A Cherish the Flame Glossary
We have received a number of questions about terms we have used in speaking about our Cherish the Flame building project — and we’re not surprised, since many of them are words that are rarely heard outside a monastic context! We hope this fun little “glossary” will help to fill in the blanks. One by one, the terms on this list are moving from drawings and ideas to reality!
Holy Family Wing
In honor of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we have chosen this name for the new addition to our monastery! It will contain a chapter room and new recreation room (see below for definitions of these two terms), as well as an exercise room, a small museum, and extra storage closets.
Seen here is a work-in-progress drawing of the Holy Family Wing.
Chapter Room
A sacred meeting space in which the monastery Chapter (governing body composed of all perpetually-professed Nuns) gathers to make decisions about the life of the community. Also used for classes, conferences, and vestitions (conferring the habit on new novices).
Seen here is a draft of the design for our new Chapter Room.
Recreation Room
This is not quite the same as the typical “rec room” you might be familiar with, consisting mainly of air hockey tables and arcade games! It is closer to a family room or a living room, where all the community members gather twice a day to relax and have fun together as Sisters.
A group of Sisters seen here are playing Chinese Checkers in our current recreation room.
Loggia
A covered exterior gallery or corridor usually on an upper level, or sometimes ground level (ours is at ground level). The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns or arches.
Our loggia (seen here under construction) will connect the current monastery to the Holy Family Wing.
Cloister Walkway
A covered walkway, usually surrounding an interior courtyard. Most European monasteries have a walkway of this type — thus, the term “cloister” is used almost exclusively in a monastic context.
Seen here is the exciting progress on our cloister walkways! Since this photo was taken, the roof has also been added.
Pergola
An outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. The origin of the word is the Late Latin pergola, referring to a projecting eave.
Seen here is an architect’s rendering of the pergola that will be built alongside the Holy Family Wing.
Portico
A porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cultures, including most Western cultures.
Seen here is an architect’s rendering of the portico that will surround the Holy Family Wing.
Refectory
This is the monastic “dining room.” The word is derived from the Latin word reficere, which means "to restore/renew," since it is here that both our bodily strength and our communion with one another are renewed by means of a shared meal. It is traditionally considered a sacred space and an extension of the chapel, since the Sisters gather here to share the common table as members of a Gospel community.
Seen here is a drawing of our planned refectory renovation.