Farewell to Br. Aidan

Our Superior, Br. Robert James is still with out Brothers of Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, for a little less than three weeks. Br. David Bryan returned from a one week visit to friends in Palm Springs, CA.

This Saturday, the 315th Chapter of the Order of the Holy Cross met to consider Br. Aidan's request to be dispensed of his monastic vow. This Chapter gathered on Zoom Brothers from Canada, South Africa and the US. Chapter agreed to The Rev. Aidan Owen's request.

Later that morning, Aidan visited our Chapter Room for a last time where the West Park community was assembled as we do daily. We prayed together thanks for the blessings we shared and forgiveness for the shortcomings we have had. It was a sad occasion. Br. Aidan was a great Brother to live with for the 12 years he spent with us. We wish him every blessing on his journey with God. He remains the Rector of Ascension Holy Trinity Church while he seeks full-time priestly employment. Eventually, he will leave the Hudson Valley to relocate where he finds his new position. He will be missed.

Monastery people. From top left, Br. Ephrem preaching for the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (2 pictures, Br. Randy, the presider, in the background): Br. Daniel reading a lection at mass on a weekday (2 pictures): Bros. Bernard and Aidan on his 40th birthday (last Monday); Br. Aidan in front of the Old Oak in the Little Cloister.

Here are more pictures of the aftermath of the late January blizzard that dropped over two feet of snow in West Park. We have mountains of plowed snow at various spots. Where will we plow whatever next snow might be coming our way?

Post-blizzard pictures (and before the snow-plowing)

Thank you for reading the Monastery Column.

Happy New Year!

We wish you peace, serenity and good health for 2026.

We started the year with our Long Retreat from January 3 to 11. During that time, the guesthouse is closed though our worship remains open to the public. And we observe round-the-clock silence to facilitate contemplation and rest. The liturgical schedule is similar to our contemplative weeks throughout the year: matins, mass at midday and vespers.  On the last evening of our retreat we had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Holy Spirit chapel (a.k.a. the chapter room). Most of us delight in those 9 precious days.

But it is a joy to come out of silence at the end and check in with our Brothers how the retreat treated them.

The guesthouse reopened this past Tuesday (January 13). We are hosting an aspirant for two weeks. Aspirants have had a lengthy process of discernment with our Vocations Minister, Br. Josép. At some point they agree it is time for an aspirant visit. Those visits are usually 2 weeks or more. The aspirant lives with us in the enclosure and partakes in all of the community's activities to get an experiential sense of what monastic life here is really like.

Brothers helping Brothers. From top left, clockwise: Br. David Bryan, one of our Sacristans blows off the altar candles at the end of the feast of the Epiphany (notice the three Kings visiting the Holy Family); Br. Jacob replenishing vittles in the enclosure's atrium; Br. Daniel teaching Brothers a new boardgame; the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance in the chapel of the Holy Spirit; Br. Raphael cleaning the enclosure's atrium (2 pictures).

We have had a lot of snow and very cold weather so far this year. It makes for good winter wonderland pictures. Thank God for central heating!

This Saturday, we received the Rev. Denny Nilolopoulos, from Carmel, NY, as our latest Associate. He is a frequent visitor.

Winter wonderland, West Park. Pictures of the monastery and the meadow. Center picture: the Rev. Denny Nikolopoulos being received as an Associate (with Br. Bernard).

If you are in the northern hemisphere, we wish you a cozy and warm shelter. We pray for those who lack a warm place to call home.

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.