Annual Commitment Ceremony
Who is eligible to participate?
If you have been a member of Sangha Shantivanam (at any level) for at least
one year, we invite you to join us for our annual commitment ceremony on
December 1. All Sangha members are encouraged to attend.
What is the commitment ceremony?
Each year we gather to welcome new members and to re-commit to our
practice. Everyone has an opportunity to express their hopes, concerns and
dreams for our community as well as offer gratitude for what we have done
together in the past year. Sangha members making the commitment to be
“Active Members” receive a hand-made Benedictine cross with the OM symbol
at the center. Fr. Cyprian personally blesses each sangha member in a special
ritual.
We invite you to join us in one of the following ways:
Active Member
• Regular attendance at Sangha meetings
• Reading the texts we are studying together
• Financial support of the Sangha (sliding scale $20-$60/month)
o No one is excluded for lack of funds
• Participation in at least one annual retreat or special event/classes (i.e.,
fundraiser, yoga)
• Daily practice of prayer/meditation
• Service on a sangha-working group (service committee, fundraising,
library, etc.)
At Large Member
• Periodic attendance at Sangha meetings
• Reading the texts we are studying together
• Financial support of the Sangha (sliding scale $20-$60/month)
• Participation in at least one retreat or special event/classes offered (i.e.
fundraiser, yoga)
• Daily practice of prayer/meditation
Sustaining Member
• Annual free-will offering
• Reading of the texts we are studying together and daily
prayer/meditation
Why do we have a committment ceremony, click here