Harmony with the Cycles of Nature

by Merwyn DeMello My wife, Kirstin and I, returned to the US in March, after a six-year span of service with Mennonite Central Committee in Afghanistan and Bangladesh.  We then embarked upon a pilgrimage, seekers of intentional community in which to live and love with over the next years. Agape

Racial Justice for the Indigenous People: Change the State Flag of Massachusetts

by David Detmold Sometime in the middle of 2016 , as Native activists and their allies struggled through an emotionally charged series of public hearings to get across to our beleaguered school committee the gross iniquity of our high school – named after Captain William Turner, the leader of an

Agape Mission Council Changes: Farewell to Skip Schiel and El Maclellan RSCJ

Agape’s Mission Council is our lifeblood and advisory community which meets since the 1990’s at least four times a year to plan Francis Day and to consult on various aspects of Agape community life. The commitments of members are usually life-long, and so we were sad to see the retirement

Intrepid: Our Call – by Sr. Rita Raboin SND

by Sr. Rita Raboin SND In July, I was blessed with a seven-day retreat at Agape.  I am a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, having served 36 years in Northern Brazil with a return to the United States two years ago. I chose to stay in Agape’s small Hermitage

400 Years after 1620: Prayers for Seven Generations

by Peter Blood In this 400th anniversary of the beginning of European settlement in the Northeastern U.S., two interfaith associations in Western Massachusetts are taking this opportunity to reflect and act towards justice for our Native sisters and brothers in our region. This concern was brought to us by Sr.

Eradicating Racism: Transforming Human Hearts

by Fr. Warren Savage The racial tension and unrest in Minneapolis and other major cities across the country and the COVID-19 pandemic have only exposed the real pandemic that has infected this nation for four centuries, the pandemic of racism and hatred. At the moment, my energies are devoted to

Death Sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Reversed on July 31, 2020

Note:  Agape’s witness Against the Death Penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev can be found in the chapter, “Judy and Dzhokhar” of the Agape co-founders’, Suzanne Belote Shanley and Brayton Shanley’s, memoir: Loving Life on the Margins: The Story of the Agape Community.    Dzhokhar Anzorovich Tsarnaev was convicted of terrorism in

In Memoriam

Patricia Shanley. Brayton’s sister, died on April 22, 2020 of cancer.  Since the inception of Agape in 1982, Trish was a generous supporter of the community and a friend to many Agape folks.  A stalwart advocate for Christian Nonviolence and the social justice values of Agape and the reform movement

National Catholic Review on Agape’s Legacy Book: Loving Life on the Margins

What happens when you live life 'horizontally, not vertically' Order The Book Today! Aug 19, 2020 by Bill Mitchell Brayton and Suzanne Belote Shanley at Agape Community's St. Francis Day event in October 2019 (David Legg) LOVING LIFE ON THE MARGINS: THE STORY OF THE AGAPE COMMUNITY By Suzanne Belote Shanley

Workday 2020 Recap

They came, all five of them, and a new intern, Adam, along with Olivia and Teresa and our handyperson, devoted and ever-present, Mike. Fourteen year old Isaac drove his tractor here with his grandfather, and the day was full of distancing bliss. We are so grateful…second set to come… Agape team