Archives and hydrangeas

This coming week, Br. Ephrem is on retreat in the Catskills. This past week, Br. Bruno completed a year-long spiritual direction training program with Br. Don Bisson, FMS, teaching. Congratulations!

On Wednesday, the men in formation visited our Order's archives in the basement of our main Guesthouse. Br. Robert Leo, our Archivist, and volunteer Beth Beaudin showed them how their work is done and shared a few treasures with them. Our archives rest in a fully conditioned environment (both temperature and humidity). Br. Robert and Beth are little by little working their way through a trove of archive boxes to index their content. Sometimes, Br. Robert Leo shares a gem at daily chapter before it goes back to the archives' safety.

Visiting the Order's archives. From top left, clockwise: volunteer Beth Beaudin showing a cincture from the Order's early days (two pictures); the gang (Bros. Robert Leo, Ben, intern Jack, volunteer Beth, intern Jeremy, postulants Raphael and Will; Br. Robert Leo showing an archive item.

On Friday, we celebrated St Benedict's feast which is a first class feast for us. Our Order's life is informed by both the Rule of St Benedict and the Rule of the Order of the Holy Cross (written by our founder James Otis Sargent Huntington).

Under Br. Jacob's care, the vegetable garden is producing harvest for our kitchen. This reporter saw spring onions and garlic on the drying racks inside the enclosure. 

The gardens. From top left, clockwise: yuccas have been producing glorious stems of cream-colored blossoms (two pictures): purple hostas are everywhere (two pictures); yarrows of various colors near the vegetable garden; the vegetable garden.

As for church decorations, it's been hydangeas' time.

Hydrangeas galore. From top left, clockwise; pink hydrangeas gracing St Benedict's icon (two pictures); shasta daisies, lavender and alliums at the foot of our Mother and Child statue; off-white pompons of oakleaf hydrangeas gracing St Augustine's icon.

Our bell rope came down detached from the bell this week. Our employee Tim was able to re-attach it in a temporary fashion. Our contractor Jamie will be working to attach more durably our new bell rope which was waiting for this to happen. We ordered one from an English maker a year ago. The order took several months to fulfill as they have a long waitlist. For a few offices, we worked by the watch rather than the bell to be in choir on time.