Apply to a 2026-27 postulancy cohort.
Applications are now open for cohorts beginning this fall.
We invite you to apply to join postulancy in the Order of the Common Life—a missional community reimagining monastic vocations for the 21st century so we can help notice and nurture the work of God in our own lives, in the lives of others and in the world.
Applications need not take more than 10 minutes, although progress can’t be saved, so make sure you have time set aside before you begin. You’ll be asked to:
Describe your present experience
Provide information for up to one reference
Reflect on how you experience your inner world and God
In all of this, we’re not grading you or looking for you to be a saint or a monk; we just want to learn about where you find yourself today and watch you grow along with us.
Requirements
We have few firm requirements for people to begin exploring postulancy other than an open curiosity or an earnest desire to do so. For the most part, applicants to postulancy will be expected to have:
An orientation generally toward the shared beliefs of the Christian faith and the person of Jesus
An active commitment to a local church
A willingness to meet with a spiritual director
While it’s not required that you meet with a spiritual director prior to beginning postulancy, we strongly urge you to do so as your time and resources may allow.
Cost & contribution
The base tuition for postulancy is $1,200 (deposit due September 1 and balance due December 31).
We encourage you to invite your local church to contribute up to half of this amount, because we truly believe in postulancy as a shared investment—by you, your church, and us—for the sake of God’s transforming work in you and for the Church. We would love for your church to feel like a partner in this with you, and we’ve made this video to share with your pastor.
In terms of dedicated time and resources, postulancy actually costs the Order approximately $1,800 per person, and so our donors help us cover about 1/3 of that amount. We also provide scholarships to make postulancy accessible to those who need to pay even less.
Therefore, in the spirit of our commitment to shared economy, you can apply for an additional scholarship when you apply to postulancy—and, if you find yourself with abundance, we’d invite you to pray about whether you might help make postulancy available to someone else by donating to the Order.
Note: Postulants must meet monthly with a spiritual director, which is not included in the program cost. Sessions typically range from $50-80.
Timeline
Postulancy cohorts begin each fall, and you’re welcome to apply at any point during the year to be considered for a future cohort. Prior to September, we project our timeline will look generally like this:
May/June. Applicants and inquirers will be invited to attend a postulancy interest meeting.
June 30. Applications and scholarship applications for 2026 are due.
July. We’ll interview applicants we haven’t had the opportunity to meet one-on-one yet.
July. We’ll begin extending invitations to join a postulancy cohort.
September 1. Deposits (where applicable) are due
Mid-September. We’ll onboard you into your cohort within our membership platform so you can prepare for your first cohort meeting.
Late September. Cohorts will meet for the first time.
Next steps
Apply when you’re ready—and if you haven’t already engaged with our free introductory course, A Contemplative Foundation, we encourage most postulants to spend time in it before being accepted to participate in a cohort.
A Contemplative Foundation aims at providing you with some of the most essential tools, concepts and language necessary for getting the most out of postulancy.