“These are the times to grow our souls.”
– Grace Lee Boggs

Beloved Kirkridge community,

I am feeling Grace’s words viscerally in this moment. I don’t know if I’ve experienced so clearly the way that spiritual practice and tending to our spirits feels so crucial to our survival. 

We stand at a truly terrifying political moment. It is hard to do anything, but weep….for the people of Gaza, for the students being abducted and deported, for all those loaded onto planes and taken to detention centers in El Salvador, for all those losing their jobs in an instant, for queer and trans folks. It is endless.

I have never felt more strongly that Kirkridge can and must meet this moment. This land can be a place of sanctuary and community, of imagination and movement building, of respite and soul tending. This moment raises questions about how we show up prophetically to this moment. 

We know we can, because Kirkridge always has. Often when I don’t know which way to turn, I summon our history and our story. The legacies of this place inform everything we do. We give thanks for the people and stories that continue to dwell up from these stones.

We need your financial support to make this work happen. We are committed to programs that are financially accessible, to caring for these buildings and this land, and for paying just wages to our incredible staff. 

While we’ve historically relied on grants to support our programs, we are increasingly finding this less sustainable. Grassroots giving continues to be the most secure and offers us the most flexibility to do the work we believe in. 

Will you support Kirkridge at this moment? Please consider making a financial gift by donating online HERE or mailing a check to Kirkridge Retreat Center to 2495 Fox Gap Rd, Bangor, PA 18013.

Beloveds, who love this land and know the power of what can happen here, help us do this work right now. Sending so much love to you from the mountain. 

With all my gratitude,

Lydia Wylie-Kellermann