Anthony Manusos
My year as a resident student at Pendle Hill (1987-88) was a life-changing experience. At the time I was relatively new to the Religious Society of Friends—I had been attending meeting for only three or four years—but I was already deeply committed to Quaker service. A member of the Quaker US/USSR Committee, I helped edit The Human Experience, a collection of fiction and poetry by American and Russian writers that was jointly published in the US and USSR. (The purpose of this book was to dispel Cold War stereotypes.). The Quaker US/USSR Committee also helped to launch the first Quaker Center in Moscow.
I began visiting Pendle Hill in 1984, when Parker Palmer was Dean of Studies and Sarah Rivers was gardening guru. Both were important influences on my life. In 1987, I received a Wilmer Young International Peace and Reconciliation grant to attend Pendle Hill. There I began work on my first Pendle Hill pamphlet, Spiritual Linkage with the Russians: the Story of a Leading (1991).
While a resident student, I had the chance to deepen my knowledge and experience of Quakerism in ways that would not have been possible anywhere else. My teachers included Bill Taber, Sandra Cronk, Sally Palmer, and Bill Durland. I feel blessed to have had the privilege to study with these amazing people.
Daily worship deepened my sense of Quaker spirituality. The rhythms of prayer, work and study helped me to learn how to stay centered in the midst of a busy life. And the conflicts that arose during this intense year made me aware that being in community isn’t always easy. Sometimes you have to face the shadow side of yourself and others—a process that is painful, but necessary to spiritual and psychological growth.
Perhaps my most important “achievement” during this unforgettable year was meeting and courting Kathleen Ross, a Methodist pastor from California who was on sabbatical at Pendle Hill. When Kathleen returned to California, I tagged along and we were married in the manner of Friends at Claremont Meeting on Dec 31, 1988. We have been happily married ever since.
Over the years I have frequently returned to Pendle Hill for spiritual r & r. It’s a blessing to return each spring and fall and experience the energy and beauty of this special community. I always make new friends and deepen my relationship with old ones. I enjoy meeting people who come from all over the world to learn and to teach at Pendle Hill. I also enjoy just “being” at Pendle Hill—walking around the grounds, admiring the flora, catching up on reading, and catching my breath in the midst of a full and busy life. Just thinking about Pendle Hill makes me wish that I were there writing this!
Class of 1987, Kathleen and Anthony are at the far right wearing matching Greek sailor hats.
