Help Someone Find Light Again
You can give rest, renewal, and hope to someone who needs it most.
In a world that moves too fast, you can give someone the gift of stillness.
Every day, people are weighed down by exhaustion, isolation, and grief — unsure where to turn for peace.
But when they come to St. Mary’s Sewanee, something shifts. In the hush of the bluff, in the rhythm of quiet walking or shared prayer, the healing begins.
One guest described it like this:
“When I arrive at St. Mary’s, it’s like a burden rolls off my shoulders. I leave with light in my heart and a sense of renewal.”
That’s the power of this place. And your donation makes it possible.
Your Gift Creates Sacred Space
When you give, you’re not just maintaining a retreat center.
You’re creating sacred space where transformation can happen.
Your support helps:
Provide retreat scholarships for those carrying heavy burdens
Renew our facilities with dignity and care — so every guest feels at home
Sustain the contemplative hospitality that defines our mission
Together, we are raising $200,000 this season to invest in people, place, and practice — the heart of our work.
Why Now?
We live in a weary world. Many caregivers, leaders, and seekers are on the edge of burnout. They need a refuge. They need reconnection. They need a space to rest and remember who they are.
That’s what your generosity provides.
“This is my safe place. I’ve come broken and crying — left at peace. I’ve come joyful — and left filled. I always get what I need.”
—Sewanee Serenity Retreat Guest
Your Gift = Transformation in Action
When you donate to St. Mary’s Sewanee, you’re helping someone take the first step toward healing.
You’re not giving to a place.
You’re giving to the possibility of transformation — one person, one season, one sacred breath at a time.
Gift of Stock
For more information about a gift of stocks, bonds or mutual funds, please call Kara Lassen Oliver at (931) 598-5342.
Give a Tribute Gift
You may make a gift in honor or memory of a friend or family member to St. Mary’s Sewanee. We will then send the friend or family a card acknowledging your gift. For more information on Tribute Gifts, please call (931) 598-5342.
Planned Giving
There are few opportunities in life to do something above and beyond the normal, everyday experience that fosters the lives of men and women for generations to come. St. Mary’s Sewanee asks you to consider making a significant, perhaps sacrificial, gift in the form of a bequest.
The Anne Magruder Legacy Society exists to recognize, honor and thank those individuals who have made provisions for St. Mary’s Sewanee in their estate plans. The Legacy Society honors Anne Warren Magruder, who spent a lifetime in service to the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee and was instrumental in helping to establish St. Mary’s Sewanee in 1988.
From the beginning, Anne devoted enormous energy and time to St. Mary’s Sewanee development and, like many of our leadership donors, carried a deep passion and devotion for what we offer.
If you already have made a provision for St. Mary’s Sewanee in your will or through another type of planned gift, you are automatically a member of the Anne Magruder Legacy Society.
To advise us of your planned gift or for further information, please contact Kara Lassen Oliver at (931) 598-5342.