Perfect gardening weather

Mr. Jeffrey Costello is completing his one month aspirant visit. We have invited him to come back in a couple of weeks to enter the monastery as a postulant. Please keep him in your prayers as he prepares to try his vocation as a monk with us.

Br. Bruno is on a one week retreat at the Trappist Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard NY.

Bros. Scott and Randy commuted every day of this week to our neighbors the Marist Brothers for a week's training on Jungian Spiritual Direction.

Br. Jacob co-led a gardening retreat this week with Petra Page-Mann, from Fruition Seeds in Naples, NY and the Rev. Deborah Duguid-May, also from Naples, NY.

Monastery people. From top, clockwise: Bros. John and Robert Leo checking out the Sunday night movie advertised on the community's blackboard: Associates James Rostron, of Silver Spring, MD, and Anders Nolan, of Norfolk, VA, at an Orioles baseball game in Baltimore; Br. Bernard and Sister E, CMA on a hike at Black Creek Preserve.

The weather has been ideal for outside activities (hiking and gardening come to mind). Our friend David Coppola, who is visiting us for a couple of months is active on the grounds. He is currently repaving the flagstones path on the Little Cloister. Our Novitiate have been executing a plan developed by Br. Jacob to establish wild flower patches on the steepest slopes of our meadow. First, the competing grasses must be tamed down. They will be blacked out for the summer.

Gardeners. From top left, clockwise: David Coppola in the Little Cloister (2 pictures): the novices and aspirant Jeffrey installing the plastic cover that will abate grasses to make way for wildflowers seeds in the fall (3 pictures): Br. Josép taking lilac prunings to a compost heap: (center) conference in the cemetery with Br. Timothy, our groundskeeper on what to do.

Lilacs and tulips are blooming in the gardens. Some of the tulips made it to the feet of Our Lady.

Blooms. From top left, clockwise: "black" parrot tulips in the church (2 pictures): white and red tulips in the crypt (2 pictures): a lilac bush on a red maple background.

May God bless your Eastertide!

Spring exuberance

This week, Bros. Jacob and Daniel were visiting friends in Rochester for four days. They explored possibilities for our grounds stewardship (involving community farming, fruit trees and herbs). They visited several gift economy enterprises, including Fruition Seeds,  Healing Spirits Herb Farm and Reverend Deborah Duguid-May and her wife, Melanie, who are developing a food forest on 20 acres of land located in the Bristol Hills, just north of Naples, New York

Mr. Richard Fitzgerald, M.D. of Charleston, SC was with us this past week doing research in the OHC archives on the relationship between Mepkin Abbey (Moncks Corner, SC) and OHC's Holy Saviour Priory (Tower Hill, Pineville, SC) during the 1970's through 1991 with particular emphasis on the role of Fr. Lincoln Taylor, OHC, the founding Prior.   

Mr. Jeff Costello of Magnolia, NJ, is with us on a one month aspirant visit.

Around us, the saliant event of the last three weeks is the sprouting of leaves on the trees surrounding us and the blossoming of cherry trees, dogwood trees and other flowering shrubs (here's lookin at you forsythias).

Spring blooms everywhere. From top left, clockwise: anemones and violets; magnolia: weeping cherry tree: greening of the trees across the river; ornamental cherry tree; wild red coumbine on rocks near Slabsides Nature Sanctuary; magnolia.

Eastertide joy to all of you.

Happy Easter!

Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!

Everyone was home for the Triduum. And we were joined by a full house of guests. Guests started arriving on Tuesday and by Thursday everyone was here. We also had several locals joining us for one or more services.

On Thursday afternoon, we had the footwashing. Members of the house leadership was the feet of Brothers, guests and one another. Our servant leaders were Br. Robert James, our Superior, Br. Josép, our Formator, and Br. Ephrem, our Guestmaster and Junior Master. Brothers Bruno and Jacob accompanied the ceremony with string music.

The foot washing a.k.a. the Mandatum
(latin for Jesus' commandment to the disciples to love and serve one another).

Later that evening, we had the Mass of the Lord's Supper. At the end of the Mass, the altar is stripped, and the Eucharist is carried in a solemn procession to a place of reservation, called the "altar of repose," for adoration. This year, the altar of repose was set in St Michael's Chapel (the crypt under the church). Great silence is observed round the clock from that service onward until the Easter Vigil on Easter Sunday.

The Mass of the Lord's Supper. From top left, clockwise: before the Triduum starts, all images of holy persons are veiled (four pictures): Br. Josép doing one of the readings: Br. Robert Leo reading Psalm 69 during the Stripping of the Altar at the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday service; Br. Ephrem deposing the reserved sacrament at the Altar of Repose in our crypt.

And then comes the Lord's Sabbath on Holy Saturday. During that day, in the midst of quiet, last preparations are made for the Easter Vigil.

Preparations on Holy Saturday. From top left, clockwise: Br. David Bryan, our Sacristan ironing altar linens in the Sacristy: arches in the entrance to the church looking out over the little cloister; a bassin prepared for the renewal of baptismal vows in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit (the monks' chapter room in the enclosure) (2 pictures); Easter lilies on their staging ground (on the Sacristy's porch) (2 pictures).

During the Triduum, our tower bell is not rung. Guests and monks are warned about upcoming offices by a clacker sounded throughout the enclosure and guesthouse. No one oversleeps with the clacker resounding. The vigil started at 5 a.m. in a drizzle to light the Easter fire outside the Guesthouse. The assembly then processed to the refectory to hear the history of salvation in 6 old testament readings interspersed with hymns and music. From there, we processed to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, in the monastic enclosure for the renewal of baptismal vows. Finally, the assembly processed to the St Augustine church for the Easter mass. We all got our exercising early this morning.

The Easter Vigil. From top left, clockwise: the Easter fire; assembly in the refectory: processing from the refectory; guests and brothers in the chapel of the Holy Spirit (three pictures); Bros. Robert James and Josép: Br. Francis holding the paschal candle and Bros. Robert James and Josép; (center picture) the dipping of the paschal candle into the baptismal water.

At the end, of the mass, the tower bell is heard again. After the service, monks and guests relay each other to joyfully ring the bell continuously for a long while. No more clacker. Joyful sounds are heard.

And everyone eventually drifts back to the refectory for a festive cooked breakfast.

Church blooms. Most church flowers are purchased but spays of forsythia and daffodils come from the gardens.

Meanwhile, wildflowers and garden flowers are beginning to appear everywhere.

Outside blooms. From top left, clockwise: anemone, daffodils, dandelions, violets and a flower arrangement of daffodils and forsythia.

May the joy of Easter fill your heart. May your Eastertide be blessed.