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Category: Monk Manifesto

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Creative Joy + Prayer Cycle Day 1 Audio Podcast ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow Simon de Voil and I are leading our final contemplative prayer service of the season before we take a break until the fall. Our theme is Creative Joy which is the 8th principle of our Monk Manifesto: I commit to being a dancing monk, cultivating creative joy and letting my body and “heart overflow with the inexpressible delights of love.” Here is a reflection on creative joy from our Monk in the World online retreat:  Whether we dance literally or metaphorically, the dance is a symbol for forgetting our self-consciousness and letting ourselves be overcome

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May 4, 2025

Conversion, Wonder, and Being Surprised by God ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow, April 7th, Simon and I will be joined by guest musician Richard Bruxvoort Colligan for our monthly Contemplative Prayer Service. Our theme this month is the 7th principle of the Monk Manifesto, Conversion. Here is an excerpt from our Monk in the World self-study retreat. Principle 7: I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations. Conversion is one of the central commitments which Benedictine monks make. The other two are obedience and stability which have to do with listening deeply for God’s voice in the world and committing

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April 6, 2025

Sabbath as a Way of Being in the World ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow Simon and I will be joined by guest musician Will Boesl for our monthly Contemplative Prayer Service. Our theme this month is the 6th principle of the Monk Manifesto, Sabbath. Here is an excerpt from our Monk in the World self-study retreat. Principle 6: 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. The work of the monk is important, but equally important are rhythms of rest and restoration. The Rule of Benedict is exquisitely balanced in this way. In a world which

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March 9, 2025

Holiness of Work ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow Simon and I will be joined by guest musician and Wisdom Council member Jamie Marich for our monthly Contemplative Prayer Service. Our theme this month is the 5th principle of the Monk Manifesto. Here is an excerpt from our Monk in the World self-study retreat. Principle 5: 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. Work is an important element of monastic life. Benedict called for his monks to live by the work of their own

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February 2, 2025

Kinship with Creation ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Warm New Year blessings to you! We are delighted to return after a time of rest and begin the year with our Contemplative Prayer Service tomorrow, January 6th. We will continue our exploration of the principles of the Monk Manifesto with this month’s theme of Kinship with Creation. Principle 4: 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. These prayers of concern are excerpted from Day 1 Morning Prayer from the Earth Monastery Prayer Cycle. Help us, O Creator God,

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January 5, 2025

Community + Give Me a Word ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

A Blessing for Friendship and Community*God of friendshipI come to know your love and carethrough the embodied presence of others.Weave me together with kindred spirits,knit me more closely with friends of the soul,cultivate in me a kinship with humanityso that I recognize my struggles and joys in others.In my loneliness reveal to me this communionand may I be a solace to others who ache for connection.Transform me through conversation and loving presence.Help me to see how I am part of a great circleof pilgrims, witnesses, ancestors, and mysticswho guide me to true connection with You.Gather me into your great wide

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December 8, 2024

Hospitality + The Love of Thousands Video Prayer Cycle Day 4 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Hospitality* Holy Presence of God,you shimmer in every stranger I encounterwhether in the world or in my heart.When you came in human formyou sat at table with all those who walked the edgesof life and knew their presence as sacred.Create in me a space to welcome inall that is hard and disorienting,those moments when I feel lost, angry,heartbroken, overwhelmed, ashamed,joyful, grieving, or in love with life.Help me to honor the guests who arrive at the door,to usher in the grace that newness offersand find Christ’s compassionate presence there.May your infinite compassion grow in methe way sunlight spills across a field,and

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November 3, 2024

Upcoming Programs

Writing on the Wild Edges: St. Brendan’s Voyage as Creative Guide
Writing on the Wild Edges: St. Brendan’s Voyage as Creative Guide
12 May 25
Sourcing From the Well: Songs of Strength and Resilience
Sourcing From the Well: Songs of Strength and Resilience
23 May 25
The Love of Thousands: Dancing with Angels, Saints & Ancestors - Video Release Party!
The Love of Thousands: Dancing with Angels, Saints & Ancestors - Video Release Party!
31 May 25

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