Rule of Community of Joseph Providing Spiritual Support to the Vocation of Organizational Leadership When one thinks of a "rule" for a religious community the monastic rule of Benedict often comes to mind. Benedict's rule guided all aspects of the monk's life: a rhythm for the hours of the day, the manner of prayer and worship, the relationships within the monastery, even care of pots and pans. Such a rule would be inappropriate for The Community of Joseph. The unique character of this Community is that it supports the vocation of organizational leadership including military officer, healthcare executive, investment banker, CEO of a technology firm, and administrator of a university. All organizational leaders have already committed themselves to a calling which dictates many details of their life. Forms of personal sacrifice, asceticism, demands of relationships, time requirements and many duties come with the role. Consequently leaders necessarily follow a spiritual path without the comfort of a detailed, common prescribed rule. Nonetheless, leaders deserve to be supported by a contemplative spirituality particular to their calling. The Rule of the Community of Joseph provides direction in developing a deepened contemporary mysticism congruent with their special circumstance. It directs itself to a limited domain: shared contemplative prayer and spiritual companionship for the leadership journey. It does not prescribe additional forms of prayer or piety, since as an inter-religious community, it is expected that each leader will engage in spiritual disciplines consistent with their personal tradition. Indeed, such inter-religious sensitivity is in keeping with the character of the modern secular organizations leaders work in as they are typically inclusive of many religious/wisdom traditions. To summarize, the Rule of the Community of Joseph seeks to cut to the heart of a contemporary mysticism for a leader who is a contemplative in action, be respectful her/his time constraints and life style challenges, and be sensitive to differentiated religious traditions. The Rule must also be sufficiently demanding in its rigor to inspire a deepening of the leader's contemplative practice and to sustain a stable spiritual companionship among its members. Mission The Community of Joseph is an inter-religious community committed to spiritual support of organizational leadership through contemplative practice. Complex organizations are dominant structures in modern life. Most individuals spend a substantial portion of their day in a business, health care, professional service, government, military or other institutional settings. Within these organizations our individual talents are engaged providing society with needed goods and services. In modern economies it is through these organizations that we largely encounter our brothers and sisters whom religious and wisdom traditions enjoin us to love and serve. Organizations are also very much the contemporary "neighborhoods" where community is (or is not) encountered. Organizational life can be an oasis of goodness, or in other cases centered on greed and self-aggrandizement. Organizations can be a den of political intrigue, injustice, and uncaring or places of compassion. We believe the vocation of leadership is to witness to and embrace Light in organizations, and to confront their Darkness. The organizational leader must inspire noble vision, and engage others in meaningful goals, with special sensitivity to the poor, oppressed and suffering. The Community of Joseph believes those responding to the calling of organizational leadership best succeed in this complex role by deepening their spiritual journey and that a higher level of personal integration and moral functioning must sustain transformational leadership. The spirituality of the Community of Joseph is premised on a modern mysticism which acknowledges the Transcendent manifest in the every day burdens and joys of leadership. In summary, the Community of Joseph exists to: Affirm leaders in their spiritual calling (and support teachers, pastors or counselors to this vocation) Help each leader to recognize and come to a deeper appreciation of her/his varied and complementary gifts brought to this vocation Share contemplative practice and spiritual companionship to deepen the leader's vocational journey Hold in contemplative prayer others called to the challenging role of organizational leadership. OBLATES OF THE COMMUNITY OF JOSEPH Those who wish to make a deeper commitment to support the vocation of organizational leadership through regular contemplative practice, both individually and within the Community, may become Oblates of the Community. The Primary Commitment For Oblates the primary commitment is to participate in the weekly first two hours of contemplative practice and prayerful community sharing. (The optional third hour of shared worship is a personal discernment). Absences should be avoided if possible. In instances where organizational duties, pressing obligations, or other circumstances preclude an Oblate from being present for the Community's weekly gathering, the Oblate is expected to obtain the readings and engage in private "lectio divina" spiritually bonding with the community's contemplative practice. In turn, absent Oblates of the Community are held in deep prayer and remembered by name when absent. Oblates also share responsibility to assist in preparation for and serving as leader of the Weekly gathering. The Secondary Commitment An Oblate of the Community of Joseph is expected to engage in two periods of daily meditation/contemplative practice (in keeping with their own tradition, and personal spiritual practice). Within their daily practice the intentions of the Community of Joseph (the needs of organizational leaders) are to be remembered. Other Commitments An Oblate is expected to engage in weekly spiritual reading with special attention to the contemplative/mystical tradition to both deepen personal understanding and to be able to share insight regarding this spiritual practice with others. In addition, an Oblate is expected to listen to the voice of the Transcendent in the words of the Scriptures / Sacred Writings associated with her/his tradition. Finally, an Oblate is expected to attend an annual weekend retreat with other members of the Community, and to report on her/his personal spiritual journey as an organizational leader at this time. Applications to Become an Oblate A written or verbal request should be given to the Leader of the Community of Joseph indicating the desire to become an Oblate. The request will be considered by all Community Members who share in the decision to accept the new applicant. If the decision is favorable, the applicant will normally be named a novice in simple ceremony and serve a six month probationary period. (This period of probation may be waived if the applicant has been active in the Community). At the end of this period, if the novice reaffirms her/his wish to continue as an Oblate in writing, and if the Members in the Community concur in consensus, the novice will become an Oblate of the Community in a formal ceremony at the Weekly gathering of the Community of Joseph. Withdrawal or Removal of a Member from the Community An Oblate may withdraw from the Community through written or verbal notice at any time. The Leader of the Community (after shared discernment with the other Oblates) may request the resignation of an Oblate at any time. The decision of the Leader is final. Governance of the Community of Joseph At the annual retreat, Oblates meet as a group to review the spiritual and material health of the Community, and to elect a Leader for a one - year period. The Leader should be selected with attention to: Goodness of life and ability to share wisdom Understanding of contemporary spirituality Understanding of contemplative practices across spiritual traditions Commitment to the vocation of organizational leadership Understanding of the nuances of organizational leadership in contemporary institutions Commitment to the Rule of the Community of Joseph, and caring for others in prayer Openness to the movement of the Spirit, skill of discernment, and flexibility in face of change Significant decisions that effect the Community are to be discussed with the Oblates of the Community. Such decisions are to be made only after shared discernment. The Leader has final authority.