Find the hope

Naomi Wenger

Naomi Wenger lives near Three Rivers, Michigan at The Hermitage Community, a contemplative retreat center, where she is Co-Director with her husband David. They moved to The Hermitage in 2001 in response to a call to “Be still and know God.” Stillness in place grounds her work at The Hermitage.

EssayApril 10, 2017

Find the hope

By Naomi Wenger

On May 29, 2011, I was in conference with a guest at The Hermitage, a retreat center where I serve as Spiritual Director. It…

PoetryMarch 28, 2017

Exhalation of a Pine Wood in Winter

By Naomi Wenger

In the deep shadow of the wood, ice-bound needles clink together. Cold wind blows away the piney odor for a moment, and by its…

EssayJanuary 6, 2016

Practicing silence

By Naomi Wenger

At The Hermitage Community, the contemplative prayer center where I serve, we often remark to new guests that we give the gift or “permission”…

PoetryDecember 15, 2015

Good Yet

By Naomi Wenger

The old farmer stands at the end of the lane, big smile plastered on his face, waving goodbye. His coveralls are stained with work,…

PoetryOctober 20, 2015

Abbey Cemetery

By Naomi Wenger

for Kilian McDonnell, OSB This gentle hill heaves, pushing up crenellations— those markers of surrendered life secured even in death. A phalanx of gray…