All are Welcome
Breath prayer is an ancient contemplative practice in which one prays by meditating on a specific phrase while slowly inhaling and exhaling. The most common breath prayer is: (Inhale) Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, (exhale) Have mercy on me, a sinner. Join us as we practice this together. Sheila Whittenberg, one of our founders,
Once a month we join together as a community to pray the divine office, partake the divine meal of eucharist, and share a conversation (see the topic below). This time is strongly encouraged for all who join us as Monastics and Practitioners. It is also open to anyone who wishes to join us. Please come with bread
Lectio Divina is a prayerful reflection and meditation on a passage of scripture. It helps us sense God’s presence through the text and allows space for the Holy Spirit to speak to us. Rather than studying the texts, Lectio Divina gives us an opportunity to meditate on the living Word of the scripture. Jordan Prins,
Once a month we join together as a community to pray the divine office, partake the divine meal of eucharist, and share a conversation (see the topic below). This time is strongly encouraged for all who join us as Monastics and Practitioners. It is also open to anyone who wishes to join us. Please come with bread
Once a month we join together as a community to pray the divine office, partake the divine meal of eucharist, and share a conversation (see the topic below). This time is strongly encouraged for all who join us as Monastics and Practitioners. It is also open to anyone who wishes to join us. Please come with bread
Looking to the Future! Shortly after our third anniversary, we took an extended period of reflection, prayer, rest, and planning. Join us as we share a bit of this time and process with you all. We’ll be talking through the updated mission statement, our new vision statement, and the improvements made to our Gatherings and newsletter.
Join us as we spend more time reflecting on our vision statement, and catch some of the vision to see monastics everywhere. Our vision statement is:
People present with God and others.
Choosing simple lives in cities.
Grounded in monastic rhythms.
There is nothing more important throughout time and space than God’s love and grace. It gives us life and breath. While a monastic life revolves around a way of life, it grows out of this field of His love and grace. If we fail to root, remember, and live our lives out of this field, then we take the whole work on ourselves. God invites us to this life together. An invitation extended to us through God’s love and grace.
From the earliest days of monasticism, their communities became known for their hospitality. Many monasteries had hotels, while others had space to care for the sick and elderly. Today, the practice of hospitality plays a large role in monastic communities everywhere. What might it look like for us to cultivate hospitality in ourselves, and where might we discover opportunities to practice hospitality?
There is a profound need for peace and reconciliation. Violent people are again wielding death and terror in the Holy Land. There is unprecedented violence, terror, and death across both Israel and Palestine. In the midst of so much sorrow and dismay, let us turn to the Lord in prayer. That we ask the Lord to give us His peace. To give all people His peace.
The people of both lands deserve peace and reconciliation.
There are daily, weekly, monthly, and annual rhythms to a monastic life. These rhythms do more than support and sustain a monastic way of life. They help us live through and embody meaningful theological realities. They help us to reflect upon and experience the life of Christ and invite us to a fuller experience of what it means to be alive and a child of God.
In a world driven by consumption, it is our contentment and gratitude that are counter-cultural. With the beginning of Advent, let us slow down together for a moment. Let us reflect on how our world makes us discontent. Might we, in this season of anticipation, choose to meet that discontentment not with things but with the one born in a manger for all the world.
