Renewal and continuity

Last weekend, Br. Josép and I went to Washington, DC with our friend Maxillian Esmus (Director of Music at Grace Episcopal Church in Haddonfiedl, NJ) to offer a song recital at St Alban's Church to celebrate the beginning of our Open Hearts, Open Doors capital campaign. We worshiped at St Alban's, visited the National Cathedral and offered the recital on Sunday evening. About 40 people joined us for music and refreshments and we got to show them our new campaign video and answer questions. It was good to re-connect with many of our DMV friends (DC/Maryland/Virgina as I discovered).

From top left, clockwise, Br. Josép, accompanied by Max Esmus on the kora (a West African lute-harp) at St Alban's;
Max trying out the organ on a visit to St Paul's church; Max and Josép having fund with a John Denver song;
Josép sharing sacred music of the twentieth century

This past Tuesday, Br. Aidan renewed his temporary Benedictine vow for a period of two years. We used to have initial vows renewed annually. At our latest Chapter of the Order of the Holy Cross, we changed that to have "junior" brothers make a temporary vow for an initial period of three years. After that, mutual discernment decides whether the community and they are ready to have them make their life vow. Br. Aidan had made his initial vow last year under the old system. So his renewal was for the remaining two years of that new three year period. Even though it's a very simple ceremony that takes place in daily chapter, I always find it moving and encouraging for the man who makes the vow and for all of us who continue in ours. Br. Aidan has written of the significance of this renewal in his blog "Grounding in the Spirit."

From left, clockwise, Br. Robert James, our Superior, sprinkles holy water on Br. Aidan, with Brs. Bob, Bede and Roy in the background;  Br. Adrian looks on as youngest and oldest brothers exchange the peace (Br. Aidan and Br. Laurence); Br. Aidan reads aloud his hand-written instrument of profession (the text of the Benedictine Vow) with Brs. Josép, Robert James and Bob.

Wednesday, on All Saints' Day, I thought of and prayed for my family. In Belgium, families traditionally visit the tombs of their family on All Saints day to tidy them up and beautify them with flowers. I knew my elder brother Benoit and his family would visit my parents' tomb that day. I also remembered each of the many relatives I have in heaven already. I believe space and time constraints don't apply to souls in heaven, so they are "already" (irrelevant concept for heaven) "there" (irrelevant concept for heaven).

These past few weeks, we have started reading "The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd" by Mary Rose O'Reilley. Its sometimes very prosaic descriptions of shepherding can cause some difficulty for the reader trying to skip the least palatable parts of the book but it is otherwise an endearing memoir of finding meaning in the daily. This past week I was having dinner with a guest from New Hampshire who chuckled that she was a Quaker Buddhist, though not a shepherd. We snapped a picture of her holding the book.

Pat Wallace, from Concord, NH, a long-time visitor holds our refectory reading in her arms

Here are a few other guests and retreat leaders who have visited the monastery lately; The Rev. Jane Tomaine, an author about Benedictine spirituality and Associate Priest at Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, NJ, was here leading  a group of her parishioners and friends on retreat; Joe La Vela, a frequent visitor from Chatham, NJ, was here with a friend whom he invited for his first visit to the monastery (way to go, Joe!); The Rev. Shawn Carty, rector of St Mark's, Mendham, NJ is also a frequent visitor and a visiting priest to our Sisters of the Community of St John the Baptist in Mendham; Marylin McEntyre led a retreat on "Poetry, Politics and the Life of the Spirit" which first time visitor Mary Riley much enjoyed; spiritual coach Guthrie Sayen was here for a self-directed retreat.

From top left, clockwise, Joe La Vela, Shawn Carty,
Mary Riley, Marylin McEntyre, Jane Tomaine, Guthrie Sayen

This past week, The Rev. Peter Pearson has been teaching icon painting at the monastery. He is an accomplished teacher of icon painting and has authored a couple of books for beginners, This week, I discovered that he's a good guitar player as he and Brs. Bob and Josép prepared music for worship at an inter-novitiate event this Saturday. Please pray for Peter as he will be clothed with a Novice's habit at Vespers this Sunday, marking the end of his six month postulancy and the beginning of his one year novitiate.

From top, clockwise, Peter blesses completed icons at the end of the retreat he led;
Bros. Bob and Josép sing along to Peter's guitar accompaniment;
Br. Roy gets some information technology coaching from Br. Joseph.

Last Sunday, we launched our new website at the usual web address: www.holycrossmonastery.com. The website is now easily usable on a smartphone which is how the majority of you access it. The website focuses on stable general information on the monastery and the guest house. One often-visited page is our Retreat Programs. You can now download the latest list of programs as a PDF file from the "Visits, Retreats & Programs" web page.

For community news, check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/holy.cross.west.park/. To see pictures of things going on at the monastery, check out our Instagram feed at www.instagram.com/holycross.westpark/.

If you want to receive our regular e-mail broadcasts (about one a month), subcribe to it on our website (at the bottom of every page) or click here holycrossmonastery.com/get-stay-connected/. After a long and fruitful career, we are retiring our printed newsletter Mundi Medicina. It is no longer an effective and sustainable means of connecting with great numbers of you. Producing the Mundi cost about $30,000 a year. 

If you like our blogs, you can subscribe to the one(s) you want to follow regularly:

• The sermon's blog is at http://ohclectionary.blogspot.com/. We now feature audio recordings as well as the text (when available) of our sermons for your further reflection.
• Br. Aidan's meditations blog is at https://groundinginthespirit.wordpress.com/. From there you can also link to his podcast and his creative endeavors blog.
• The Prior's Column is at http://priorscolumn.blogspot.com/. I try to post every week or so.

Entries to any of the above three blogs are eventually cross-referenced to our Facebook page. But you can follow them sooner if you are a subscriber (see each individual blog for subscription).

Your comments on any of the above web destinations are welcome.

Let's stay in touch through our online offerings.