From Eastertide to Pentecost

This past Memorial Day weekend, we kept with our (fairly recent) tradition of a cookout on the porch. These porch cookouts are gifts of love of Br. Josép to his community. He goes out to do the shopping. Organizes volunteers to bring everything out. And he prepares dishes ahead of time and then barbecues the proteins (yes there were delicious vegan burgers on offer). The weather was just warm enough but required a sweaters for starters.

Cari and Br. John went on a hike on Sunday of that weekend and brought a couple pictures back.

Memorial Day weekend: from top left, clockwise: panoramic view of the cookout on the enclosure's porch; the barbecue building up some good embers; guests enjoying the food and conversation; The Rev. Cari Pattison and Br. John on a nature hike.

This coming week, the Order of the Holy Cross will meet for its 308th Chapter. Nowadays, we usually have only one annual Chapter meeting. In the last several years, the monastery here in West Park has been the most convenient venue to get everyone together.

This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the West Park brothers will meet in person and Life Professed Brothers of other houses will join us by Zoom video-conference.

With this meeting of Chapter, my triennium as Prior comes to an end. The Superior has asked me to continue as Prior for another triennium but in a slightly different capacity. I will assist him in managing the monastery and its community foremost in administrative matters. Br. Robert James, our Superior, who resides at the monastery, will become the Head of House, and I will be his deputy for matters pertaining to the monastery. Br. Rob will be the spiritual leader of our house and its main pastor.

I am honored to continue to serve this amazing community of men in a capacity of Prior for another three years. I am grateful for all the progress we have made as a community in so many regards.

Nature's beauty indoors and out. From left, clockwise: an unidentified passerine found her way into the church and chose to rest clinging to the bell rope (I gently enfolded her in a towel and released her to the outdoors); budding peonies in front of various irises; cut phloxes in the West Atrium in the enclosure; same peonies a couple of days later; most of our irises are heirloom varieties (Br. Aidan could name therm all...); a peony blossom; Br. Robert James' magnificent iris explosion for Pentecost.

Please pray for Br. Rob and myself in our new responsibilities.