Visit the Abbey of the Arts online retreat platform to access your programs:

Login Here

Reflections

Category: Abbess love notes

Filter

The Wisdom of Wild Grace: A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

St Francis and the Wolf*The city trembled at the wolfoutside its gates, fangs fierce, howling with hunger, fur thick with blood.Francis approaches softly, palms open. When the wolf lunges his breath stays slow and steady,looks with eyes of love,smiles and bowsand the beast whimpers,licks the monk’s salty face,tail a brown banner waving,and follows Francisthrough the streetslike an old friend,to the wonder of all.Except perhaps it’s notsuch a wonder that when we open the gateto all that is fierce and fearful inside us, when we hold our handslike begging bowls,our hearts like candles,the wolf within will wantto lay its soft head

Read More
May 31, 2026

On Pentecost ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Click CC to turn closed captions on or off. On Pentecost*Spirit of courage,we stand huddled too,like the disciples in the upper room,wondering what is real and true anymore.Reveal to us the pulse of your firein each of our heartsand send us with bread and rosesout into a worldhungry for nourishment.Bless us with visions of peace;carry it across every skyon wings of a dove.Help us understand one anotherso that we might knowour common purpose in love.Let the winds of changerush in and upend all our fears.Empower us for a morejust and loving futurewhere we dance with your wild grace. Dearest dancing

Read More
May 24, 2026

The Psalms and a Gloriously Disrupted Life ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, This Friday, May 22nd we welcome Wisdom Council member, spiritual director, and musician Dr. Richard Bruxvoort Colligan for a retreat on The Psalms and a Gloriously Disrupted Life. During the retreat Richard will guide us in an immersion of his favorite part of the Hebrew scriptures.  Here is an excerpt from Richard’s new book on the psalms: The psalms of the Hebrew Bible sing of a rich, complicated life. The psalmists– the people who wrote the psalms—were creative, open-hearted musicians who composed and sang with their community. From their lyrics, we can see that they clearly struggled with

Read More
May 17, 2026

Mary and the Month of May ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow is our monthly contemplative prayer service and because Simon is in the middle of a big transatlantic move, I will be joined instead by Nóirín Ní Riain, a wonderful friend here in Ireland many of you know well.  Because it is the month of May and Nóirín and I both have such a devotion to Mary and the sacred feminine, Mary will be the focus of our prayer service, as well as the Celtic festival of Bealtaine.   In my book Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal, I explore 31 names for

Read More
May 10, 2026

For Grace in the Ordinary ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

For Grace in the Ordinary*Holy One who shimmers even in the mundane,open my eyes with gratitude for your sustenancein pipes and plumbing,in wires and electricity,in cups of tea and food in the fridge,in piles of dishes and laundry.When dullness and boredom visit,bless all the quiet in-between moments,the sunlight journeying across the floor.Help me to see how the most ordinaryis also extraordinary,how grace dwellsamong the bills to payand messages that await reply.Let my shower each morning become a baptismand my breakfast a communion,consecrating each act of daily life.Let my gratitude pour outin a holy and vibrant yesfor everything quotidian,to see even

Read More
May 3, 2026

Celebrating 20 Years in Community! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, We celebrate our 20th anniversary tomorrow! In honor of this celebration we thought we’d revisit the ways you can connect with our community.  Have you had a chance yet to engage with our Monk in the World” 8-Day Online Retreat. It’s our gift to you. You’ll receive a daily email to help you integrate the Abbey’s rhythms into your everyday life. Have you read and signed the Monk Manifesto? By adding your name, you join a global community committed to silence, slow living, and creative expression. And finally, there are many ways to join the ongoing dance

Read More
April 26, 2026

Celebrating 20 Years! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, On Monday, April 27th we will be gathering for a 20th anniversary celebration online! We would love for you to join us. We will be sharing some stories from how Abbey of the Arts ripened over the years and some of our lovely musicians will be there to offer the gift of song.  The official date of the 20th anniversary is May 2nd but John and I will be getting ready to welcome some of our Wisdom Council members to Galway, where we live in Ireland, the next day. We are thrilled to have several beloved members joining us to

Read More
April 19, 2026