Some Basics

So, before we wax theological and get all spiritual, it is probably good to describe our context; the basic setting of our communal living.

The People – We are 5 (soon to be 6) Episcopal seminarians and family at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP), a seminary of the Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). We are myself, Matt, a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from the Diocese of Utah who also has a wife and daughter back in Salt Lake City (I commute weekly), Lauren – an MDiv student from the Diocese of Arizona, Jonathan – a Master of Arts (History) student from Portland, and Liz and Jesse – a married couple soon to have a baby girl. Liz is an MDiv student from the Diocese of New Hampshire and Jesse is a pre-school teacher. Liz, Lauren, and I are in the process to become priests in the Episcopal Church.

The Structure – We live on the second floor of an eccentric building owned by All Souls Episcopal Parish in Berkeley, California. The first floor is occupied by Episcopal friars, members of the Society of St. Francis. The third floor is occupied by a Deacon in the Diocese of California. Our floor consists of 3 apartments – Lauren's, one shared by Jonathan and I which also contains a former living-room we have converted to a chapel/house heart, and Liz and Jesse's apartment.

Here's our building. The Teilhard Guesthouse is essentially all the apartments/windows, etc. along that wooden balcony on the 2nd floor.

We all essentially have our own space. Even the apartment Jonathan and I share actually has separate bathrooms and we can have as much privacy as we want. We use our funny little chapel area as the house “heart,” for prayer, checking in, etc.

The Wider Community - We are closely connected to All Soul's Episcopal Parish. We are, in fact, guests of this parish (hence our name) and do not pay rent. We are committed, nonetheless, to worship and life with them, and all that entails. We also have made a commitment to not separate ourselves from CDSP and to maintain close ties in worship and community life there as well. Finally, we have a spiritual advisor, Rev. Dan, who is a resource to help guide us in forming our community.