Contemplative Life
The Contemplative Life Mission Group meets monthly in the Memorial Room, usually on the third Monday of the month from 6:30-8:00 p.m., for fellowship, prayer, and reflection.
The group seeks to cultivate a sense of gratitude for all God gives us and a view of daily life in God’s world that recognizes “prayer as work, and work as prayer.”
During each meeting, a brief reflection is offered by a member of the group, followed by a time of silence and quiet conversation.
The group develops occasional offerings for the parish that will support spiritual development. It provides financial support and an association on behalf of Christ Church with monastic orders here and abroad, as well as with organizations that support the cultivation of contemplative perspectives and practices. A lively sense of connection with the members of the monastic orders is maintained through regular communications, occasional time spent in the various monasteries and convents, and a shared life of prayer.
For more information about the group please contact:
Bill Burns- wburns1666@aol.com
Merrill Carrington- gmerrillc@verizon.net
Missy Daniel- danielm@religionethics.org
Mission Partners
Over the years the Contemplative Life Group and Christ Church have supported
the following religious communities and organizations
Benedictine Women of Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
www.benedictinewomen.org
This ecumenical monastic community at Holy Wisdom Monastery welcomes women of any Christian tradition. Prayer, hospitality, justice, and care for the earth are the focus of its daily life and ministry.
Christian Family Montessori School, Washington, DC
www.cfmschool.org
Opened in 1981 and now meeting in space at St. Paul’s Rock Creek Parish, this school provides an education that nourishes children in body, mind, and spirit and that encourages religious formation using the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
Community of the Holy Spirit, New York City and Brewster, New York
www.chssisters.org
This Episcopal religious order for women operates retreat facilities and provides spiritual direction, quiet days, and education for sustainable living.
Diocesan Retreat Committee, Washington, DC
www.edow.org
This volunteer group of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington fosters spiritual growth and formation through silent retreats for individuals who desire to grow in spiritual awareness and strengthen their relationship with God through times of reflection and rest.
Episcopal Carmel of St. Teresa, Rising Sun, Maryland
www.ecst.ang-md.org
This contemplative community for women in the Episcopal Church is located in the Diocese of Easton, Maryland.
Friends of St. Benedict, Washington, DC
www.benedictfriend.org
This nonprofit organization carries on the work of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust in America in the area of Benedictine spirituality, organizing Benedictine retreats, educating groups about Benedictine wisdom and offering ecumenical programs, pilgrimages, and Benedictine experiences for clergy and lay people who want to explore the Rule of St. Benedict.
Holy Cross Monastery, Rostrevor, Northern Ireland
www.benedictinemonks.co.uk
This monastery was founded a decade ago by Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Bec in France in response to a call to monasteries of contemplative life “to engage themselves in the mission of spiritual ecumenism rooted in prayer, conversion of heart, and charity in those corners of the world where Christians are divided.”
Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland
www.iona.org.uk
This 70-year-old organization with Celtic roots is a Christian ecumenical community that worships, works, prays, and meets in local groups and also shares a common Rule. It is centered at Iona Abbey, an island pilgrimage destination in the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland.
Joseph's House, Washington, DC
www.josephshouse.org
This home provides nursing care, emotional support, spiritual nourishment, and community for formerly homeless men and women in Washington who are terminally ill with AIDS and other illnesses and who are in the last weeks or months of their illnesses.
Jubilee Youth Services, Washington, DC
www.jubileehousing.org
Founded by the Church of the Savior, a nondenominational network of Christian communities that seek to anchor the life of service in the life of prayer, Jubilee Housing offers a safe place of belonging, learning, and fellowship to economically disadvantaged young people in the Adams Morgan neighborhood through after-school and summer programming.
Mariya uMama we Themba Monastery, Grahamstown, South Africa
www.umaria.co.za
Mary Mother of Hope Monastery is a house of the Order of the Holy Cross, an Anglican Benedictine community of men. It offers hospitality and retreat space for groups and individuals and an after-school program for local children.
St. Mary’s Abbey, West Malling, Kent, UK
This community of Anglican Benedictine nuns continues the ancient tradition of Benedictine prayer, worship, work, study, hospitality, and God-centered quiet.
St. Mary's Convent, Greenwich, New York
www.stmaryseast.org
St. Mary’s was the first Anglican-Episcopalian religious order in America. Benedictine in ethos, the sisters live a traditional contemplative expression of the monastic life in their houses in New York and Malawi.
Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, Bethesda, Maryland
www.shalem.org
The Institute provides in-depth support for contemplative living and leadership and for “a way of being in the world that is prayerfully attentive and responsive to God's presence and guidance.”
Sisters of Our Lady of the Isles, Shetland Islands, Scotland
This small Anglican religious community on the island of Fetlar follows a Celtic-Franciscan way of life.
Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge, Massachusetts
www.ssje.org
This is a religious community of men who are rooted in the ancient monastic traditions of prayer and community life and who offer retreats, workshops, and spiritual direction.