What We Seek is Meaningful Identity, Responsible Stewardship, Renewed Purpose & A Simple Sustainable Urban Community Life ...
+ Welcome! A NEW URBAN MONASTERY is now forming to help Cincinnatians who are 55 yrs old or older to achieve the best quality of life possible while also serving each other. Likewise, we are in mission together to live among and serve our urban neighbors along the Victory Parkway near east side corridor (from Eden Park to Xavier University). We seek a lifestyle enhancing our own urban middle class security and which also respects and serves our neighbors in this wonderfully diverse city. We
all need safety, independence & dignity.
It is a matter of fact that EIGHT TO TEN THOUSAND Americans are now turning 65 EVERY SINGLE DAY! This phenomenon officially started in January, 2011, and will continue 'til 2030. Already, 20% of Cincinnati's population is over 65 and increasing.
A conscious plan is needed to guide our choices, our lifestyle and expenses as we age.
Understandably, many seniors prefer to stay in the familiar comfort of their own homes, especially if they raised families there and if those mortgages are paid-off. There are many of us, though, who do not own homes outright. Many Boomers have suffered unemployment, under-employment, investment losses, foreclosure and even bankruptcy during this recent severe recession. Some of our peers have been through catastrophic accidents or illnesses and are now rebuilding their lives with so much less money. For this new class of aging and downwardly mobile seniors, shared housing may allow them to reign-in housing costs to help maintain a middle class lifestyle. Others among us continue to enjoy more financial security and comfort but simply choose to make a transition into shared housing because such communities are life-giving and even holy. Differences in income need not threaten community options.
Models abound for successful community living as a healthy choice. Many religious communities have evolved into shared housing just like what we "empty nesters" now seek. Typically, this involves sharing an existing house with 5 to 8 other like-minded individuals and adapting that house to create sufficient privacy while also making plenty of room for community life. Research shows that choosing this alternative lifestyle is best done while we are still able to make big changes during our adaptable fifties or sixties. Aging can then be a happier and less isolated experience with a celebration of life and love among sincere and committed people who mix prayer, contemplation and action toward a more just and peaceful neighborhood and world.
Our VISION is grounded and practical and includes:
- Scattered sites utilizing existing well-built older homes or new in-fill projects
- Adapting these homes to create both privacy and community for members
- Gathering around Roman Catholic spirituality and contemplative prayer
- Discerning from among existing ministries or exploring an organized response to freshly identified neighborhood needs
- Choosing to give at least 10 hours of service each month to our neighborhoods
- Sharing a main meal with our immediate household at least once or twice a week
- Meeting & Celebrating with the larger community twice a month
- Enjoying a simplified lifestyle with reasonable shared expenses, ecological stewardship, and freedom from an isolated private property burden
If you are a Christian in Cincinnati over 55 yrs old and you are interested in exploring "shared housing with a purpose" for either your current living needs and/or your upcoming retirement years, please give Jane or Mike Myers a call at 513-979-4011. We are Roman Catholic and draw inspiration from that tradition as well as from Centering Prayer in our vision for community. Cheers!
