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

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

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!

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

January 29, 2025

A lot happens at Greenfield Retreat Center. With the sacred silence often rent by the excitement and noise of ongoing chapel construction, it would be easy to overlook the many forms of service that lie at the heart of this sacred place.

In coming weeks, whenever construction slows due to weather, we’ll focus attention on some of the many other service projects and activities underway here. It’s a long list. Here’s one project that belongs near the top of that list: rose petals for devotees around the world.

Petals for Home Kriya Ceremony

If you’ve had the blessing of receiving SRF’s new Kriya Yoga Lessons, you’ve likely held in your hands a small plastic envelope containing a card and dried rose petals—special petals that were blessed and made sacred in Master’s shrine at Mother Center. (The use and import of the petals are explained in the accompanying Lesson.)

From Mother Center in Los Angeles, these dried petals are sent out to devotees in multiple countries throughout the world. Long before the rose petals make it to Mother Center, however, they’ve made a significant stopover at Greenfield.

The Greenfield Connection

At Greenfield, a team of local women devotees has the sacred privilege of carrying out the multi-step process that prepares the petals. Under monastic supervision, members of the team purchase red roses, press and dry the petals, and insert them by hand into small plastic envelopes. This meticulous process requires concentration and mindful, focused attention—kind of like meditation.

This past year the Greenfield Petal Seva team has sent literally thousands of petal packets to Mother Center to be blessed and forwarded to brand new kriyabans and also to long-time kriyabans who request the new Kriya Lessons. So far the team has prepared packets in English, Italian, and Portuguese, with Spanish language packets soon to come. (Packets for devotees in India and surrounding countries are prepared in India.)

What with the current explosive growth of Self-Realization Fellowship, and with the new Lessons being translated into many new languages, the Petal Seva team looks forward to working together, with love and harmony, at this sweet, humble task on into the future.