July 5, 2025

What IS it about Convocation that makes it so very special?

Our beloved Lord Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them…”

Do the math! What do you think happens when literally thousands of devotees—Master’s ever-growing world-wide family—gather in various locations around the world?

For hours at a time, day after day, we love God together. We revel in each other’s company. We pray, meditate, chant, and then consciously send out vibrations of healing peace, light and love to all the world.

It’s a blessed, good way to spend a week.

Greenfield’s Gathering

Again this year Greenfield Retreat Center hosted week-long regional Convocation events at nearby Laurel Ridge Community College in Middletown, Virginia. An ideal venue, the college provides lots of free parking, a comfortable room for dining, and a large auditorium, with a screen for live-streaming so large that you almost feel like you’re in the audience in Los Angeles.

And once again the Greenfield Convocation gathering drew dozens of devotees from states as far away as Texas.  We even had visitors from Brazil and Mexico. One of the highlights of every Convocation experience—whether in California or locally—is the opportunity to meet new members of Master’s family.

Healthy, vegetarian lunches, prepared at Greenfield, were brought in every day, providing an ideal opportunity to dine together and get to know each other.

Sacred Times, Shared Together

Every day, we spent time meditating, chanting, praying with like-minded devotees. Many of the events were live-streamed, giving our local gathering the feel of being a part of the Los Angeles (and world-wide!) Convocation.

In fact, many of the presentations (including that of our revered President Brother Chidananda) drew attention to a sacred and blessed special opportunity for service to the world during these troubled times. Together, participating in the ritual of the World-Wide Circle of prayer, we radiated vibrations of healing peace love to all the Earth.

We were also urged to carry that practice forward. May each of us, working together on our own, make praying for world peace a part of our daily spiritual practice.

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June 14, 2025

Have you been on the Greenfield grounds lately? If not, prepare yourself for a double take on your next visit.

Our new Greenfield Chapel is now dressed in white. After months of fading into the background wearing a rather drab green exterior (not to mention being surrounded by goopy brown mud), suddenly our chapel is presenting a lovely vision of what’s to come.

Beautiful in So Many Ways

Now that white siding has been installed, the architect’s harmonious vision reveals itself: our new chapel complements and beautifully fits in with the other historic buildings at Greenfield.

The new siding, however, is beautiful in ways that transcend the visual. It’s not wood; it’s not vinyl. The new siding is fiber cement board—a durable, low-maintenance, non-combustible material that resists damage from termites, dry-rot, mildew, and mold. (While more expensive upfront, this type of siding offers considerable savings over the long haul.)

A Peek Outside

Meanwhile, just outside the building, the storm water management system is almost complete. Final grading should begin within the next week or so. Retaining walls and exterior terrace concrete should be complete by the end of June.

Of course, all of the above is contingent upon the weather.

There’s just one more close-in inspection coming up soon. Once that’s done, work crews will begin hanging drywall inside the building and will focus on finishing up things like doors, trim, and painting.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, we ARE still on schedule for the new Greenfield Chapel to be completed this fall.

To see a video of the latest construction progress, click here

And here is a playlist of all construction videos

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May 27, 2025

From a distance, it looks the same, day after day. If you’re on the grounds at Greenfield before the workday starts or after the construction crews leave for the day, Greenfield embraces you with sacred, peaceful silence.

From a distance, the new Greenfield Chapel has looked pretty much the same for weeks on end. You might think that nothing much is happening. But you would be wrong!

Steady, Forward Progress

A LOT has happened over the past month or so, but unfortunately it is not apparent to most viewers. The ongoing work is either hidden below the ground surface or buried within ceilings and walls.

In the chapel interior over the past month workers have completed all HVAC, plumbing, and electrical rough-in work on the basement level. And they’ve complete 90% of that work on the 1st (main) floor.

Most of the required close-in inspections have been done. Once all the inspections are done and once the work is complete, workers can begin installing dry wall. That could get underway in mid-June.

Meanwhile, some smaller, detail work has been underway on the exterior of the building itself. Currently, workers are installing trim. That needs to be complete before siding can be installed.

What’s Going On Outside?

So, what’s with all the action surrounding the building over the past several weeks? Why all the cranes, flatbed trucks carefully backing into tight little spaces, fork lifts hauling piles of materials here and there? All the racket? All the mud?

