By Staff reports

Sherborn –Faced with foreclosure again, the Peace Abbey in Sherborn is hosting a yoga and bodywork event at Roots and Wings in Natick on Sunday, Nov. 6. The event lasts from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and will feature various sessions, including yoga, an information session about the Abbey and an art sale.

Long-time Abbey volunteer Dan Dick, and others like him, would hate to see it go away.

“This is a place that brings all aspects of nonviolence together,” he said.

The Abbey serves as a haven for vegetarians, pacifists, conscientious objectors and any one who seeks peace, both in the world and within themselves.

For Dick, the Abbey served as a home when it opened its doors to him and his family after a house fire left them homeless in 2008. To this day, the Peace Abbey is “my spiritual home,” he said.

Ellen Fine, who called herself an occasional decoration at the Abbey, said that it’s a place that has meant a lot to a lot of people.

The Abbey, which has encountered financial trouble in the past, is facing roughly $300,000 in debt.

Fine said, “Peace is a costly thing to achieve.”

And, while the event on Sunday will not bring them close to that goal, “every little bit helps,” Dick said. “It would be a great loss for the area and for the spiritual.”

The property consists of old buildings, animals and a memorial park that all require attention, which only increases the need for financial support.

Its most famous resident was Emily, a cow who escaped from a slaughterhouse and was bought by the Peace Abbey after she was captured. Some people considered Emily to be a wise incarnated soul. People came from across the world to see the cow known for being very friendly to everyone.

In the past, celebrities such as Yoko Ono have come forward with support the Peace Abbey.

Dick said, “We keep hoping there’s someone that can make a substantial contribution.”

He added that the Peace Abbey has vacillated between being able to be self-sustaining and looking for outside investment or even selling the Abbey.

Despite its struggles, the Abbey continues to welcome guests daily, and continues to hosts its traditional Sunday morning meditation and multidenominational peace prayer sessions.

“The energy that comes from this place is just amazing,” Dick said. “It’s almost unthinkable that this place wouldn’t exist.”