Lessons & Carols and Advent 4

This past week, everybody was home! Yay! It is a special pleasure to sing with a choir full of monks.
And Br. Scott who is visiting from South Africa is adding his voice to the choir.

Last Sunday, we had the Lessons & Carols service instead of Vespers. It always attracts a full house of regional visitors. It was beautifully sung by Kairos, a Consort of Singers, under the direction of Ed Lundergan and beautifully read by a variety of clergy and laity from around the Mid-Hudson valley.

As usual, the freewill offerings of the visitors is matched by the monastic community and will be distributed to various food ministries in the valley.

Lessons & Carols before and after. From top left, clockwise: Bros. Rob and Josép catch up tin the back of the church after setting up the folding chairs in the church; Guests, singers and readers enjoy refreshments in the Pilgrim Hall after the service (you can glimpse the "not-yet-Christmas" tree awaiting decoration on Chrismas Eve).

The monastery was extra quiet this week as we hosted a Centering Prayer retreat program. I am so grateful that we have a quiet Advent leading up to the Joy of Christmas.

A quiet Advent: views from my cell. From top left clockwise: a string of LED's bringing some light in the darkness; a recent snowfall decking the meadow in white: one of my prayer spaces (I've got two: one for sitting, one for kneeling) looks out on the valley (with images that sustain my prayer and two glass objects that remind me of my late parents): one is the gold and cobalt blue paperweight I bought with my first salary as a banker on a shopping day with my Mom; the other is a glass etching of the cross with the hovering Holy Spirit above that my Dad bought me when he first visitied my Episcopal parish of Trinity Wall Street: my Elf hat ready for when we decorate the Guest House on Christmas Eve.

Advent is quickly coming to an end. We lit the fourth candle on the Advent wreath Saturday.

If you'd like to join us for Christmas, here is our schedule:
- Christmas Eve, First Vespers of Christmas and Procession to the Creche at 7 p.m.,
- followed by Carol singing and refreshments in Pilgrim Hall,
- Christmas Day, Christmas Mass at 9 a.m. with sung Christmas music starting at 8.45 a.m.

Have a blessed Christmas!