On the outside of the chapel, workers have been busy installing the storm water management infrastructure (piping, etc.). That involves continually grading the site after the piping is complete in each area.

And, of course, it’s been raining. So that means lots and lots of mud. They really do need to finish grading before the white siding can be installed, otherwise it would soon be spattered with mud.

We’re all looking forward to the blessed day when we can walk up to the new chapel and touch it, then take a seat inside, pray, chant, and meditate, adding to the Light and Love that is Greenfield Retreat Center.

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May 15, 2025

What an incredible weekend!

Just look at the calendar and you can see that it promised something special for our recent retreat. After all, Saturday, May 10, was Swami Sri Yukteswar’s birthday; that always calls for a commemorative service. And Sunday, May 11, was Mother’s Day.

So, of course, it made sense to schedule our Greenfield spring retreat for that very weekend. And, boy, was it ever special.

Time for Reflection and Renewal

Conducted by two monastics visiting from California—Brother Vidurananda and Brahmachari Preston, the retreat drew nearly 70 devotees from eight states.  The weather was perfect, sunny and cool enough to invite being outdoors enjoying the springtime beauty of rural Virginia. (The retreat was held at the 4-H center in Front Royal.)

Devotees attended classes and meditations conducted by the monastics; chanted, meditated, and prayed together; and enjoyed vegetarian meals that had been prepared at Greenfield.

They also enjoyed the silence, opportunities for study and reflection both indoors and out, AND much luminous love. So much!

What’s Happening at Greenfield?

In a word, the Greenfield grounds are busy, busy, busy…

Simply driving down the lane, you might find yourself behind a flatbed truck delivering a huge load of white plastic piping. (Pipes were for  handling water run-off from the new Greenfield Chapel currently under construction.) Then you may need to maneuver for a parking spot. (Many of the usual spots are taken up by piles of construction materials and by construction workers’ pickup trucks.)

The spring gardens are beautiful, as usual. But last week, of course, saw both retreatants and local devotees out on the grounds weed-whacking, mowing, cleaning cottages and generally sprucing things up, in anticipation of many visitors from multiple states.

Work continues to move forward on the chapel. It still looks the same on the outside. Decking has been installed on the porch. And insulation work is underway on the lower level.

Please continue to support the ongoing construction project with your prayers. And, if you are able, do consider contributing to the Greenfield Building Fund.

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April 24, 2025

Easter morning found dozens of regional Greenfield devotees, united in prayer and meditation, at a sacred “sunrise” service. Our revered President Brother Chidanandaji conducted the service, which was live-streamed to literally thousands of SRF and YSS devotees around the world.

Take a moment to appreciate what’s going on here. This Easter service was conducted just after sunrise in Los Angeles. It’s already night time for many who tune in to the service. In multiple time zones, speaking multiple languages, Master’s devotees around the world unite in chanting, invoking the presence of Lord Jesus, radiating Light and healing and harmony to every man, woman and child on Earth.

It’s only in the past decade or so that this kind of gathering is even possible.

Loving and Serving Together

At the Greenfield-sponsored gathering, the sunrise service was a high point of a weekend of special events celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. We watched the sunrise service on a big screen, together. Immediately afterwards, we enjoyed an additional half hour of silent meditation.

All events were held at the 4-H center in Front Royal.

On Good Friday Sister Brahmani conducted an evening service. Saturday morning a one-day retreat featured a 3-hour meditation led by Sr. Shankari, with a devotee led kirtan, followed by a simple vegetarian lunch prepared at Greenfield and eaten in silence. That was followed by a movie about the ever popular Saint Philip Neri.

After our sunrise Easter service, devotees enjoyed a social gathering and—silence set aside—reveling in each other’s company. It’s always good to spend time with Master’s extended family.

This lovely weekend gathering included the company of 5 SRF nuns, 4 of whom live at Greenfield, and one, Sister Kalyani, visiting from California. The events drew devotees from surrounding communities, but also from as far away as New Jersey.

What’s Happening With the Chapel?

In the weeks leading up to Easter, Greenfield was abuzz with activity: cleaning cottages to get ready for retreatants who book space in the cottages at Greenfield, and tending the gardens, currently ablaze with a spectacular variety of colorful blossoms. And, of course, there’s the ongoing requirements of maintenance and mowing and weeding.

