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The Peace Abbey Multi-Faith Retreat Center
We would like to extend an open invitation to visit the Abbey and walk the grounds. The Peace Abbey was created following an inspiring visit by Mother Teresa to The Life Experience School in 1988. Since then, The Peace Abbey has become a favorite place for regular visitors and retreatants from all over the world. Our Mission The Peace Abbey is dedicated to creating innovative models for
society that empower individuals on the paths of nonviolence, peacemaking,
and cruelty-free living. We offer a variety of programs and resources
that teach, inspire and encourage one to speak out and act on issues
of peace and social justice. Faith in action is the cornerstone
of our fellowship and activist pacifism is our creed. Our Work The main Peace Abbey building houses the Chapel and Guesthouse. The Multi-Faith Chapel offers a sacred environment, which holds the symbols, icons, sculptures, and prayers from the twelve major faith traditions. The Guesthouse, offers beautiful, quiet village center accomodations in the tradition of a New England Retreat Center. The front building is the Peace Museum & Conference Center where weddings and special services are held as well as training in nonviolent civil disobedience. At the center of the main room is The Peacemakers Table, around which have congregated many dedicated peace activists, including Mother Teresa, Maya Angelou, Munhammad Ali, Daniel Berrigan to name a few. You can read some of the gracious comments made by some of these visitors. here. SHORT VIDEO ON GANDHIThis building also, houses The Pacifist Living History Museum, containing relics, personal affects, manuscripts and documents placed at the Abbey by members of the Peace Movement, friends and supporters. Each Sunday morning from 10 to 11 AM, we hold a prayer and meditation service in the Quaker room on the first floor of the Conference Center. Members, friends, supporters and visitors to The Peace Abbey are invited to share one hour of meditation and praye. It is a time for those who have been involved in the work of peace and social justice to renew, connect and share the sense of peace that comes through gathered silence. Also the Conference Center houses the Greater Boston Vegetarian Resource Center, including a vast vegan and vegetarian social and culinary library of books and materials. While on the subject of reading materials, the Conference Center also contains a section of The Peace and Social Justice Library, a comprehensive resource of books and videos. In the lower floor of the Conference Center is the Peace Abbey Coffeehouse, a unique venue for performances, recitals, gatherings, and musical concerts. Among the regular performers in the Coffeehouse are Magical Strings and "house-band" Woodwork. The National Registry for Conscientious Objection was created at The Peace Abbey following the war in the Persian Gulf in early 1991. The National Registry provides men and women of all ages with an opportunity to register their objection to personal, national, and international violence. Visitors to the Peace Abbey take refreshment at the Greenhouse Cafe, a cyber cafe with a conscience. A delicious range of soups, snacks and beverages are also available in this self-serve, honor system cafe. Dozens of visitors daily walk the walls of the Pacifist Memorial , reading the quotes from men and women who lived their lives as pacifists and activists. Some names will be familiar such as Albert Einstein, Margaret Mead, Dr. King and Jesus, while others will be less familiar and offer an opportunity for visitors to learn more about nonviolence and the rich American tradition of pacifism. Part of the Pacifist Memorial is a simple stone, engraved with the words "Unknown Civilians Killed in War" which commemorates those whose lives were lost, unrecorded, the collateral damage of military action. By this stone we honor the civilian men, women and children who perished in wars both remembered and forgotten. Follow the path from the Pacifist Memorial, and visitors come face to face with a life-size bronze sculture of Emily the Cow, erected over the burial site of Emily, and surrounded by inspirational quotes for animal rights. This is The Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial . Emily passed away March 2003. She was a friend and teacher to many who sought her companionship and is dearly missed by everyone at the Abbey and many of our visitors. Cast your gaze away from the bronze statue of Emily, and you will see the Conscientious Objectors Hill of Remembrance and the newly erected memorial stone. The Peace Abbey provides a cemetery for the cremation remains of conscientious objectors. Many of their ashes have been scattered or buried here. Children and adults love to visit the animal in the Veganpeace Animal Sanctuary. Dotted all over the Peace Abbey building are numerous photographs of our honored guests and the many who have been awarded the Courage of Conscience Award. About five miles away in the town of Millis, MA is The Life Experience School, an alternative high school for students with life challenges. Across form the school is Lavender House, a shared community living facility for adults with disabilities.  The Life Experience School, an alternative high school for challenged students  The Multi-Faith Chapel  The Guest House  The Peacemakers Table  The Quaker Room at The Peace Abbey  The Pacifist Memorial  The Unknown Civilians Memorial  The Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial honors Emily the Cow  The Veganpeace Animal Sanctuary  The Courage of Conscience Award - given to leaders in peace and social justice  Lavender House - Shared community living for adults with disabilities  The Conscientious Objectors Hill of Remembrance  Emily The Sacred Cow The Peace Abbey traces its roots to Lewis Randa's attendance at the Day of Prayer for World Peace which took place in Assisi, Italy during the UN International Year of Peace, 1986. For the first time in history, the leaders of the twelve major religions gathered to pray for Peace on Earth. The event took place on sacred ground at the Basilica of Saint
Francis, and was the occasion for the handing down of the prayers
for peace. The Sacred Office of Peace, which these prayers comprise,
is the text around which we established and maintain our fellowship
as well as pursue our global peacemaking. |
