There has never been a more important time to care for the planet. Decades of aggressive farming techniques have destroyed ecosystems, endangered species and done great damage to creation.
The Green Abbey initiative at Sclerder Abbey starts with sustainability in mind and provides an opportunity to discover permaculture, in practice and theory, in the prayerful atmosphere of the Abbey.
Everyone is welcome to join in this ecological adventure. As you can see below, prayer is one of the four pillars of this project, but people of all faiths and none are equally welcome. The Green Abbey stands on four pillars
Pillar 1: work in the abbey and its grounds
As we are at the start of this project, there is lots of groundwork that needs to happen
– preparing the land for growing vegetables, developing sustainable techniques, learn ing what crops thrive here – and much more!
There are also ongoing jobs like tending the well-established orchard, cooking meals and helping around the abbey.
Help is also needed with setting up a database to analyse inputs and outputs for the project.
Pillar 2: community life
If you’ve been involved with Chemin Neuf before, this won’t come as a surprise! We want to live out this project as a community, learning from one another and enjoying the fraternal way of life. This includes meals together, opportunities to share and the possibility to meet people from different backgrounds.
Pillar 3: prayer
All are invited to join in with our rhythm of prayer. This involves daily offices, a weekly prayer group and times of guided personal prayer. Our spirituality is rooted in both the Ignatian tradition and Charismatic Renewal, so these feed into our ways of praying. We want to seek God in all that we do, remembering that we are stewards of His creation.
Pillar 4: formation to become better stewards
Whilst you will be living out permaculture in practice, we also want to equip you with some ecological theory (and theology, for those interested). This might involve meeting others who are further on the permaculture journey, watching relevant documentaries and visiting local projects. And it’s not just one-way. We want to learn from you too!
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