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Chances are, you’re here because you support the work of Anam Cara Ministries in some way. Maybe you’ve read one of Tara’s books and resonated with the content, or you’ve been encouraged by the daily posts on Anam Cara’s Facebook page. Maybe you are a spiritual director, a recipient of spiritual direction, or someone who’s joined us for a Scripture Circle. Or maybe you just love the idea of promoting soul friendship in the world.
Whatever way you’ve come to Anam Cara, we are so glad that you’re here!
We say “we” intentionally, because this is a place that we’ve built together over the past ten years. It’s a place where people are reminded (again and again and again) that they are the beloved of God. It’s a place of prayer and contemplative practice, of falling down and getting back up again. It’s a place of community and hope, where stories are shared and creativity is practiced. It’s a wild, holy place of spiritual companionship and friendship in all its messy and beautiful forms.
What’s Anam Cara Abbey?
During this decade of ministry, what I (Tara) have come to realize is that I’m the abbess here. Like a monastic community, Anam Cara functions as a sacred family. And we’d love to welcome you in. To that end, we’ve developed a virtual community hosted in our App and web interface. If you’d like to visit, you’re welcome to do so at all time. You can learn more here. If you choose to become a donor to Anam Cara at the levels you’ll see below, you’ll also have access to other parts of our community, including the Cloister where members of the community pray, reflect, and engage in the Rule of the Abbey in intentional, every day life.
There are several ways that you can join the Anam Cara Abbey Community. Read on to see how you might want to partner with us!
Many abbeys welcome visitors from around the world. Anam Cara abbey is no different. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about the rhythms and practices that shape the abbey. Maybe you want to stop in from time to time and see what’s happening or maybe you need some encouragement. You might be looking to have an occasional conversation with others who want to know more about the community. If that describes you, then you will be welcome as a visitor to the abbey.
You’re a monk at the Abbey if you choose to be part of what happens here in more than just a passing way. You’ll commit to a set of practices and presence that support what Tara and Anam Cara are doing and you’ll have a place to interact with other monks and decide how to shape the community together.
Tara will be there, of course, as will other staff and leadership of Anam Cara, but those communal spaces will be your spaces together. By connecting with others who call the Abbey a place of spiritual sustenance, you’ll partner with Anam Cara to help its work continue and grow.
Suggested donation: $7-$25/month
You’re a steward at the Abbey if you’re stepping in a little closer. In the early monastic communities formed by the desert fathers and mothers, stewards were in charge of a group of monks who had made committed vows of stability, poverty, and prayer. While we’re not asking vows of anyone here, the place you step into as a steward is one of having more impact on the community as a whole. We’ll reach out to you to ask for your prayers, input, and vision for what Anam Cara Abbey is and will become.
Suggested donation: $25-$50/month
You’re a friend at Anam Cara Abbey if you know that the language of spiritual direction and formation is your heart language and you want to immerse yourself fully into this sacred community. It would be easy to see the word friend as a lesser role than a monk or steward, but we see it as a holy calling. To be a friend at the Abbey is to be an anam cara, someone who is dedicated to the flourishing of the whole person through the ministry of holy listening and who desires to see this kind of Kingdom work grow.
Suggested donation: $50-$100/month (or more)