Christmas in a monastery

We hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you a blessed Christmastide (the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany). We had a full house of guests to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord with us.

Each year, our landscaper/snowplowing team gift us with a beautiful 10 feet Christmas tree. Our maintenance team sets it up in a secure fashion. We soon trim it with lights. But then we wait until Christmas Eve to decorate it further with the enthusiastic help of our guests.

Trimming the tree top. We had a very tall guest to place the archangel at the tippy top of the tree (thank you, Logan).

On Christmas Eve in the afternoon, the monastic is divided in three teams. One tean helps the guests deck the halls in the Guesthouse. Another sets up the creche and decorates the church. An a third team trims a smaller tree in our Common Room and decorates it and the next door conservatory.

Guests helping to decorate the Guesthouse on Christmas Eve.

There so many helpers that this blogger can rove the house for pictures.

The enclosure Common Room creche and Christmas tree. And festive light on the plants of our conservatory.

The creche is set to receive Baby Jesus but not before the first Vespers of Christmas have been sung. At the end of Vespers we process with handheld candles around the church, singing Silent Night, until we end at the creche where the Superior puts the baby in his manger. A musical interlude follows for folks to venerate the new born before moving on to the Pilgrim Hall for singing carols and munching on cookies and apple cider.

The Christmas Schola - assembled, coached and directed by our choirmaster, Br. Josép - performed twice. Once before the first Vespers of Christmas and once before mass on Christmas day. By all accounts they sang and played music beautifully.

The Christmas Schola rehearsing, preparing for the performance and performing. Top left picture, from left to right: Bros. Josép and Scott (truncated), The Rev. Suzanne Guthrie, Bros. Will, Jacob, Raphael, Bruno, Ephrem, Daniel and John (Br. Bernard snapping the picture).

We welcomed Emmanuel (God amongst us) with joy and good liturgy. We thank our guests for their help and participation and our staff for their hard work.

Christmas Eve worship and revelry. Top left, the assembly of the faithful in front of the creche after the first Vespers of Chrismas. Center, the monks assembled around the creche. (Three remaining pictures) carol singing in Pilgrim Hall (a guest brought out his violin to accompany the singing).

In the afternoon of Christmas Day, after an early second Vespers of Christmas, we close the guesthouse and assemble in Pilgrim Hall to exchange our presents. Our presents are the ability to direct $100 dollar each to the charity of our choice. So the unpacking of our presents consists in telling each other to which charity we have given the money allotted to us and say why it matters to us. It's a beautiful tradition.

Later that evening, Br. Randy organizes a jazz evening in the Middle House common room (to not disturb our resting brothers with enclosure noise). The many musicians in the community comment on the various jazz pieces we hear. We listened to a half-dozen Christmas pieces before sampling saxophonist Joshua Redman's latest album. Another Christmas tradition now that we have done if for a few years.

Christmas jazz night. And views of ice floes on the Hudson.

The three Kings (they were actually wise men but ours sport crowns) have started making their way to the creche. The convention is that unidentified persons move the Kings and their camels forward unseen so that the illusion is that they are making their own way day by day. They start in the slype (the little bridge between the enclosure and the church) and proceed along the semi-circular ambulatory around the church. The suspense of whether they'll reach Bethlehem before Epiphany (January 6) is nerve-wracking.

Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior following their lucky star. And reflection of the Christmas tree lights on the windows of our common room.

The Monastery Column will be on a hiatus until January 18. May you enjoy the remainder of the 12 days of Christmas.

Winter solstice

Everybody was home this past week! Last Sunday, as is our tradition on the third Sunday in Advent, we had a Lessons and Carols service in the afternoon. The anthems are performed by Kairos: A Consort of Singers and the readings are made by friends, associates, fellow religious, local clergy and brothers (9 of them). The free will offerings from the audience are matched by our community and distributed to a couple of local food ministries.

Lessons and Carols. From left, clockwise: Associate Kelly Fairweather, Br. Raphael, Kairos member Michael Saunders, The Rev. Brian Steadmans, Hildegard Pleva, Br. Aidan, The Rev. Meredith Kadett Sanderson; Sr. Shane Phelan, CMA; The Rev. Suzanne Guthrie.

 

With the approaching winter solstice, the early sunset makes for atmospheric late afternoons and evenings. A flock of Canada geese has decided our meadow is to their liking. They flock in various numbers with loud arrivals and departures. There is an interesting turf war when our herd of deer arrive to browse the meadow. Usually the geese cede the terrain.

Monastery scenes. From top left, clockwise: Brothers listening to Kairos during the Lessons and Carols service; members of Kairos singing an anthem; a flock of Canada geese in the meadow (2 pictures); Br. Josép preaching about his eponymous saint on the fourth Sunday of Advent.

This past Friday, some of us went to a Bach Christmas Oratorio performance graciously offered by the Maple Ridge Bruderhof community in nearby Ulster Park. There were about 200 choristers and musicians with a matching number of visitors. The rousing music and texts set us in the Christmas mood.

Christmas oratorio. From top, clockwise: Bruderhof chorister and musicians (two pictures); Christmas tree lights as seen from the crypt through the little cloister; crafty Christmas trees on the stage at the Bruderhof concert.

The Prince of Peace is at hand. We wish you a Merry Christmas.

An initial profession and a goodbye

Br. Jacob is visiting his family in Missouri this week. Br. Bernard led a retreat on Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina at the monastery. It was the last week of his nine month internship for Jack Mullins.

On Tuesday, Br. Daniel (previously known as Br. Ben) made his initial profession of the Benedictine threefold vow (stability, obedience and conversion to the monastic way of life), His family had traveled from Michigan a few days before to be with him for this big occasion. There were also old friends and fellow religious in formation.

Br. Daniel's initial profession. From top left, clockwise: Br. Ben (as he was known then) being questioned about his desire to make his profession; Br. Daniel in his new choir cowl, hugging his Brothers (here, postulant Jeremy); fellow religious in formation with Br. Bruno; Bros. Will and Daniel and intern Jack Mullins in choir; Daniel'sportrait with the Superior, Br. Robert James, the novice master, Br Josép, and his junior master, Br. Ephrem; a portrait with Br. Daniel's family (his brother Martin and his mom and dad).

The profession mass was followed by a feast in the refectory. But not before all official pictures were taken.

Monastery scenes. From top, clockwise: the whole community with Br. Ben (note Br. Bede, on the left who was visiting for the occasion); the Advent wreath for week two of the season; family and friends of Br. Daniel relaxing in Pilgrim Hall; the 10 feet tall Christmas tree delivered and installed in Pilgrim Hall; statue of Jesus healing the blind man in the foreground with a statue of St Joseph outside in the background.

 

On Friday, we said farewell to our intern Jack Mullins. We had a social in the enclosure's atrium to hear give an overview of how the internship was for him and give him a couple of presents. We wish Jack all the best in his continued vocational discernment.

Monastery scenes 2. From top left, clockwise: Bros. relaxing at intern Jack's farewell social (Bros. John, Bruno, postulant Jeremy and Br. Aidan); Bros. enjoying a cup of tea at Jack's social; the Christmas tree lit up thanks to Br. Josép (next picture) and postulant Jeremy; view from a monastic cell after a fresh snowfall.

 

May your Advent also feature moments of silence and solitude to wait expectantly for the Prince of Peace.