About The Grail and Building Community

Called by spiritual values, The Grail envisions a world of peace, justice, and renewal of the earth, brought about by women working together as catalysts for change. Formed in the Netherlands in the 1920s, The Grail is an international women’s movement with roots in the Christian tradition, committed to spiritual search, social transformation, ecological sustainability, and the release of women’s creative energy throughout the world. Grail members are bonded in action and faith, working in 20 countries, as individuals and Grail groups, interconnecting regionally, nationally and internationally.

The U.S. Grail brings together committed women who:

• build bridges among different faith traditions and spiritual paths;

• foster international exchange and understanding;

• challenge economic systems of disparity;

• work for the rights of women and children;

• support ecological environments toward a sustainable future;

• and celebrate the sources of life that abide in the roots of our diverse cultures.

Grailville, established in 1944 in Loveland, Ohio, is the first and largest U.S. Grail center and home to the National Grail Office. U.S. Grail centers are also located in Cornwall-on-Hudson , NY and the Bronx, NY.

Building Community

by Sharon Thomson, Grail member and former Grailville resident

At Grailville, the heart of the work that we do is building community. Through our programs, projects, workshops and activities, we hope to expand the circle of people we are connected to and increase the opportunities for us to be in relationship with others. Whether at our annual Women Artists Exhibit or our Fall fund-raising dinner; whether in a Zen meditation retreat or in conversation with groups renting our guest facilities—whatever the event, we see it as an opportunity for us to widen our circle of friends and expand the network of like-minded people with whom we can share and who would like to share with us.

Since Grailville is a center of The Grail, our virtual community extends across the world. However, it is here, among residents, staff, long-time neighbors, and volunteers, that the Grailville community is most visible and felt. We work hard together, pray, laugh, and celebrate. We give time to consciously keeping our community energized and alive in the midst of our daily routines and inevitable disagreements.

As a diverse spiritual community, we are committed to discovering the unique, special manifestation of the Divine that each of us contains and represents for the other. With honesty, respect and good will, we hold each other and ourselves accountable for the fulfillment of Grailville’s purpose—personal and social transformation rooted in openness to Life and the Spirit. This is the wellspring each of us draws on, the foundation on which Grailville’s work is built.

Community, like Rome, is not built in a day. But through time, experience, and personal commitment, the bonds of community deepen and widen, and the culture we create together grows richer, sustaining not only the work that we do, but also the reality of who we are.