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In June of 2017, the St. Margaret's faith community and Hineni House residents said goodbye to Anita Fonseca-Quezada and welcomed the Rev. Clare Morgan as the new community director – that's me! I'm thrilled to help Hineni House through their second year as an intentional community for spiritually inclined singles to deepen their relationship with the divine in the former rectory of St. Margaret's, Cedar Cottage.

This year we welcomed five residents to Hineni House! We have extended the residency period from nine months to eighteen, so two residents stayed on from last year, and three new “Hinenites” arrived. There are currently three women and two men living in the house, from a wide variety of faith traditions, backgrounds, educational levels, and three different countries!

On Monday nights, we sit down to a communal meal and then head into the living room to check in on how the community is functioning and discuss a topic related to spirituality. We occasionally welcome guest speakers and have hosted Bishop Melissa, who talked about Benedictine spirituality; the Rev. Harold Munn, who talked about science and what Christianity might look like in a post-Christendom world; and the Rev. Sharon Smith, who talked about mental health and how those in faith communities can walk alongside those who live with mental illness. We can't wait to welcome Dr. David Kuhl one of the world's foremost experts on end of life as our guest speaker for March.

In October we enjoyed a retreat at Consolation House in Gibson's where we shared our spiritual autobiographies and explored The Gospel of Thomas. As of the writing of this article we are also signed up to participate in the “Prayer Beyond Words” pilot program, and the residents are excited to experience it.

Hineni House is a truly prophetic ministry of St. Margaret's, and I am honoured to be a part of it.

To learn more, go to hinenihouse.org or contact me at hinenihouse@gmail.com

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  • Every Monday evening we gather around this table and talk about a topic, ending with Evening Prayer. Photo: Anita Fonseca-Quezada
  • These are 2018's current Hineni House residents. From L to R: Louise Cooper, Joel Stephanson, Jason Brown, Jen Wilson, and Haley Christie. Photo: Clare Morgan
  • This is Jen and I distributing waffles on a stick on Shrove Tuesday to Food Bank clients and volunteers at St. Margaret's. Photo: Jenn Wilson

 

Kingsway
St. Margaret's, Cedar Cottage