Assembling a Christmas schola and receiving an Associate

Br. Robert Leo is back home after a rich three-month sabbatical. Intern Jeremy Cannon is on the last two weeks of his aspirant visit to discern his monastic vocation. Br. David Bryan is visiting Brothers, friends and OHC Associates in Toronto for a couple of weeks. Br. Carl is on a weeklong "at home" retreat.

This week, we received Tim Maguire, of Toronto, ON. as a Holy Cross Associate.

In the last two weeks, a nine member-strong schola has started meeting twice a week to rehearse songs for Christmas.

Monastery people. From top left, clockwise: enjoyin coffee after Sunday mass in the enclosure's atrium; conversations in the mailroom right after daily chapter; Br. Bernard receiving Tim Maguire as our latest Associate; some members of the Christmas schola rehearsing (Bros. Raphael, Jacob, postulant Will, Bros. Ephrem and Bruno); Br. Josép leading the schola from behind the piano (Bros. Scott and Raphael seated); intern Jack Mullins cleaning the church; Br. Ephrem sweeping the Little Cloister.

The gardens are slowly exhausting their capacity to offer blooms to decorate the church. It's time to rely on varied color foliage. Meanwhile, our Grounds stewards, Bros. Timothy and Jacob, are effectively directing our men in formation to prepare the gardens for the winter.

Blooms and scenes. From top left, clockwise: foliage arrangement near St Benedict's icon; sunrise behing clouds over the Hudson; Christ in repose icon shown for a retreat group in St Gregory's meeting room; foggy sunrise over the Hudson; foliage arrangements with some mums and some florist sunflowers for All Saints (3 pictures).

All Saints and All Souls blessings to you.

Clothing of a novice

Br. Robert Leo is in the final stretch of his sabbatical and will soon return from South Africa. Br. David Bryan is on the last week of a visit to friends in England. Br. Aidan is on a one week vacation in Delaware.

The big news is that we clothed Br Raphael Okafor as a Novice at diurnum (our midday office) last Sunday (October 12). We now have two novices; Bros. Ben and Raphael. They continue their monastic formation under the guidance of our Formator, Br. Josép.

Br. Raphael's clothing as a novice. From top left, clockwise: the examination of the postulant; Br. Raphael coming back from the sacristy with his new habit on and hood up (two pictures); Raphael being blessed by Br. Robert James, our Superior; our two novices, Bros. Raphael and Ben; Raphael with friends who came to witness his clothing as a novice; Br. Raphael between our Formator, Br. Josép and our Superior, Br. Robert James.

On Monday, our Novitiate and our Juniorate departed with Br. Josép to attend the third annual CAROA New Members Conference. CAROA is the conference of Anglican Religious Orders in the Americas. The conference was taking place at the convent of the Community of Saint John Baptist in Mendham, NJ.

CAROA New Members Conference. From top left, clockwise: Br. Josép addressing the conference; Bros. Raphael and Jacob sporting the two styles of our habit (the black habit is authorized for travelling); formators, postulants, novices and juniors at the conference: recreation with a board game.

It has been a gorgeous week of autumnal colors and weather. Br. Ephrem led a hiking retreat this week. They went twice into the Catskills and also hiked nearby Shaupeneak Ridge.

Monastery scenes. From top left, clockwise: a cruiseboat on the Hudson; morning scene on the guesthouse lawn; one of our groundhogs; Br. Josép's altar for the Dia de los Muertos (the deceased pictures will appear closer to November 1); a crocheted Franciscan givng greetings (Pax et Bonum) near Br. Francis's cell.

Our honeybees and other pollinators continue to enjoy abundant blooms across the gardens.

Autumn blooms. From top left, clockwise: orange mums and purple asters; ornamental cherries; purple gomphrena and white West Indian lantant: purple aster; purple gomphrena.

Speaking of honeybees, I found more good pictures of Bros. Francis and Jacob harvesting honey over a week ago.

Honey harvesting. From top left, clockwise: Br. Jacob uncapping honey frames (three pictures); the honey dripping out of the centrifugal honey extractor.

May your season also be filled with blessings.

Honey harvesting and new(er) Associates

Br. David Bryan is on a vacation in England visiting friends for three weeks. Our postulant Raphael Okafor was on his pre-clothing retreat at St Mary's House up the driveway. He is back this Sunday to be clothed as novice at Diurnum. Our intern Jeremy Cannon is making a one month aspirant visit as he has chosen to discern a call to enter the monastic community. He will be living with us in the enclosure during this time. Br. Robert Leo is still in South Africa as part of his sabbatical.

Please hold Raphael and Jeremy in your prayers as they continue their respective journeys of discernment in the monastic life.

This Monday, Brothers Fancis and Jacob harvested a lot of honey from two of our four hives. Not to worry, they left the bees with ample supplies for overwintering. They processed the honey frames outside under the ambulatory (the semi-circular corridor that goes round the apse of the church, connecting the middle house to the monastic enclosure). Br. Jacob uncapped the honey with a serrated knife. Br. Francis put the uncapped frames in the honey extractor. It looks like they collected several gallons of beautiful amber honey. Look out for it in the Monk's Cell Gift and Bookstore soon.

Honey harvest. From top left, clockwise: Br. Jacob waving to the camera in his protective bee suit; Br. Jacob uncapping honey frames over a tub to not loose a drop of honey and collect the discarded beeswax; Br. Francis spinning the uncapped frames in the centrifugal honey extractor; our two apiculturists hard at work.

The foliage colors continue to evolve and change. There is no red foliage to be seen but lots of russet and yellow still mixed with a lot of shades of green.

This Saturday, we received two new Associates; wife and husband Erin and Steve Moore, from Syracuse, NY.

Outside scenes and new Associates. From top left, clockwise: winterberries are gaining color as they ripen in time to provide food to birds throughout the winter; new Associates Erin and the Rev. Dr. Steve Moore; hints of russet and orange on an ornamental cherry tree; wisps of fog rising from the Hudson river in the morning sun.

Please hold our recently received Associates in your prayers: Greg, Barbara, Erin and Steve.

Peace and all good to you.