WELCOME TO THE ONLINE ABBEY!

The intent of this order is to foster a contemplative spiritual life within the laity and clergy of the Church.  We are a Religious Order open to men and women, single and coupled.  We are a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and under the supervision of The Rt. Rev Dorsey Henderson, retired Bishop of Upper South Carolina, Bishop Visitor to the Order, and The Rt. Rev. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta, Diocesan Protector for the Order.      

UPCOMING EVENTS:

For upcoming classes, please check the "Lessons" page.   

Seeking Donations for Meditation Gardens

One of the primary ministries for any monastic community is that of hospitality.  As our Order's intent is to rediscover monastic community in the urban setting, we want to make any place in which we are in residence a place where others can come, center themselves and pray.  At the current Mother House, we have a backyard that had been given over to ravenous growth of English ivy for the past 10 years.  We are in the midst of reclaiming the yard and pushing back the ivy with the intent of relandscaping the area. 

The features of this project are a microcosm of what we will have for the Abbey (consider this our trial run!). The patios and porch provide space for community dining outside as well as spaces for reading, individual prayer and contemplation, and communal prayer services. With a small fire pit fitted for one of the patios, the Order will finally be able to host its own all night Easter Vigils. The down hill terracing will provide space for Br. Addison to design permaculture gardens that will not only feed the residents but also provide teaching space to instruct others (parishes, low income families, etc.) on how to grow their own sustainable, organic urban gardens. The terracing will also be designed as meditation gardens with a water feature on the bottom tier to allow tranquil space to sit and rest in God's creation. When we offer mini-retreats, the solarium, porch and patios will provide space for instruction and for guests to wander and sit between the guided lessons.

The entire project will cost around $7,000 in materials alone, so we need help from the greater Church community to make this happen!  If you feel drawn by God to help, then please contact Abbot Kenneth Hosley at abbot@ordersaintanthony.org. And even if you cannot help financially, please keep us in your prayers!  Thank you and God bless you for your support of our ministry. 

Why We Are Here:

Silence. From the start of Christianity, silence and the solitude that comes from silence have been key fixtures within the prayer life of our religious tradition. It is in silence that we find the true battle ground of our souls. It is in silence that we find a true need for God in our lives. It is in silence that we find and experience God and His loving presence. And only when we quiet our hearts and fall fully into that silence can we hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.

Just as Christ prayed alone in the desert, from the early days of Christianity, the Desert Fathers fled the cities and the bustle of society to find solitude in the barren landscapes of Egypt and Judea. There, alone but for their Temptations and God, the Desert Fathers looked within rather than without for the assurance and guidance of God. It is from this example that the tradition of contemplative prayer follows in our Church.

The importance of silence is to stop the constant noise and chatter, the vicious judgments and accusations that fill our lives. We must ask ourselves, how can we openly hear God in our lives if we do not take the time to listen? We have to set time aside each day to simply put God in the center of our lives. Monks have traditionally done this by creating their new lives in the protective walls of the monastery. But this option is not always open to us. Still, we must strive to find a place for that monastic setting within the walls of our urban society.

Monks take various vows upon entering a monastery, each with the intent of fostering a more nurturing environment for a contemplative life.

These vows typically include:

Stability / Obedience

Solitude / Silence

Poverty

Chastity

Through this group, it is our aim to discover how we can implement each of these into our daily lives, and create for ourselves a life of contemplative prayer. The answers to the question “How do we do this” are not yet written, and indeed the answers may be different for each person, but it is through this group that we discover them.

In the beginning, there is but one requirement, and that is the vow of stability. A group of this nature can only work if we are able to rely on each other. The path to silence is difficult, and there will be times when you want to turn away, but even in those times, especially in those times you should continue to take part in this Order.

We are called by Christ to place God at the center of our lives, let this be the first step.

Silentio Coram Deo,

Br. Kenneth Hosley O.P.C