A moving in and a house blessing

This week and next, we are hosting the orientation for missionaries of the Young Adult Service Corps and of Episcopal Volunteers in Mission, two international service programs of The Episcopal Church. It is always inspiring to be around these people who offer a year of their life in service to missions throughout the Anglican Communion.

This past Thursday, Br. Carl Sword moved to the monastery from Manhattan, where he has been a psychotherapist for over thirty years. Despite being a spry 87 years old, Br. Carl will continue a reduced therapy practice by phone and Facetime. One of the first thing he asked me when planning his move back to the community was "give me work to do."

Br. Carl is well-known to even the most recent monks in our community for he came to visit a weekend a month for many years. We are looking forward to enjoying his company more regularly.
Please hold Carl in your prayers as he transitions into this new life situation.

On Friday, movers arrived with Carl's belongings. In thirty years of independent living, Carl has accumulated a lot of witnesses to his good taste. Many of his artist patients sometimes paid him in beautiful art. Many of our walls are looking better as a result.

Shades of Carl. Paintings by many gifted artists that moved with Br. Carl

Capital projects are going on both in the church and in the enclosure for the moment. We are installing two mini-split air conditioning units in the church and one each in two common rooms of the monastic enclosure. We expect to enjoy the full benefits of quiet and energy-efficient AC in the church in the next week or two (this coming week would be nice since temperatures in the nineties will predominate...). The church HVAC project is a part of our Open Hearts, Open Doors Capital Campaign. The enclosure project is thanks to a donation "for something you can't do with your capital campaign" said the donor. We are very grateful to our donors all around.

Our Capital Campaign continues until October. It is not too late to help us towards our $3MM stretch goal. You can find out more about the campaign on www.givingsites.com/holycross or donate online at https://holycrossmonastery.com/donate/.

Yanick Savain, sporting our latest apron, and Br. Aidan ready to wash up dishes in the Guest House pantry.

On Saturday, three of us went to the home of our neighbor, friend and library volunteer Susan Barbarisi for a house blessing. Susan recently moved in a nice home a few miles north of the monastery and asked newly-ordained Br. Aidan if he'd come to bless the house and celebrate Eucharist there. Br. John, our Librarian, who often works with Susan in our libraries, and I accompanied.

The service is from the Episcopal Book of Occasional Services. It is beautifully written and I found it very moving as we moved from the entrance to the garden, going through all the rooms, and saying a specific prayer in each before Br. Aidan sprinkled holy water in it in blessing.

We brought an icon of the Archangel Michael painted by Br. Joseph as a sign of heavenly protection on Susan's home. And then we had cake and fruit!

From top left, clockwise, Br. Bernard and Susan Barbarisi; Br. Aidan (and Br. John's lap) in Susan's living room (you can see the aspergillum - holy water sprinkler - used for the blessing on left of the coffee table; a beautiful cake made especially for the occasion.

By the way, do you know we also have a sermons blog where you can hear our Brothers preaching and often read along as you listen (if a written text is available). It's the next best thing to coming to worship with us, which we hope you will do again soon.

Blessings!