I arrived in Reno in late 2013 still immersed in my 27 year career in finance and global markets based in Boston, MA. I had never been to the monastery, although I heard many stories through the eyes and heart of my beloved family friend who we buried in Reno that day. I had been in the midst of my own spiritual journey, having taken a sabbatical from my career years earlier to earn a Master of Theological Studies at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA – attempting to attend to the disquiet and longing within my spirit.
As I drove up La Fond Drive, I was greeted by native sagebrush resting comfortably in an expansive field while sequoias standing tall and surely rooted in their sense of purpose offered a majestic welcome and a great sense of peace. As I walked the property, a palpable sense of the Spirit touched the deepest part of me that I had been attempting to reach. As John Denver said “I came home to a place I had never been before”.
After meeting the Community, I experienced that they too embodied the Sacred Spirit of the Land that spoke to my heart when my feet first touched the ground.
Three months later, I retired from my career in finance and returned to Boston College School of Theology and Ministry to further my biblical studies earning a Master in Theology and Post Masters Certificate in Spiritual Guidance and Formation while beginning my journey to Reno.
Today, I’m rooted in the land, belonging and united in spirit with the sagebrush, sequoias and a community that seeks to embody the Sacred Spirit of Love and Peace to all.
“All over the sky, a Sacred voice is calling your name”.
Black Elk