We gather on Sunday at 4:00 pm at the United Commons Sanctuary!

This Sunday we continue in our Summer Series exploring 'How We Worship.'  You can watch a brief Intro video for the series here.

We will worship every other week (the full schedule is below) and explore the four main movements in our worship: gathering, proclaiming, celebrating, and being sent.  

This week our panel explores several aspects of what it means to be a community that Celebrates!   

Rob presides at Jesus' table of welcome!

The band leads us in joyful song...

Youth and Children gather with Lucy and Tressa as leaders...

There will be bread and wine. Come.

Join us in house for 4:00pm or livestream online at this link.

In a second reflection to coincide with our summer series, Rob Shearer, ec., reflects on the practice of communion / eucharist at AbbeyChurch and starts to unpack why we do what we do (using far too many Greek words in the process).

Some call it "The Holy Eucharist" - others, "Communion" - and yet others "The Lord's Supper".   

Eucharist.  It literally means thanksgiving (in Koine Greek) - and, depending on which stripe of Christianity one favours, one might lean into viewing it as a memorial, a sacrifice, a mystical feast - or as a table of welcome (among other things)... 

image: This CartoonChurch.com cartoon by Dave Walker originally appeared in the Church Times.

If you are able to lend a hand for a few hours on Saturday August 16th, anytime between 10am and 4pm let us know!   You are asked to bring a laptop or tablet if you have one and a bagged lunch!  

The Emmaus Community has a library of approximately 3000+ volumes.  

There are large sections on theology, bibles / scripture, commentaries, activism, new monasticism, monasticism, poetry, mystics, saints, prayer books, church history, Indigenous history and theologies, ecology, United and Anglican Churches, liberation theologies, post-colonial theologies, justice, prayer, meditation, spiritual direction, church music, feminism and, yes, even beer-brewing!  We have extensive sections on writers such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen or Dorothy Day - or on intentional communities, or the Franciscans or Benedictines - or the Catholic Worker - and a lot of hymnals, too. 

We're in the process of cataloging all these books, many of which have come from the libraries of retired ministers, book boxes - or from the generous gifts from closing churches and monastic orders (such as the SSJD and First Met United).

To date, we've done less than 10% of the library (about 350 books).  You can search the catalog (so far), here at librarycat.

If you'd like to sign out a book, or help catalog or donate some books (limited capacity as we try and catalog what we have!), please do let us know! 

We welcome local folk to come and use the library. 

As a monastic community, we don't have set hours, but folks can come by appointment, and we can often open up the library after morning prayer or before or after eucharist (AbbeyChurch) on Sunday. If you're interested in a book or a browse or to help, email admin@emmauscommunity.ca

We will worship in July and August, gathering every other week. 

Our series will explore 'How We Worship.'  Click to watch the Intro video here (YouTube). 

We gather at United Commons for worship on the following Sundays:

July 6 - We Gather 

July 20 - We Proclaim

August 3 - We Celebrate

August 17 - We are Sent 

All services are at 4pm here in the AbbeyChurch Sanctuary on the corner of Quadra and Balmoral.

Click the links above to watch past services and click here to find the liturgy and read/sing along!

Mark your calendars! 

Save the date for an event we're exciting to be hosting.  It'll be a free evening of music and conversation with writer Brian Walsh and Winnipeg singer-songwriter Rachel Coleman happening in September.

There will be songs from Leonard, as well as from Rachel's excellent new album. 

This event will serve as the west coast release party of both Brian's new book about Cohen and Rachel's album.

It'll be free - but we will pass a hat around, have books and CDs for sale. 

Tickets at Eventbrite, button below - or just talk to Rob to get on the guestlist or email admin@abbeychurch.ca. 

You can check out an interview about Brian's book, Rags of Light here.

And Rachel Coleman's website is here and her youtube playlist for the album is here. 

We've at Emmaus and AbbeyChurch have been a part of helping out on hampers for a while.  If you can help out somewhat regularly, please do drop them a line!

If you would like to give to support the work NPNA does in serving food to our neighbours you can do so at this link.

