A Closer Look at the HFW: Portico
The Portico
(and Cloister Walkways!)
The next room in our tour of the Holy Family Wing isn’t really a “room” at all - but it is a very cherished part of our new community spaces nonetheless. The portico (covered porch), which extends its cloister walkway “arms” around the entire new wing, has become a popular site for prayer, recreation, and simply enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.
“ Listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to glorify the sublimity of that sovereign Artist who has given them being.”
Monastic life, for all its focus on heavenly realities, is also remarkably “down-to-earth.” Monks and nuns have long sought to encounter God through the natural world He has crafted so breathtakingly. Monasteries are traditionally built in places of natural beauty, as a way of helping to raise the mind and heart to the One Who is the Source of all beauty. Our “little monastery in the woods” follows this principle, and our 170-acre campus is blessed with forest, fields, a small lake, and an abundance of wildlife and flowers.
The new portico and cloister walkways are making it possible for Sisters of all ages to spend more time outdoors in a place sheltered from hot Kentucky sun and even the sometimes-torrential Kentucky rain! We are so appreciative of these new spaces and the opportunity they give us to enjoy the glorious works of our wondrous Creator!
As an added benefit, our monastery courtyard now has a more classic “monastic” appearance. Arched walkways enclosing a central lawn have been the go-to design for centuries of monks and nuns - in fact, they are so commonly associated with monastic architecture that the term “cloister” is often applied to the building as a whole!
“When you behold a beautiful landscape, say: ‘Heaven is more beautiful than that! Above there are true delights and holy pleasures!’”