Slipping into autumn

This week, we hosted an icon retreat led by Christine Hale and a writing retreat led by Beverly Donofrio. We are grateful to our gifted retreat leaders for their care for their art and their students.

As is customary for Christine's icon retreats, we blessed the finished icons on Friday, the last day of the retreat. 

One of the students, The Rev. Peter Antoci painted an icon of a role model that belonged to the parish he now leads (St Thomas' church in Upper Marlboro, MD). His icon was of The Rev. Pauli Murray. I didn't know about her and liked what I heard of this remarkable woman. Among many other distinctions, in 1977 Murray was the first African-American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest, in the first year that any women were ordained by our church. Thank you, Peter, for painting her icon. It is always a joy to see the liveliness of the icon-writing prayer form and art.

Blessing of icons. Br. Aidan blesses the icons completed during the retreat by anointing the back of them with consecrated oil.

Our heating systems have kicked into action for the first time. Days are warm enough but the nights are getting colder. I've gotten my comforter out of storage and enjoy the cool air from beneath the warmth of the layer of down. The two new HVAC units in the church have hesitated between cooling and heating depending on the time of the day. Now they are definitely on the heating mode when in function.

Our Brother Robert James, our Superior, is on a well-deserved few days of vacation with friends on Cape Cod. He will be back home on Tuesday.

Br. Robert James in Wellfleet, MA. From top left clockwise, three friends on a stroll (Br. Robert, Monica Vega, and Heidi Schmidt. They go back to their time in South Africa); the Bay side of the Cape; Br. Robert barefoot on the beach; ocean waves.

This past Wednesday and Thursday, I was at General Theological Seminary. I will visit GTS every month of the academic year to offer spiritual directions to students and members of staff. This is my second year as spiritual director at the seminary. I'll see 9 to 10 people in a day and a half of sessions.

I arrived in NYC on Tuesday evening in time to celebrate his 70th birthday with my friend Lewis and a couple of his friends. Conveniently, he lives 9 blocks north of the seminary.

Me and my friend Lewis Folden, on a visit last year to one of his favorite paintings at the Met.

Do you know about our other blog? Holy Cross Monastery sermons can be found at:
http://ohclectionary.blogspot.com/
For several months now, we have started publishing recordings of the sermons. When available, you can also find the written text of the sermon. Check out Br. Josép's sermon for Proper 21.

Have a blessed week!