Monasteries of the Heart

The Listening Heart Community at Ascension is an intentional community using the Rule of St. Benedict to guide spiritual formation and contemplative living, inspired by the Monasteries of the Heart movement.

We meet twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Monday, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., in the library at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Our meeting formats incorporate holy reading/listening (lectio divina), contemplative prayer, reflection, and sharing. Each month, we will highlight a core aspect of the Benedictine way and support one another in incorporating these practices and actions into our daily lives. There are also opportunities for both informal and formal socializing.

We are open to new members and welcome seekers from the local area and from any spiritual tradition, who are seeking to learn, explore, and experience this new form of monastic living adapted to our times.

Here is our schedule of study for winter/spring 2013:

January 21 : No meeting
January 26: Afternoon Workshop - 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. Monasteries of the Heart DVD
February 4: Topic: Good Works
February 13 Ash Wednesday
February 18: Book: God Speaks in Many Tongues: Meditate with Joan Chittister on 40 Sacred Texts
March 4: Book: God Speaks in Many Tongues: Meditate with Joan Chittister on 40 Sacred Texts
March 18: Book: God Speaks in Many Tongues: Meditate with Joan Chittister on 40 Sacred Texts
March 31 Easter Sunday
April 1: No Meeting
April 15: Topic: Awareness in Sadhana: A Way to God
April 29: Topic: Fantasy in Sadhana: A Way to God
May 6: Topic: Devotion in Sadhana: A Way to God