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. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta.    

New Members! 

It has been a busy past few months.  Between a trip up to Sewanee University in TN and Trinity parish in VA, we were thrilled to accept new vocations from Br. Chad and Br. Robert-James.  Keep them in your prayers as they begin this new formation in their lives.   

Additionally, two of our postulants, Craig Curtis and Patti Bomar, have requested to take their Simple Vows within the next month.  Let us remember to pray for all those seeking to grow in their spiritual lives!

CALL FOR HELP!

Thanks to several recent and most generous doantions, we're almost there! 

Back story:  Due to a foul up with our filing as a non-profit under the Diocese of Atlanta, we have recently been stuck with property taxes for a town home that was generously donated to us in order for us to later purchase a larger facility for our Order.  Unfortunately, we have no means within our budget to cover this very unexpected expense.  Thus we are looking to our friends and patrons of the Order for help.  If anyone is able to offer even a small amount to help us cover this cost, every little bit is a great blessing to us. 

To help, checks can be made out to The Order of Saint Anthony the Great, O.P.C. and mailed to our Order's residence at 9 West Ferry Court / Atlanta, GA 30319.

Thank you in advance for your help and support and God's Peace and blessings be upon you all!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

The Order of St. Anthony is offering a books study at it's Thursday meetings on Rabbi David Cooper's book God is a Verb.  This is a wonderful layman's introduction into Jewish mysticism which offers a remarkable glimpse into part of the spirituality that that gave birth to Christianity. 

Br. Kenneth is teaching classes on contemplative spiritual practice every Monday at St. Patrick's Episcopal at 7:30 PM.  For directions, visit their website at www.stpat.net.  Classes are open to all. 

WE'RE MOVING!!!  The Order will be moving to a new home (though still only temporary until we can raise the money to purchase grounds for an Abbey that will fit us all).  On March 25th, our new address will be 2729 Cravey Drive / Atlanta, GA 30345.  The new house will offer us more space for meetings and hosting guests as well as a full yard in which Br. Addison (newly certified in permaculture) will be starting another Alleluia Garden to offer as a model of urban sustainable agriculture.  The new move will also precipitate a massive yard sale, so stayed tuned for the date. 

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