For many years, one of the most beloved treasures of the Cathedral of the Prince of Peace, often affectionately called the World’s Smallest Cathedral, was an image known simply as The Back of Christ. It was an unusual depiction of Jesus. He was not facing the viewer. His face could not be seen. Instead, He was walking away, inviting us to follow.
At first glance, some found the image surprising. Yet over time it became one of the defining symbols of our life together. For Christianity is not merely about admiring Jesus. It is about following Him. Jesus did not say, “Stand still and look at me.” He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”
The image reminds us that Christ is always moving outward—toward the poor, the forgotten, the lonely, the wounded, and those who have given up on church altogether. If we are truly His disciples, then we cannot remain behind stained glass walls waiting for people to come to us. We must go where Christ is already walking. This is the missionary vision of the Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ.
Our calling is simple: to establish small, sacramental communities of faith where people are welcomed, loved, nourished, and healed. These communities may gather in homes, storefronts, chapels, retreat centers, rented spaces, or humble buildings in forgotten places. They are not measured by wealth, prestige, or size, but by faithfulness to the Gospel and love for neighbor. We call them Sacramental Community Churches.
These communities are especially intended for the unchurched, the spiritually homeless, those who have been wounded by religion, those who feel unwelcome elsewhere, and those who long for an authentic Christian community centered on Jesus Christ.
They are sponsored and chartered by Christ Catholic Church, Diocese of the Prince of Peace, and served by the Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ. They are sacramental in worship, contemplative in spirit, generous in theology, and deeply committed to living the red letters of Jesus in the world today.
We do not seek to build an empire. We seek to build tables. Tables where the lonely find companionship. Tables where questions are welcomed. Tables where bread is broken and lives are shared. Tables where Christ is present.
The image of The Back of Christ reminds us that Jesus is always ahead of us. He is not confined to cathedrals, institutions, or old arguments. He walks the roads of our communities, enters the homes of ordinary people, and stands beside those who have been forgotten.
Our task is not to keep Him safely behind our walls. Our task is to follow Him. And so we do. We follow the Prince of Peace into the world. We follow Him into neighborhoods and nursing homes, into shelters and coffee shops, into places of joy and places of sorrow. We follow Him because we believe the Church exists not for itself, but for the sake of the world God so loves. And wherever Christ leads, there the Coworkers of Christ hope to be found, walking humbly behind Him, building communities of faith, hope, and love along the way.