Who We Are

Friends of MLRC: The Friends pray for the Retreat Center, and share a common love for contemplative community, the arts, and the environment. In addition to caring for the spiritual well-being of the Retreat community, they may commit to a small group that offers ideas as well as help with the concerns of the physical campus, upcoming programs, and policies that support wellness and safety of retreatants.

Director: Debbie Scott serves as Director of Mountain Light Retreat, which she and her husband David purchased in August 2021. David and Debbie attended an Art & Spirituality Retreat sponsored by the Cenacle Sisters at an Italian monastery and discovered the peace that results from time spent simply taking in natural beauty. Debbie is a Franciscan Companion, SSF, and a Spiritual Director trained at the RUAH School of Richmond Hill, trained in Group Spiritual Direction at Shalem Institute, and completed the Shalem Institute Program in Leading Contemplative Groups and Retreats in June 2022. She served as the Director for Spirituality and Service at St. Paul’s, Ivy Episcopal Church for 12 years, where she fostered Celtic spirituality, completing John Philip Newell’s School for Celtic Consciousness. She has loved serving the amazing, joyful people of Nzali, Tanzania, as well as local food justice-related ministries. Debbie continues to serve her church community by leading a centering prayer group and as an Education for Ministry (EfM) co-mentor, and the Diocese of Virginia as a Diocesan Spiritual Discernment Facilitator. She practices iconography, Celtic harp, and strives to control four-footed friends Napoleon and Queenie. Debbie and David are blessed to witness the loving relationships of their children and grandchildren. They are profoundly grateful for their family, and for friends and mentors who have supported the dream of a contemplative retreat.