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.

January 16, 2025

With all the snow and ice and freezing temperatures over the several days, you might well think that all would be quiet at Greenfield. Not so!

Of course, it was quiet on the few days when Greenfield was officially closed and also on days when snow made it impossible to drive down our lane. But once a path was cleared, the usual bustle started up once again. And that includes all the blessedly noisy construction work on our new chapel, which is once again rapidly taking shape.

Onward and Upward

That’s right. Even on the coldest, windiest days over the past week, construction continued. Piles of lumber arrived to be stacked in the snow. Construction workers, bundled to the gills in their winter gear, scampered about out in the open, hammering and sawing and hoisting completed sections of the building into place.

The good news is that the roof trusses on building are going up. The final outline of the building is coming into view—a thing of beauty, exciting to behold.

Once the trusses are complete, completing work on roof comes next. Then the workers will be able to spend at least some of their time working inside, out of the cold, cold wind. (Sounds like motivation to get these next steps done quickly.)

Bottom line is that despite the harsh winter weather of recent days, construction is still on schedule.

Our deep appreciation goes to the workers out there every day on the job. Take a moment to ask Divine Mother to bless and protect the workers as they labor in the cold and wind to build our beautiful new Greenfield Chapel.

To see a video of last week’s progress, click here

And here is a playlist of all construction videos

January 7, 2025

Watching progress on the new Greenfield Chapel last week was almost like watching a time lapse video. It’s happening so fast that it’s fun to watch.

Seems like workers are constantly scurrying about on the construction site. It’s a regular ant hill of constant activity.

Meanwhile, devotees and nuns serving at Greenfield go about our tasks, focusing on whatever form of service we happen to be working on at the time. Each of us tries to work and serve as our revered Guru Paramahansa Yoganandaji taught us—with full attention on the task at hand, while also doing our best to practice the presence.

Surprised by Progress

After working for a while at whatever service we’re at Greenfield to accomplish, we come up for air and look about…or we just happen to walk or drive by the construction site, and…WOW!!! Whoa! Is that a new wall? Already? When did that happen?”

Within a few short days this past week exterior walls have been framed from the lower-level (basement) all the way to the top of the main floor. And workers have also started framing the porch. If weather permits—and in January that’s a pretty big if—the chapel could well be completely framed by the end of January.

After walls and roof are complete, the crew can begin work on the interior. That means things like installing electrical and plumbing fixtures. Of course, that’s not as much fun to watch on time lapse video. It does mean that once workers begin on the interior that weather will not be as much of factor.

We’re still on schedule for the Greenfield Chapel to completed sometime in the fall this year. Keep those prayers coming!

To see a video of last week’s progress, click here

And here is a playlist of all construction videos