian household. Neil and Colin accepted, along with Gary, a guest from the rehab. After finishing their university degrees, the household members moved to Winnipeg to share their Christian lifestyle with Anne, Irene and a few others who were striving towards the same goal.
We quickly threw open our doors to virtually anyone who wanted to come and was willing to try the Christian life. Often the people who did come had difficulties that were just too serious in nature to allow us to take them into our growing families with young children. We decided to open a rehabilitation facility to help those who needed to get a fresh start through the love of God, practical advice and a safe environment. In 1980, we asked the Chancellor, Monsignor Norman Chartrand, for an "empty convent or something". He offered us an old hospital!
For close to three years we laboriously ministered to every kind of person. Many told us afterward how much they had benefited; some found their lives transformed. Christine is still with us, a cornerstone of our community life.
The Agape Center was too big for us to keep going, and we needed to move on. For the next ten years God moulded our Community, forming us into a family who cared deeply and sincerely for each other and for all God's people. From St. Joseph's Church, we went throughout our poor neighborhood sharing the Gospel with
everyone who would listen and helping lapsed Catholics return to our Church.
The Community began publishing Olive Leaf in 1993, offering it free to a dozen parishes. At the request of the Catholic Center, we now are circulated throughout the Archdiocese. Many have shared with us that Olive Leaf is succeeding in its goals of encouraging Catholics in their faith and building up the local Church.
Our ministries in St. Joseph's include a weekly prayer meeting, liturgical music, ushering and reading in Mass, teaching a marriage preparation course, parish council and committee memberships. Members of our Community have been sent by our parish to do a mission on a reserve in northern Saskatchewan and we have been invited to do others.
We also provide chemical dependancy counselling, informal services to the poor in our area, and speakers for various Christian functions. We are deeply grateful for these opportunities to serve; we consider them to be God's gifts to us.
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Who may join the Community?
Membership is open to any baptised Christian who makes a commitment to attend our weekly, open Prayer Meeting. We are a Catholic community; however, membership is not restricted to Catholics.
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What if someone wants to leave the Community?
We do not presume that everyone is called to our Community. Each person must discern how Jesus calls him/her to live out our faith. Anyone wishing to leave the Community, or to reduce their involvement, is welcome to do so. They will continue to enjoy our warm support, prayers and best wishes. Former members are always welcome in our homes, our hearts and our community activities.
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What is the structure of the Community?
There are four basic types of formal involvement in our community life. It is our strict policy not to pressure individuals to enter membership, nor do we exclude from our open activities anyone who is not in membership. There is similarly no pressure or requirement to advance from one form of membership to another. Each person must determine where they are most comfortable.
- Membership
- Membership is the fundamental commitment we each make to pray together on Friday evenings. Membership opens the way for involvement in our various
ministries and activities, as well as for spiritual direction if desired.
- Community Household
- A Community Household may be formed when all adult members of a home are Community members and generally becoming more involved in our community
life.
- Fellowship
- Fellowship is a decision to share more fully in the ministry of our Community. After a year of membership an individual, or married couple, may decide that our walk as a community is along the lines of their experience of God's call for their own lives.
- Life Membership
- Finally, Life Membership is embracing a commitment to dedicate the rest of one's life to the service of God within A People of Peace Community. This serious pledge can only be considered after a minimum of 7 years membership. People
who are in life membership share their funds in common.
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A Map of our neighbourhood