Solitude and peace found at abbey in Gower by Heather Berry | hberry@ruralmissouri.coop 6HYHUDO\HDUVODWHUWKHPXVLFLDQKHHGHG*RG·VFDOODQG MRLQHGWKHFRPPXQLW\LQZKHQLWUHVLGHGLQ3HQQV\O YDQLDODWHUPRYLQJWRWKH'LRFHVHRI.DQVDV&LW\6W-R t's 10:40 a.m. and the Sisters quietly enter the chapel VHSKLQ1RWORQJDIWHUDEHQHIDFWRURIIHUHGIDUPODQG ZLQJDIHZDWDWLPHNQHHOLQJEULHÁ\EHIRUHWDNLQJWKHLU LQ*RZHU7KHVLVWHUVKDGEHHQVHDUFKLQJIRUODQGLQWKH VHDWVLQWKHFKRLUVWDOOV6RPHZKLVSHUSUD\HUVURVDU\ FRXQWU\VRWKH\PDGHWKHWULSWRFKHFNRXWWKHSRWHQWLDO EHDGVLQKDQGZKLOHRWKHUVVLOHQWO\UHDGSDVVDJHVLQ ORFDWLRQIRUDQHZPRQDVWHU\VLWH SUHSDUDWLRQIRUWKHPRUQLQJ0DVV ´7KHUHZHUHRIXVDWWKDWWLPHVRZHORDGHGXSWZR 9LVLWRUVZKR·YHDUULYHGIRU0DVVDOVRKDYHTXLHWO\VHDWHG FDUVWRJRORRNDWWKHGRQDWHGSURSHUW\µ0RWKHU&HFLOLD WKHPVHOYHVLQDVHSDUDWHSXEOLFDUHDRIWKHFKDSHO UHFDOOV´:HRQO\KDGZDONLHWDONLHVWRFRPPXQLFDWHZLWK 7KHWRZHUEHOOULQJVDWFDOOLQJWKHUHPDLQLQJ DQGDVZHGUHZQHDUWKHSURSHUW\VRPHRQHFDOOHG¶'R\RX QXQVWRZRUVKLSLQWKHFKDSHO+LJKDUFKHGZLQGRZVRIIHU VHHZKDWZH UHVHHLQJ " ·$FORXGDERYHWKHODQGORRNHG VRIWOLJKWDVWKHVLVWHUVSUHSDUHIRUZKDWFDQRQO\ OLNHDGRYHDQGIURPWKDWGRYHLWORRNHGOLNHDÀQJHU EHGHVFULEHGDVDEHDXWLIXORIIHULQJRIZRUVKLS ZDVSRLQWLQJGRZQULJKWZKHUHZHZHUHµ WKURXJKPHORGLHVRISUD\HU Gower &RQVWUXFWLRQVRRQFRPPHQFHGRQWKHDE ´2XUFRPPXQLW\KDVVLVWHUVQRZDQGUDQJH EH\ZLWKWKH&DWKROLFVLVWHUVPRYLQJLQWRWKH LQDJHIURPWRµVD\V0RWKHU&HFLOLD6QHOO PRQDVWHU\ORFDWHGDERXWDKDOIKRXUQRUWKRI DEEHVVRIWKH$EEH\RI2XU/DG\RI(SKHVXVORFDWHG .DQVDV&LW\LQ7KHQXQVZRUNGDLO\ LQ*RZHU7KHDEEH\LVKRPHWRQXQVZKR·YHWDNHQ RQWKHIDUPJDUGHQLQJWRUDLVHWKHIRRGWKH\ WKHYRZRIVLOHQFH³H[FHSWIRUDRQHKRXUUHFUHDWLRQ QHHGVHZLQJDQGVSHQGLQJPXFKRIWKHGD\ SHULRG³DQGZKHQWKH\·UHVLQJLQJZKLFKDYHUDJHV LQVLOHQFHRUVLQJLQJ7KHSURSHUW\LVVHUYHGE\ WKUHHWRIRXUKRXUVSHUGD\LQDGGLWLRQWR0DVVHV 