Canaan in the Desert – Peaceful Grace

A number of years ago, while on the Internet, a little ad popped up that said: Where do you find serenity in Phoenix?  Phoenix is a massive city filled with a grid of streets and avenues and lots of concrete – not always a place of serenity.  The ad referred me to Canaan in the Desert, a prayer garden run by the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary.  I went to visit the site and found it to be a peaceful, quiet place of solitude in the desert.  The path through the prayer garden leads you through shady spots with beautiful statues and little benches to sit and pray.  It is a beautiful experience, especially on Easter morning, and one where you can feel the presence of God.  Some years later, while taking a Women in Religion course at Arizona State University, I was asked to give a talk about a woman or women in religion, so I decided to do some research on Canaan in the Desert.  I’ll share some history, which I think is fascinating:

Many years ago, in Germany, two young women, Klara Schlink and Erika Madauss became friends while in a Bible Studies class.  Eventually, in 1935, Klara earned her Ph.D. in Psychology and Erika went on to do Social Work.  They decided to teach Bible Studies classes to young women in Klara’s parent’s home in Darmstadt.  In September of 1944, during World War II, an air raid nearly demolished Darmstadt; however, Klara’s home was still standing.  Because of this, more young women joined the prayer group.  This was the beginning of what would become the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary.

In 1947, Klara became Mother of the Sisterhood of Mary (Mother Basilea) and Erika (Mother Matyria) worked by her side.  Their theme was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  (Matthew 3:2, 4:17)  Their Sisterhood was founded and built upon contrition and repentance.  Their practice involved a beautiful circle of contrition/repentance, forgiveness and love.  As their Sisterhood grew, Mother Basilea found she could no longer “wrap her arms around” this growing organization, so she prayed for God’s guidance.  She learned she needed to “consent to God’s Will.”  Once she did that, she learned: when God takes the lead from you, He then gives you something greater back – Himself.  Mother Basilea felt her calling from God was one of love, peace, and joy, the foundation for forgiveness.

When I visited Canaan in the Desert to learn more about their organization, I was told by Sr. Rebecca, that the Sisters live off the land, grow their own crops, and depend solely on donations.  Visitors are allowed to roam the well-manicured property in solitude.  Sr. Rebecca shared a story with me: there was a gentleman who came to the prayer garden every day for six weeks – his wife dropped him off in the morning and picked him up at night.  After six weeks, the gentleman knocked on the door to thank the Sisters and told them “I think I am now healed.”  He had been a corporate CEO and had lost his way.  When I met with Sister Rebecca, I found she was filled with peace and love and I learned that this is their only site in the United States.

I consider this experience to be a gift of Grace – all the links that came to me to bring me to come to know this spiritual group and the impact they’ve made has enriched my life with Grace.

http://www.canaaninthedesert.com/     http://www.kanaan.org/