As for the new Greenfield Chapel, the good news is that the construction project is still on schedule. It looks the same on the outside. Work on wiring etc. inside the walls is still underway. (We do want all the wiring for things like audio-visual equipment to be done just right.)

Word is that we’ll soon be seeing a great deal of activity on both the inside and the outside of the chapel—dry wall going up on the inside, and siding getting installed on the outside.

One final note on the sunrise service: The live-streaming was recorded. Go ahead;  revisit the service online and receive those blessings again, and yet again.

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April 9, 2025

The wheel of guruseva (service to the guru) continues to turn at Greenfield, generating more and more Light. For more than four decades now, SRF devotee-volunteers have devoted their love and labor to Greenfield, in effect building a foundation for what’s happening now.

Let’s take a look at just some of the scenes from the Women’s Work Party and Retreat held just this past weekend (April 4-5):

• In the barn several women are busy sanding and painting porch furniture that will soon be needed for the new Greenfield Chapel.
• A solitary woman walks along the many garden paths, bucket and clippers in hand, giving careful attention to the literally hundreds of daffodils currently in bloom. She’s “dead-heading,” that is, snipping off wilted blossoms so the fresh blooms can shine in their full glory.
• Elsewhere, a group of women are taking down deer fencing that was installed last fall to protect decorative shrubs. Others are pulling weeds, hauling loads of mulch, and preparing garden beds.
• A car backs up to the barn delivering three garden benches destined for the new meditation garden centered around the recently-installed, life-size bronze statue of Lord Jesus. The benches feature white mosaics of roses, lotuses, and lilies. The SRF devotee who created the benches taught herself the art of mosaics with the help of YouTube and, clearly, a great deal of talent.
• In the barn a team of women is hard at work refurbishing a big pile of garden tools, scraping off hardened clay and applying oil to protect metal and wood.

Volunteering at Greenfield

You get the picture. During the work retreat, there was a whole lot of cleaning and clipping and pruning and hauling  going on. Not to mention preparing and serving tasty meals for all those attending the work party.

We also did energization exercises and meditated together. We did our best to practice the Presence while enjoying our various labors AND the company of other members of Master’s spiritual family.

All of this is not to discount men’s work. This one weekend work party was for women only. But on any given day at Greenfield, you’ll find both men and women doing a wide variety of tasks that come with keeping an SRF retreat center up and running.

With the new Greenfield Chapel under construction still on schedule for completion this fall, and with SRF membership steadily growing, the need for volunteers happy to participate in guruseva is ongoing.  See our Volunteering webpage for more information.

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March 20, 2025

Spring is here! Crocuses and daffodils slowly emerge, reaching for the light. And our new Greenfield Chapel also emerges, promising much Light to come.

The chapel actually looks much the same as it did last week—new green aluminum roof; green sides waiting patiently for new white siding; goopy, sticky mud around the exterior; a make-shift ramp serving as a temporary entrance way; work crews coming and going.

Construction Moves Forward

While the chapel may look the same from the outside, don’t be fooled. Workers continue their focus on completing systems that will soon be hidden behind the walls—HVAC, electrical wiring, and plumbing. All that needs finishing before they move on to putting up dry wall.

If you step inside the building now, you’re looking at the chapel’s skeleton—air ducts and wiring and pipes; wooden beams outlining the main chapel, lobby, and side rooms that do not yet have walls.  A platform with as-yet-uncarpeted stairs hints at where altar will eventually be placed.

Blessed, Already-Sacred Space

Curiously, however, the chapel space is already filled with Light. We haven’t even conducted a single service there, and it already feels like sacred space.

It’s worth remembering that just last fall our revered President Brother Chidanandaji presided over a ground-breaking ceremony that blessed the space where the chapel now stands. And decades of visioning, planning, prayers, and dedicated service (guruseva) from dozens of devotees have already gone into building this chapel. That’s a whole lot of Light.

If you are able and would like to contribute to the ongoing construction of our beautiful new Greenfield Chapel please consider donating to the Greenfield’s Building Fund. And please do keep holding this sacred project in your prayers.

Although there is no new video this week, here is a playlist of all construction videos so far

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March 6, 2025

Good news: Greenfield Chapel Is still on schedule to be completed this fall. (“God willing and the creek don’t rise,” as they so wisely say in this part of the country.)

