Peace Abbey Seeing Support Daily During Financial Crisis

Dot Walsh, program director and a chaplain at The Peace Abbey in Sherborn, opened up a couple envelopes that they received in the mail. In them were two checks from people donating money to help try and prevent .

“We’ve got checks coming in like this- $50, $100. That certainly is helping,” Walsh said. “Checks will come in everyday. Every little bit helps.”

Support has been growing since The Peace Abbey announced that they need to raise $366,000 by the end of May in order to avoid foreclosure.

They recently received a donation of $25,000 from the parents of a former student at the Life Experience School in Millis.

“With a single donation from the family of a former student, over 1/3 of the schoolhouse mortgage was paid off, leaving just $38,000 owed to the bank. They gave $1,000 for each year of their daughter’s life in appreciation and love. Pass the word as we move forward to retire the Schoolhouse debt,” it said in a statement on their website.

They have even been seeing donations from as far away as Hollywood. Actor Matt Damon, whose mother has been a supporter of The Peace Abbey, recently made a donation.

“We did get a check from Matt Damon," Walsh said. "For $2500, he does give that every year, so that’s really wonderful that we were able to get that.”

“His mother is a wonderful person and works in peace education and is also an author of several books in the Boston area and she’s been a friend of the Peace Abbey in the past,” said Walsh.

Walsh did not know the exact amount that they have raised so far but she says that they are still a ways off from their goal.

“I think the big thing is the money that we need to raise for The Peace Abbey. We’re looking for a really big donation for that,” she said. “We do have not a lot of time so it would be nice.”

She did maintain however that donations and support of any kind are helpful.

“What I can see is that people who love The Peace Abbey and the Life Experience School are reaching out. If you go online you’ll see that there are posts that people are expressing their thoughts and wanting to help,” said Walsh.

Walsh said that they have been seeing donations “from all over, from all different ways. But there is definitely people who love the Abbey and they love the school and I’m hopeful.”

“We’re just going to keep on and be hopeful,” said Walsh.

To make a donation or to show your support visit The Peace Abbey's website.