Presence

This is what guests feel when they join us for community meals, and what binds together community members during their stay with us, and after they have moved on.

The founders were inspired by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters’ belief, written into their constitution, that “At the heart of ministry is relationship.

As well as getting to know our community members, we celebrate birthdays, graduations, births, deaths, new member move-ins and exiting member move-outs.

Hospitality

In the early days of our community, we hosted lots of parties (we were all young then), but also gatherings of locals interested in community. We still invite friends to join us for summer outdoor celebrations, and for our annual New Year Brunch.

Since we moved into Quaker House, the guest business became the focus of our hospitality, greeting guests and making them welcome. 

Our Sunday evening meals are usually open to friends and guests. We have met interesting people from all over the world through these meals.

Simple Living

Live simply that all may simply live.

8-14 people sharing one ironing board, one TV, one dining room table, one stove and common tools reduce consumerism and waste. 

Other ways we reduce our consumption of physical resources and free our minds:

• Eating vegetarian meals puts us ahead of the curve for climate action. 

• Composting our food waste (and that of some friends as well)

• Living in a walkable neighborhood (not everyone has a car)

• Recycling

• Not competing with each other or our neighbors for material indicators of “success”

• Growing some of our own food

Social Justice

We never found a common issue that everyone was passionate about, so this value has devolved. 

Some individuals are engaged in social change groups, and sometimes invite community members to join in an activity, such as writing postcards or marching in demonstrations.

Our members are almost all politically progressive, and we talk a lot about politics (and history, and about new words we’ve discovered, and stories we have enjoyed) at dinner.

Spirituality

The founders were all Catholics, but as we diversified, we took in people with different religions and no religions. 

Many members have some spiritual practices of their own, or participate in spiritual groups. As a community, we give thanks before meals, and take it in turns to lead a spiritual session weekly (which might be a meditation, poetry reading, chant, seasonal ritual, singing, or whatever the leader wishes to offer).