April 2019

At the Companionary, the big news (well, to some of us) is animals returning or awakening. Herons, hawks, groundhogs, robins, turkeys – everyone is emerging. The stray goose or duck finds their way to our new (unintended) pond, where road improvements blocked drainage. Flowers, too, are starting to show themselves. Spring is here.

Among the larger animals, Shane and Elizabeth began Lent with three days of silence. Shane served a local church for Ash Wednesday when their priest suffered a family loss, but otherwise it was a quiet three days. Then they had nine people for the mini-retreat, a wonderful day of reflection and sharing.

Elizabeth got a few days away, dog sitting for friends. She returned an hour before Dario arrived for a quick, lovely visit. It was great to see him without a computer screen!

Shane led a retreat for a Narcotics Anonymous group in Connecticut. This was a new group for her, a nice chance to grow in awareness and fellowship.

Dario received a grant to build a supercomputer for his research. On the other side of his visit to us he gave a talk to colleagues at Princeton, and got some helpful feedback.

Ernesto decided to record himself reading the Charism and Covenant, to play in the car on his way to work. It is so powerful to hear it read, to hear it alive in the world. We don’t have the recording on the website, but if you haven’t read the charism you can find it here.

The covenant group completes their yearly cycle this month. On March 31 Lauren Hare and Diane Paulsell will become Candidates for Covenant Companionship, joining Annie, Dario, and Ernesto for our more intensive formation and connection program. Please pray for them in this time of new beginnings. The continuing members will welcome new people in April.

As always, please pray for us to listen for what God is up to with us and among us, and to follow with open hearts and minds. Thank you for your support!