August 14, 2026
“Lord, Thou hast given this monk a large family.” — Paramahansa Yogananda
No doubt about it. Self-Realization Fellowship’s annual convocation has become a world-wide family celebration.
Thousands of devotees from around the world gathered in Los Angeles for this year’s convocation (Aug. 3-8). Together with those who tuned in online, that made for some 46,000 attendees. And that’s not even counting the many who will visit and revisit convocation events online in coming months.
And locally? What did convocation look like this year?
Greenfield’s Chapel Shines
In recent years, before chapel construction was complete, devotees gathered for convocation at nearby Laurel Ridge Community College for convocation events.
This year, for the very first time, convocation was held at Greenfield’s beautiful, new, recently dedicated chapel. Some 70 devotees registered, many of them from Virginia, of course. But many also came from other states, as far away as California (including GA, MD, PA, NY, PA, OH, FL, NC, TX, and Washington DC.)
For many, this was their very first visit to Greenfield. For others who have been here before, this was their first experience meditating and chanting in the new chapel.
Each day attendees participated in meditations and classes beamed in from Los Angeles—some of the events live-streamed and some recorded from the night before. A large screen at the front of the chapel made it feel very much like being a part of the audience in California.
Nuns who reside at the Greenfield Ashram were in attendance as well, as was Sister Pranati from Mother Center, greeting newcomers, conducting meditations and energization exercises, interacting with devotees, giving counsel and answering many questions.
Our Guru’s Family, Celebrating Together
What is a family gathering without food and conversation?
Each day Greenfield nuns and volunteers prepared and served a simple, healthy vegetarian lunch. These gatherings provided a great opportunity to get to know each other and to discover that, yes, we really are a family. One of the delights of convocation meals is sitting down at a table with devotees you don’t know—yet! You say something like, “Where are you from?’’ or “Is this your first visit to Greenfield?” Instant familiarity generally follows.
You could find yourself talking to a dairy farmer from upstate New York, or a couple who live on a small island off the coast of Georgia, or a physician who grew up in Nepal, or someone who first visited Greenfield back in the 1980s and has stories to tell about the early days.
Truly, one of the delights of convocation is spending time with our revered Guru Paramahansa Yoganandaji’s ever growing family. It is family. Meditating together, sharing our light and love with each other and sending it out into the world is both powerful and transformative. Jai Guru!