Check out the latest article from Kevin Aschenbrenner (of Emmaus and AbbeyChurch) where he says: "That... is the closest we humans can come to God’s all-encompassing love, and I see it modeled by my fellow community members every Sunday and when we gather at other times. We’re always just glad to see each other, hear about what’s going on and then join together for a service full of beauty and music – and something that’s uniquely us."

Check out the whole article here (external link to Times-Colonist 'Spiritually Speaking' blog) 

Image: via Times-Colonist

Check out our first in a series exploring how we worship - as Lynn and Rob led us in dialogue with Matt around what it means to Gather!  

Watch at the link below, or head to our archive on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AbbeyChurch

And read along with the liturgy at this link.

+ Mondays at 9am - Morning Prayer with Centering Prayer @ The Upper Room (aka AbbeyChurch office - off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) - in-person only.  There is not usually AM prayer on holiday Mondays. 

+ Tuesdays at 9am - Morning Prayer @ the Upper Room (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) - in-person and zoom.  

+ Thursdays at 8:15am - Morning Prayer - @ The Upper Room  (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) / hybrid zoom.

+ Fridays at 8:15am - Morning Prayer - on-line on zoom only

Our weekday common prayer is liturgical in nature and based on ancient monastic practices. 

It's open to all who wish to join in-person or online.

We sometimes chant the psalms, listen to a reading or readings assigned for the day, have a short period of silence, sharing and intercessory prayer.

The liturgies and psalter for weekday prayer are posted here.  

Please do email for a zoom link if you are joining online.

On hiatus for Summer - returning in August 2025

The Emmaus Community, which is a neo-monastic intentional community of ordinary people who commit ourselves to following Jesus in ways akin to the monastic life. The AbbeyChurch is a Sunday worship expression of the Emmaus Community.  Not all AbbeyChurch folks are part of Emmaus - you're welcome to be a part of AbbeyChurch regardless of connection to Emmaus!

As a witness to unity and diversity, we are an ecumenical shared ministry of The United Church of Canada and The Anglican Church of Canada. We intentionally draw on the 'jewels' of these traditions, as well as the wider church.

The Emmaus Community and the AbbeyChurch acknowledge that we worship, take action and pray on the stolen territory of the Songhees and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) Nations, the Lək̓ʷəŋən  peoples'.

Abbeychurch, and all people and organizations in the neighbourhood, have been invited to an Open House at Masjid Al-Iman this Sunday. This is the mosque tht serves the City of Victoria. The open house runs from 11:00 to 8:00 and anyone of any age, belief, background, and level of mobility is welcome to attend.

There will be guided tours of the mosque (masjid), talks about islamic science, history, culture, and art. There will also be workshops about wearing hijab and arabic calligraphy. Cultural refreshments will be available, and there will be folks on hand for an "ask a muslim" session.

The folks at Masjid Al-Iman have invited us to this open house event as an opportunity to de-mystify arabic and muslim culture and belief. No prior knowledge is needed, just an open mind and heart.

‘Honouring Peace’ as we commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Come and stand in solidarity with this local group on the corner of Blanshard and Saanich Rd - at 12:15 on August 8, 22, Sept 5, 19! 

Friends, we were delighted to have Carl Olsen speak to us last Fall about the work he and other have been doing to resist the BC government's plan to expand the highway through Goldstream.   That 162 million project now appears to be approved, as per the latest provincial budget released. 

Check out our letter here.

YouthTREK VERNON is a three-day gathering that will bring youth (12-15yrs) and their leaders together! We’ve been dreaming, planning, and gathering, all to make these events full of joy.

What will we do, you ask?

Play, sing, worship, gather around food, talk about things that matter to us, support the community, meet new friends, and greet old ones, all in a place of radical, inclusive Christian welcome, and so. Much. Joy.  

We're grateful for your contributions to our common life as both Emmaus and the AbbeyChurch.

We are  our own registered CRA charity and have our own bank account!

We  accept e-transfers to treasurer@emmauscommunity.ca for charitable donations.  If you'd like a charitable receipt, please email your contact information to that same address or fill out this form so we can send you a receipt at tax time.

In addition to the many ways to participate, there are a number of ways you can give finanically - including PAR (monthly withdrawl), CanadaHelps (one-time giving) and by cash or debit (via Square) on Sundays at AbbeyChurch. 

You can read more about the options and a bit about our finances here.