Nestled in the woods of northwestern Pennsylvania sits a beautiful rustic lodge that seems perfectly at home in its natural surroundings. As you make your way up the driveway and catch your first glimpse of the retreat, every season offers its own serene backdrop to the lodge's dark wood exterior – a fresh snowfall in winter, blooming rhododendrons in the spring, deep green forest in the summer, brilliant foliage in the fall. Step inside and you're met with the warmth of a rustic hardwood interior, complemented by a large stone fireplace, exposed beams, and a spiral staircase that leads to a mezzanine library. It is the kind of place that invites you to slow down, breathe deep, and quiet the heart and mind. 

But what sets this place apart lies just beyond the doors on either side of the fireplace. As you hear the muffled sounds of prayers being offered and walk through those doors, your eyes are immediately drawn to a life-size crucifix suspended behind an altar, large windows looking out upon towering oak trees, a sanctuary lamp burning quietly beside a tabernacle, and faithful souls gathered for prayer. 

This is not just any rustic wooden lodge. It is the St. Thomas More House of Prayer, a Catholic retreat center built in 1999 with the mission to pray and promote the Liturgy of the Hours. For nearly three decades, the Church's ancient rhythm of prayer, her sacrifice of praise, has risen like incense seven times a day from this little chapel in the woods.

To Pray & Promote the Church's Prayer

Wayne and Patty Hepler, founders of the St. Thomas More House of Prayer, are converts to the Catholic faith. Soon after entering the Church in 1984, they were introduced to the Liturgy of the Hours and began praying it regularly. But what eventually inspired the mission of the House of Prayer was the Church’s teaching on the nature of her prayer and why it is a privileged place for encountering Jesus Christ.

As Wayne immersed himself in Church documents on the Sacred Liturgy, he came to understand that the Divine Office is not simply another form of personal devotion. Together with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the other Sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours belongs to the Sacred Liturgy of the Catholic Church, through which the Church offers public worship to God every single day of the liturgical year. And because the liturgy is the action of Christ Himself together with His Body, “no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 7).

After praying the Liturgy of the Hours for more than a decade and introducing the official Prayer of the Church to family, friends, and acquaintances, Wayne was inspired to build a retreat house. His inspiration came in part from St. John Paul II, who was then calling the faithful to participate in the “new evangelization,” and from a growing conviction that sharing the Liturgy of the Hours more broadly would answer this call. 

As the retreat center neared completion, it became clear that its mission would be to pray and promote the Liturgy of the Hours. Hence, from the beginning, it has been affectionately referred to as “the House of Prayer,” where the living prayer of Christ’s body is celebrated publicly and communally as the Church prescribes.

Silence And the Sound of A Bell

Over the years, the House of Prayer has welcomed countless individuals and groups, most of them lay Catholics. From the beginning, this has been an important part of its mission, as the Church warmly invites the lay faithful to take up this prayer according to their circumstances and to celebrate it together whenever possible.

That conviction has always shaped the daily life and mission of the House of Prayer. Guests are welcome to bring their own retreat, spending their time in silence, spiritual reading, personal prayer, or simply taking in the peaceful surroundings. But throughout the day, when the prayer bell rings, guests are called to the chapel to take part in the prayer of the Church.

No previous experience is necessary. Each of the scheduled Liturgy of the House prayers is led by the director or a volunteer, breviaries are provided, and newcomers receive instruction as needed. The goal is that everyone has the opportunity to enter into the Church's prayer and discover for themselves the beauty of praying with the Body of Christ.

"Seven Times A Day I Praise You"

That same mission extends beyond the daily schedule of prayers. Each year, the House of Prayer offers a retreat devoted entirely to the Liturgy of the Hours, with conferences on its historical and theological foundations alongside practical workshops on praying with a breviary and chanting the Psalms. Its website also offers resources designed to make the Hours more accessible, including “Today's Pages,” which provides the page numbers for Lauds and Vespers for every day of the year.

As Ascension prepares to release the Second Edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, the work of the St. Thomas More House of Prayer offers a timely reminder about the importance of this public and communal prayer of the people of God. Through it, the Church fulfills one of her primary duties, joining her voice to that of Christ in offering perfect praise to the Father (General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, no. 1). The significance of new breviaries therefore goes beyond the books themselves. It is an opportunity to help the faithful discover what those books invite them into.

This moment in the life of the Church is an opportunity not only to improve the beauty and quality of our breviaries but also invites the faithful to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the prayer of the Church. For twenty-seven years now, this small Catholic retreat house has borne witness to a reality that the wider Church is invited to rediscover: that the Liturgy of the Hours is a treasure of inestimable value. This has been the mission of the St. Thomas More House of Prayer since 1999. If God wills, they will continue this mission of gathering to offer the Church’s praise, seven times a day (see Psalm 119:164), for many years to come.

About the Author:

Nathan Wigfield serves as the Executive Director of the St. Thomas More House of Prayer, a Catholic retreat center in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, devoted to praying and promoting the Liturgy of the Hours. In addition to hosting retreat guests, he leads yearly retreats on the Liturgy of the Hours and the Desert Fathers. He and his wife, Bethany, live near the retreat center with their five children. You can find out more about the St. Thomas More House of Prayer at liturgyofthehours.org