• ‘Tis the Season!

    For both theological and practical reasons, December is a time when many people do a great deal of their charitable giving. Theologically, as we gather for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and Solstice, we celebrate God’s work in our lives by giving each other gifts. We celebrate God’s great gifts to us by practicing generosity to God’s…

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  • Living with Joy: Spiritual Companions Across the Centuries

    When I first encountered St. Francis of Assisi, I was struck by many similarities in our situations despite the 800 years separating us. He lived in a time of war, displacement of peoples, injustice, prejudice, religious strife, and illness, to name a few. Shaken to its core by political and religious conflict, his society had…

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  • Reflecting on Black Friday

    Halloween was not over before I began receiving advertisements for “Black Friday” sales. They arrived daily – in email, social media feeds, and pop-up ads on web pages. Seemingly everyone was trying to get an early start on the biggest shopping day of the year. For some time, our “marketing-industrial” complex has placed a growing…

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  • How God Works Through the Ministry of Spiritual Guidance

    As a spiritual pilgrim, director of Shalem’s Spiritual Guidance Program, and associate of a Benedictine monastic community preparing to welcome a new class of associates seeking to explore their vocations as spiritual guides, I’m wondering about what light the Rule of St. Benedict might shed upon the formation of spiritual guides. What, within the core…

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  • Widening the Lens: Diversity and Inclusion in Contemplative Living and Leadership

    Grant Awarded from Trinity Church Wall Street From 2020 to 2022, the Shalem Program Committee focused on the issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion through several initiatives, including: 1) meeting with the program directors of all long-term programs, to include more diverse reading lists and curricula; 2) engaging and surveying over 100 self-identified Contemplatives of…

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  • The Healing Path

    The next time I went to see Thomas Merton for spiritual direction, I asked his permission to spend some time each day alone in the loft of the sheep barn. With Merton’s permission, I began my daily ritual of going to the loft of the sheep barn to pray and be alone with God. One…

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Mission

Our mission is to nurture contemplative living and leadership.

Vision

In 2025, Shalem will be a dynamic and inclusive community, empowered by the Spirit, where seekers engage in transformation of themselves, their communities, and the world through spiritual growth, deep connection, and courageous action.

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