So far, despite a relatively rough winter, including severe winds, construction has moved forward on schedule. And now, we’ve been watching a durable metal roof take shape.

Metal Shaping

Installing a large aluminum roof is a process to behold. The metal arrives in rolls—much like aluminum foil, but a whole lot bigger. Then  sections are cut and folded into appropriate shapes while still on the ground, kind of like creating the pieces of a gigantic jig saw puzzle.

Finally, the sections are hoisted up and secured in place. While aluminum roofing is more expensive than shingles, it’s way more durable, making it a good investment.

Roof work is scheduled for completion within the next week.

Meanwhile, inside the building HVAC ductwork is mostly done and HVAC equipment should arrive soon, if it’s not already here. And land grading around the outside of the chapel is just getting started.

What’s Next?

Looks like we’re still on track for interior drywall to start going up sometime in April. And work on the exterior grounds around the building will simply be a part of the scene at Greenfield until that blessed day when the Greenfield Chapel opens for meditation.

We can expect work crews, trucks, and assorted pieces of equipment coming and going for months to come. And we are so very grateful for all this amazing buzz of activity.

A big thank you for all your prayers, patience, and ongoing support!

To see a video of the latest construction progress, click here

And here is a playlist of all construction videos

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February 20, 2025

Recent interruptions due to weather may have slowed things down a bit, but construction progress on our beautiful new Greenfield Chapel IS happening.

While current progress may not be all that obvious on the exterior, newly installed windows make for dry conditions inside the building. So interior work on plumbing and electrical systems has begun in earnest. (And at least some of the work crew is now shielded from snow and wind.)

Long-awaited HVAC Upgrade

With all eyes mainly on construction of the new chapel building, other important projects have also been moving forward at Greenfield. In early December the aging heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system was totally replaced in a major upgrade.

While the older system did get the job done, it was both inefficient and expensive to run, not to mention noisy.

Big Job, Done Well

Replacing the old HVAC system was a big project that could have meant major disruptions. However, it went well and lasted only three days.

It took six workers to remove the very heavy boiler from the basement and also to pump out and remove two 250-gallon fuel oil tanks.

One of the new HVAC units needed to be installed in the attic. That came in through the second floor skylight.

Of course, all kinds of pipes and wiring needed to be removed and new hook-ups created. No need to go into all the details here. Suffice it to say that it was a major project that went off smoothly.

Sweet, Sweet Pay-offs

One major advantage is that the two outside heat pump units are extremely quiet. You have to be within 10 feet of them to determine if they are even running. This is a big improvement over the old AC units, which were so loud that even with noise barriers installed they were still loud enough to be heard in the chapel with the windows closed.

Another advantage is that with the removal of the boiler and fuel tanks from the basement, an appreciable amount of much-needed floor space is freed up.

The nuns are now experiencing warm and efficient heat, and can look forward to efficient cooling in the summer time. And all this with decreased energy bills!

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February 5, 2025

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While most definitely a thing of beauty to local devotees who’ve waited for years to see it manifest, our new Greenfield Chapel has not yet revealed its true form.

Really, at present we are only looking at its bare bones. What now looks like a roof, for example, is sheathing; the actual roof has not yet been installed. And the current dark green walls will eventually disappear under attractive white siding.

What Comes Next?

Chapel framing is now substantially complete. At this point, scheduled roof and window installation is likely already underway. Once that is complete, the chapel will be pretty much watertight and interior work can begin in earnest.

Throughout the month of February, interior plumbing, electrical, and HVAC should get underway. Weather permitting, in March we should see siding go up on the exterior, and interior dry wall installed.

Take a moment and catch the vision: In the not-too-distant future, the chapel’s white colonial exterior will mirror the existing style of the main house and other buildings on the site. And the goopy mud currently surrounding the building will give way to flowers and greenery.

The good news—the really good news—is that, despite the snow and icy temperatures in January, Greenfield Chapel construction is still on schedule to be completed in the fall of 2025.

Please continue to pray for the safety and efficiency of the workers on the project. And, if you are able, consider making a donation to the Greenfield Building Fund to help support ongoing expenses of building this chapel.

To see a video of the latest construction progress, click here

And here is a playlist of all construction videos

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