Has your transition from the pandemic made you wish you could bring some of the silence and solitude into everyday life?  If so, this new ministry or “urban abbey” is for you. The Rev. Tom and Marcia Hotchkiss from Good Shepherd, Dallas, are founding a center that provides hallowed space for people to be still, pray, listen, learn, process with others, and receive spiritual guidance.

The center is located at the corner of Lovers Lane and I-75 and is housed at the small blue house (previously the rectory) next to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church.

The Abbey on Lovers Lane --- at 7816 Lovers Lane --- will be dedicated on Sunday afternoon, August 22 at 3 pm.  All are invited to attend and tour The Abbey afterwards.  You are warmly invited to come and see what The Abbey looks like and how it might be a part of your spiritual life. 

What exactly is an urban abbey? The Abbey on Lovers Lane is a center designed to encourage contemplative spirituality or as theologian Walter Burghart says, “a long, loving look at the real,” even amid a large, busy city. We have discovered that to hear the voices that really matter, we need to quiet and still the many other competing voices in contemporary life. And we know how important it is to many people that the opportunities for their spiritual growth and renewal are close in proximity to their everyday life.
Our intention is to be a resource to all churches in the city of Dallas as well as to people who identify as “spiritual but not religious.” Starting in September, we will be providing offerings such as contemplative prayer cohorts, silent retreats, prayer counseling for those in crisis or feeling “stuck,” spiritual direction from trained spiritual companions, training for church prayer team members, and more.

 

For more information, please contact Tom or Marcia Hotchkiss at