An old-fashioned winter

This week, Br. Bruno is on vacation at St Mary's house up the driveway. It's an easy way of being away without the trouble and expense of travelling. Br. Robert James, our Superior is on the last week of his South African visit to our Brothers at St Benedict's Priory.

Despite January 2025 being on average the hottest January on record across the planet, winter has been seasonably cold in our area with some weeks never getting above freezing point. The Hudson river has been carrying a lot of ice floes and icebreakers have been used to keep a channel open to navigation.

Thi week, a female Cooper Hawk came to rest on our porch furniture and vigilantly rested there for twenty minutes for the gawking joy of Bros. Bernard and Aidan who were indoors just a few yards away.

Wintery scenes. The meadow and the river after a fresh snowfall (3 pictures). And a visit from a Cooper Hawk on the enclosure porch.

We hope you are keeping warm and cozy wherever you perch.

A trinity of birthdays and an initial profession

The very cold weather with episodic small snow falls continues. When there is a thaw, the deer have an easier time of finding forage. When there is snow, it is easier to spot wildlife. It is heartwarming to see foxes or deers frolicking in the meadow despite the cold. The Coast Guard patrol the river to assess the need for icebreakers to maintain a navigable channel.

We started the week with celebrating the three birthdays of Bros. John, Ephrem and Aidan on Monday.

Br. Aidan took it upon himself to bake a cake and cook a delicious dahl which we enjoyed together in the enclosure's atrium.

Preparing a feast. From top left, clockwise: Br. Aidan tasting the dahl; his finished chocolate cake; the bubbling green lentils dahl on the stove; Br. Aidan adding an unorthodox ingredient (lemon juice).

Our Associate John Decker, a professional videographer, completed one year of shooting for the making of the "Portrait of a Monastery." He is already in the process of editing the dozens of hours of footage available. He expects the documentary will be ready in the summer to be shown at various documentary film festivals. The documentary would become available for our wider use by the end of the year (as festivals want films that haven't been distributed yet).

Monastery creatures. From top left, clockwise: Associate John Decker, from Ocean Township, NJ with the monastic community on the completion of his shooting the "Portrait of a Monastery" documentary: John surrounded by Bros. Robert James, Randy, Josép and Scott; deer foraging in the meadow; Br. Aidan in conversation with the Rev. Cari Pattison, of Woodstock, NY (two pictures).

On Saturday, at our St Benedict's Priory in Hermanus, South Africa, our Br. Mpumelelo made his initial profession of the Benedictine vow. This profession is for a period of three years. Br. Mpumelelo received his choir cowl from the hand of our Superior, Br. Robert James who is visiting the priory for a month. During his novitiate, he spent four months with us here in West Park. Please pray for the continuing blossoming of Br. Mpumelelo's monastic vocation.

Br. Mpumelelo's initial profession. From top left, clockwise: our Superior, Br. Robert James gives Br. Mpumelelo his brand new choir cowl: Bros. Robert James and Mpumelelo before the ceremony; Br. Mpumelelo with his formator, Br. Simon Thuku.

On Sunday, we celebrated the feast of Presentation (a.k.a. Purification or Candlemas). We started by the blessing of the candles in Pilgrim Hall (which used to be our first chapel over a century ago) and then processed with lit candles to the Saint Augustine church.

The feast of the Presentation. From top left clockwise: attendees waiting for the arrival the altar party in Pilgrim Hall: the Coast Guard patroling up and down the Hudson (two pictures); the blessing of the candles in Pilgrim Hall.

Saying 'See you to intern Robb

 Our Superior, Br. Robert James, is on the first week of his month-long visit to our St Benedict's Priory in Hermanus, Western Cape province, South Africa.

Everyone else was home this week. This coming week, intern Chris will be visiting family in Austin, TX and intern Robb will be departing after a nine-month monastic internship with us. He is returning to Minnesota where he will complete his religious studies course at a local college.

This Saturday, we all got together to thank Robb for all his contributions to our community life and to hear his thoughts looking back on the experience (he liked it and learned a great deal).

Celebrating Robb's internship. From top left, clockwise: from two weeks ago, a vie of the old oak and little cloiter from the tree service's cherry picker fully extended up; Bros. Carl, Adam, intern Chris Renshaw and Br. David Bryan; a snow-cover little cloister with additional lighting (credit: Associate John Decker); Bros. Timothy, Francis, Bruno, Ephrem, Aidan and Randy; Br. Josép, our internship director and intern Robb Benson-Ernst.

In  a week's time, we will be welcoming a new intern. More to be revealed later.