The Priory Priory fountain St. John's Priory medallion

St. John's Priory is a House of Prayer for the Community of Christ the Sower located in Northern California. Our oratory, St. John's Priory Chapel, is the heart of our worship and prayer life. We are grateful to The Very Rev. Canon Michael Penfield, CCS/N.A. who kindly serves as our chaplain and spiritual advisor.

Besides a life of prayer and study, which is essential for any Benedictine community, those affiliated with the Priory, as they are able, serve the broader community as chaplains in hospitals, schools and care facilities. We also serve as intercessors for the needs of our home parishes and clergy and for anyone desiring prayer.

St. John's Priory also offers a peaceful environment for those who wish to withdraw from the demands of their daily lives to find much needed rest. The enclosed Priory gardens provide an atmosphere of quiet and prayerful recollection for those who visit during the regularly scheduled Quiet Days.

"...what matters most about a monastery is precisely that it is radically different from the world....

In a world of noise, confusion and conflict, it is necessary that there be places of silence and peace."

Thomas Merton