8QLWHG(OHFWULF&RRSHUDWLYH ´2XUGHVLUHLVWRVHHN*RGDQGJURZLQXQLRQZLWK+LPµ :KLOHEHQHIDFWRUVDQGPHPEHUVRIWKH&DWKROLFIDLWK VD\V0RWKHU&HFLOLD´:HFKRRVHWRSXWDVLGHDOOGLVWUDF KHOSHGUDLVHWKHPLOOLRQQHHGHGIRUWKHSURMHFWWKH WLRQVDQGZRUOGO\WKLQJVWRVHHN*RGWKURXJKRXUFRQWHP QXQVGHVLUHGWRGRWKHLUSDUWDVZHOO7KHVDOHRIDOWDU SODWLYHSUD\HUIRURXUVHOYHVDQGRWKHUVRXOVµ FORWKVDQGKDQGVHZQYHVWPHQWVWKH\PDNHIRUSULHVWV 7KHDEEHVVQRWHVVHYHUDORIWKH&DWKROLFVLVWHUVDWWKH DURXQGWKHZRUOGKHOSHGEXWWKHVLVWHUVWKRXJKWWKH\DOVR DEEH\DUHSRVWXODQWVRUFDQGLGDWHVWKRVHVHHNLQJDGPLV FRXOGUDLVHIXQGVE\VHOOLQJ&'V7KH\KDGDOUHDG\FUH VLRQLQWRWKHRUGHUDQGPDQ\DUHQRYLFHVRUVLVWHUVZKR·YH DWHGD´WKDQN\RXµUHFRUGLQJZKLFKZDVJLYHQWREHQHIDF HQWHUHGWKHRUGHUDQGDUHLQDZDLWLQJSHULRGEHIRUHWKH\ YH WRUVWLWOHG´(FKRHVRI(SKHVXVµEXWLWZDVQ·WXQWLODPXVLF SURIHVVHGWKHLUYRZVEHIRUH*RGDQGWKHFKXUFK H[HFXWLYHKHDUGWKHLUHIIRUWWKDWPDNLQJDSURIHVVLRQDO ´7KHSURFHVVRIWDNLQJSHUPDQHQWYRZVFDQUDQJHIURP UHFRUGLQJEHFDPHUHDOLW\ DIHZ\HDUVXSWRµDGGV0RWKHU&HFLOLDZKRKDVEHHQ :LWKWKHJXLGDQFHRIWKHVWXGLRDQG0RWKHU&HFLOLD V WKHKHDGRIWKHRUGHUIRUWKHSDVW\HDUV6KHDGGVWKDW SURIHVVLRQDORUFKHVWUDEDFNJURXQGWKHQXQVSXWWRJHWKHU ZKLOHPDQ\RIWKHVLVWHUVZHUHKRPHVFKRROHGVRPHDW UHFRUGLQJVWLWOHG´$QJHOVDW(SKHVXVµ´$QJHOVDQG6DLQWV WHQGHGFROOHJHRUKDGFDUHHUVEHIRUHKHHGLQJWKHVSLULWXDO DW(SKHVXVµ´/HQWDW(SKHVXVµDQG´(DVWHUDW(SKHVXVµ FDOORQWKHLUOLIH 7KHVRQJVPRVWRIZKLFKDUHVXQJLQ/DWLQFDUU\RQWKH 0RWKHU&HFLOLDVD\VVKHNQHZDVHDUO\DVDJHVKH *UHJRULDQFKDQWWUDGLWLRQ0DQ\RIWKHVRQJVZHUHZULWWHQ ZDVFDOOHGWRGRVRPHWKLQJIRU*RGEXWLJQRUHGWKHFDOOLQJ E\WKHQXQVWKHPVHOYHV6RIDUWKHQXQVKDYHUHFRUGHG IRUPDQ\\HDUV$IWHUDWWHQGLQJFROOHJHVKHZHQWRQWR WKUHHDGGLWLRQDO&'VWRKHOSRIIVHWEXLOGLQJFRVWV SOD\)UHQFKKRUQSURIHVVLRQDOO\ZLWKDV\PSKRQ\LQ2KLR I 22 RURAL MISSOURI | FEBRUARY 2021