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Monk Manifesto

Want to join us in starting a monk revolution?

For a PDF version of the Monk Manifesto click the link to download a printable file.

The Monk Manifesto is also available in Spanish, German, and Norwegian translations. Click here for PDFs of Manifesto del Monje, Mönchs Manifest, and Munkemanifestet.

We invite you to. . .

Sign the Monk Manifesto below (scroll all the way to the bottom for the comment box). State your solidarity with others who want to express their inner monk in everyday life.
Subscribe to the Abbey email newsletter and receive regular soul nourishment.
Watch the visual meditation version.
Share the monk love with others by sharing this page with others.
Join the Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks!

Monk: from the Greek monachos meaning single or solitary, a monk in the world does not live apart but immersed in the everyday with a single-hearted and undivided presence, always striving for greater wholeness and integrity

Manifesto: from the Latin for clear, means a public declaration of principles and intentions.

Monk Manifesto: A public expression of your commitment to live a compassionate, contemplative, and creative life.

I commit to finding moments each day for silence and solitude, to make space for another voice to be heard, and to resist a culture of noise and constant stimulation.
I commit to radical acts of hospitality by welcoming the stranger both without and within. I recognize that when I make space inside my heart for the unclaimed parts of myself, I cultivate compassion and the ability to accept those places in others.
I commit to cultivating community by finding kindred spirits along the path, soul friends with whom I can share my deepest longings, and mentors who can offer guidance and wisdom for the journey.
I commit to cultivating awareness of my kinship with creation and a healthy asceticism by discerning my use of energy and things, letting go of what does not help nature to flourish.
I commit to bringing myself fully present to the work I do, whether paid or unpaid, holding a heart of gratitude for the ability to express my gifts in the world in meaningful ways.
I commit to rhythms of rest and renewal through the regular practice of Sabbath and resist a culture of busyness that measures my worth by what I do.
I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations.
I commit to being a dancing monk, cultivating creative joy and letting my body and “heart overflow with the inexpressible delights of love.”*

*quote is from the Prologue of the Rule of Benedict

1,642 Responses

Nancy DeStefano says:

April 27, 2022 at 1:13 pm

I wish to live in this holy and gracious spirit, celebrating and renewing life every day in the ever expanding ever deepening awareness of God revealed in all things, all people, all of life.

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Ri says:

April 27, 2022 at 11:04 am

Sending blessings to all. Thank you.

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Marilyn Gerber says:

April 23, 2022 at 6:54 am

I have been living with the Divine since my creation in my anointed mother’s womb. I find the Divine in my work as a nurse. I find the Divine in my art work. I feel the Divine largely in my patients especially those who are poor, forgotten and alone and those who are dying. I am guided by the Holy Spirit who is always present around me.

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Carrie Prince says:

April 21, 2022 at 9:13 am

I love this!

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Julian Le Fustec says:

April 12, 2022 at 10:22 am

I am pleased to be here and any tips or information along this journey would be appreciated ?

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martha doran says:

April 10, 2022 at 10:56 pm

Love having found this place…signing the manifesto…saying YES to the Abbey of the Hearts, to joining the Hold Disorder of Dancing Monks….so what calls to me and so what I have tried to not be…messy, disordered, lumbering in my dance…and yet, I am so happy to say YES!

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Katherine Murphy says:

April 10, 2022 at 3:08 pm

Yes, I commit to living as a monk in the world! Thank you for articulating the desire of my heart.

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Diana Turner-Forte says:

April 9, 2022 at 2:02 pm

This community and the Monk Manifesto has been a God-send. For so long I have felt that I was loner in connecting body to spirit and divine. In this community I recognize that their are others with similar interests and it is a community that supports diversity. I welcome the depth and breath of the program offerings and feel at home. Thank you.

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Dana Blouch-Hanson says:

April 9, 2022 at 2:00 am

A beautiful way to live. Thank you!

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Jean Costa says:

March 30, 2022 at 9:31 pm

Thank you.

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