Fall Letter from Oren Slozberg

The world asks, as it asks daily:
And what can you make, can you do, to change my deep-broken, fractured?

I count, this first day of another year, what remains.
I have a mountain, a kitchen, two hands.

—from Jane Hirshfield’s “Counting, This New Year’s Morning, What Powers Yet Remain To Me”

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Dear Friends,

As 2025 comes to completion, and we approach our 50th anniversary year, we are so honored to have you as part of our community. This annual letter, which was written by our founder Michael Lerner for the last 50 years—and that I am writing today—is a moment for us to reflect and share about the year at Commonweal.

In late September, Michael had what he calls a “heart opening event.” It brought our community together, with circles of healing and care to help him through surgery and into recovery at his home. I’m so grateful to be part of a community that is resilient, kind, and supportive. We are all so grateful that Michael is resilient as well—he is home and back on the road to recovery.

Fifty years ago, Michael envisioned a center for healing people and healing the earth. Today, a strong infrastructure of visionary and entrepreneurial program directors, decades of field building and hard work in our communities, and the healing power of the land we have been given to steward have created the community that was envisioned by Michael and other Commonweal visionaries. We were literally built for these times.

And these times hold significant global threats. They are complex. There is not one field of work that can address the situation. It is impossible to come up with that one solution or a fix to something so colossal.
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Part of the Immune System of the Planet

It is reassuring to know that Commonweal is one of many local communities around the world that act as places of refuge and resilience, where the seeds of innovation and healing are being planted. Ilya Prigogine calls them islands of coherence. Paul Hawken, in his book Blessed Unrest, describes these islands as the immune system of the planet.

Like Commonweal, these islands are not virtual silos, but, rather, real physical places on land, often set in nature. They are complex and multifaceted, and imbued with local culture, resources, and knowledge. They are interconnected, creating a web that spans the earth. Commonweal’s local calling is to be engaged with our community, exploring resilience, providing a place for healing and retreat, and working toward justice. Our global calling is to engage, inspire, and convene key stakeholders in deep conversation and shared work.

Many of Commonweal’s programs directly support and nurture these islands of coherence. The Retreat Center Collaboration brings together hundreds of land-based communities from the United States and Canada. Healing Circles Global reaches healthcare providers and individuals in more than 30 countries. The Resilience Funders Network convenes international philanthropy to explore their role in the polycrisis. The Collaboration for Health and Environment brings together scientists around the effects of chemicals and toxins. Ma Earth, a new Commonweal program, generates funding for regenerative communities across the earth. The Omega program, The New School, the Resilience Project, the American Public Trust—and many other Commonweal programs—stimulate conversation and action on how to make our communities and ourselves more resilient.

Healing is at the core of all of this work, recognizing that we are all coming from a place of woundedness. As Rachel Naomi Remen, the Medical Director of our Cancer Help Program, says, “We heal in community.” Healing in community is at the core of what we have always done.
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Building the World We Want to Live In

How do we build the world we want to live in? How do these islands of coherence come together, grow, and expand? Can you imagine the future that will be built on the existing foundations of the world we live in today? Part of Commonweal’s work is to cultivate the soil in which those seeds of innovation and imagination will sprout.

Our Youth, Education, and the Arts programs (YEA!) are stimulating new thinking skills, inspiring creativity and community engagement, and are nurturing the next generation. Our retreats, workshops, and programs for women, for people living with cancer, for nonprofit leaders from diverse backgrounds, and for fellows throughout Africa, South America, and India, give voice to and nurture emerging generations.

Commonweal’s New School, our expanding learning community and podcast, continues to share conversations, workshops, music—and soon publications and courses—that inspire new thinking and resilience. In several weeks, you will receive our year-end magazine which will tell some of the stories of what is happening in our communities.

Throughout 2026—our 50th year—we will offer different ways to celebrate our history and re-imagine the future. In the first quarter of 2026, we will focus on resilience and the polycrisis. The second quarter will feature health and healing. The third quarter will explore our arts and education work. And, in the last quarter of 2026, we will look ahead to reimagine the future. We hope you will join us each quarter at The New School to hear conversations and concerts, meet our visiting scholars, visit our art gallery, participate in a workshop or retreat, or read a publication.
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We Need Your Help

It is a gift beyond measure that our team of talented leaders and staff are guiding Commonweal with such amazing wisdom, dedication, and skill. Join me in supporting Commonweal. If you have given before, I hope you will support Commonweal again. If this is your first time, I hope you will join us now.

You can send us a check or contribute online. A recurring monthly donation is especially valuable. So are annual or one-time gifts. One of the most powerful ways to contribute is to include Commonweal in your estate planning. If you are considering a major gift, an unusual gift, or want to tell us about your estate planning, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Advancement Director Mary O’Brien, or Commonweal Cancer Help Program Director Arlene Allsman. We’d be delighted to explore your thoughts with you.

When you support Commonweal, you put your trust in us. You become part of our island of coherence—working to improve the immune system of the planet. You become part of a community of visionaries and healers that are working to reimagine the future—offering head, heart, and hands in service to us all. Your donations mean the world to us.

Thank you for being part of our beloved Commonweal community of friends.

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With love and gratitude,

Oren Slozberg | Executive Director

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