Cookout and preparing for Annual Chapter

Little by little Holy Cross Brothers from other locations converge on our monastery in view of the Chapter meetings that will take place here next week. Br. Adam McCoy has arrived from Cathedral City, CA, and Bros. Daniel Ludik, Roger Stewart and Scott Borden have arrived from Hermanus, South Africa.

This coming Monday will see the arrival of Toronto Brothers and the much awaited return home of Br. Josép from his time in Rome and Assisi at the Monastic Formators Program.

This past Monday, we kept to tradition and had a Memorial Day cookout organized by Br. Aidan and grilled to perfection by Br. Randy.

Memorial Day cookout. From top left, clockwise: Br. John slicing the bread buns; assembled community members relaxing; Bros. Daniel and Timothy and intern Eric chucking corn; Br. Randy at the grill (two pictures).

Following are pictures of the monks busy at ancillary functions. They happen every week , are indispensible to our health and well-being, but don't get much press.

Monastery folks. From top left clockwise, Yanick Savain our bookstore manager with her visiting brother Joey from NYC; Br. Ephrem at Br. Benard's desk learning the ropes of how to post sermons to our blog and other web platforms; Br. Daniel emptying the sacristy storage cell; Br. Daniel cleaning up the emptied cell; the tidy outcome in the sacristy storage; Br. Aidan mopping the hallway floors in the monastic enclosure.

And of course, this blog entry needs a blooming report. Iris blooms are on the way out. It's the turn of roses and peonies to take center stage.

Blooms. From left, clockwise: rambling roses in the little cloister; staff member Jamy Hermance's composition for the refectory; cuttings from another rambling rose; various peony compositons in the guesthouse and the church (three pictures).

If you will, keep us in your prayers, as we assemble in Chapter for discussions and decisions regarding our beloved Order of the Holy Cross.