Contemplative days

Br. Randy is visiting his family in Willis, Texas, for a couple of weeks.

At the monastery, we observed contemplative days from Tuesday to Sunday morning. We were accompanied in our round-the-clock silence and contemplation by a goodly number of guests who appreciate the greater silence.

Br. Bernard was on a Centering Prayer Intensive retreat at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT. This week's pictures are from his CT retreat. This was his opportunity to live a Centering Prayer intensive retreat as a participant rather than as a co-facilitator as he does twice a year at our monastery.

Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center. From top, clockwise: the labyrinth with a masonry sculpture in the middle; the koi pond; one of many statues of St Joseph with baby Jesus; a poignant sculpture of Mary after the crucifixion: a retreatant in conemplation of a flower bed; a Japanese . nativity scene

If you have a consistent Centering Prayer practice, do consider joining a CP intensive retreat at Holy Cross Monastery. The next one begins this Friday evening. And there will be one from September 11 to 18, 2026.

Br. Bernard's Centering Prayer Intensive retreat. From top left, clockwise: a low-angle shot of a 75-year old copper beech; Saint Francis and friends in contemplation: the staff and retreatants in the chapel where they prayed; a reproduction of Raphael's Beautiful Gardener painting (the original hangs in Le Louvre, Paris).

Eastertide blessings to you.

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.