Peace Hill at Avila is excited to introduce Kathryn Lester-Bacon, who formally joined Peace Hill in September of last year.
Kathryn was drawn to Peace Hill as an intentional contemplative community that combines inner spiritual life and social justice. “Self-reflection and collective action are mutually edifying and stretching,” she said.
In particular, she values Peace Hill’s role in holding space for retreat at Avila Center for Community Leadership.
“Over and over again, I’ve been drawn to communities that are deeply, thoughtfully embedded in a certain location, caring for those invested in that space, but also paying attention to those who are only there for a little while, who are passing through,” Kathryn said. “I want to support structures and people who are offering hospitality in those locations, who are exploring how to accompany people for the time that you’re with them.”
Kathryn emphasized the need for such spaces to be broadly inclusive, welcoming members of all faith and spiritual traditions, as well as seekers who may have just begun to explore their inner lives.
“My longing has been to continue to connect with intersections of people who might not identify with religious tradition, but who are hungry for deeper spiritual reflection, hungry for communal frameworks of meaning-making and collective action,” she said.
Kathryn felt aligned with members already involved with Peace Hill, including Board Chair Sister Evelyn Craig, who introduced her to Peace Hill’s work. Though Kathryn only recently joined as a board member, her connection to the community extends back much further.
“When I was looking for a spiritual director in Durham in 2010, I reached out to a Sister who said, ‘I’m maxed out, but there’s a new Sister who just moved to town, Sister Evie Craig.’ And so, I reached out to her. I think I was her first directee here in Durham. She’s definitely a thread through all of this.”
Kathryn describes her approach to contemplative life as focusing on “the interplay between words and space.”
“How do we sit in silence?” she asked. “What do we do when we can’t fix things, when we can’t proclaim our way out of things, when we can’t state things, when words run out?”
Kathryn currently serves as a chaplain at Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary. In addition to her professional and community-based work, Kathryn enjoys long walks, reading, drinking tea, conversations with her husband, and trying to keep up with her kids.