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Hi, my name is Claire Porter Robbins and I’m a freelance writer for ONE magazine. I wrote the recently published article, “A Light in the Desert.”
When I was first commissioned to write the article about Deir Mar Musa, the monastery in the Syrian desert, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was January 2025. The Civil War had just ended in Syria the month prior, and there was a lot of political uncertainty about the new government. Beyond that, I had a really hard time finding new information about the monastic community and the monastery itself, because so few visitors had been able to see it for themselves or visit over the past 13 years of war.
Of course, much had been written about the monastery, which was believed to date back to the 11th century, with beautiful frescoes from the time, depicting saints in Christ’s baptism and the apostles. But there was not much about what I would actually experience. What really struck me when I arrived was how, despite the war and ensuing uncertainty, the small community had really clung to the principles of its founder, Father Paolo Dall’Oglio.
As I explore in the article, the community had lost Father Paolo in tragic circumstances and, even despite that, they had survived throughout an incredibly devastating war that at times had targeted Christians. Yet their principles of prayer, hospitality, work and interreligious dialogue had really sustained them through this trying time. I really go into the history of the monastery, but also how they’ve survived today and what you can expect if you, too, have the great fortune to visit Deir Mar Musa.
You can read about the community, what it is doing now and its history in Ms. Robbins’ story, “A Light in the Desert,” in the December issue of ONE magazine.