The fall triduum

Last Monday, Br. Timothy came back from a two week vacation visiting a friend in Georgia. This week, Br. Robert Leo went to visit friends and family in Pennsylvania for four days.

Last Sunday, we celebrated the birthday of our alongsider Samuel Kennedy. Let's just say that his thirties are now a memory.

Br. Josép, our Novice Master, creates a rich program of formation for our men in the early stages of the monastic vocation. As a part of that, he takes them to visit Episcopalian parishes in our region to find out about their worship and ministries. Two weeks ago, they went to visit St Gregory's in Woodstock. The Rev. Matthew Wright graciously took them on a tour of what's exciting at St Gregory's.

On Monday, Br. Bernard took Samuel Kennedy and our Postulant Marc Santana on a stage of another important tour; good diners in our area... They sampled the diner fare at the nearby Port Ewen diner.

Monastery people. From top left clockwise: monks relaxing in the enclosure's atrium after Sunday morning mass; the noviciate people visiting St Gregory's in Woodstock (Marc Santana, Br. Josép, Br. Daniel and the Rev. Matthew Wright); Samuel Kennedy cutting his cake; Samuel admiring the fall-themed cake; Marc and Samuel seated at the Port Ewen diner; the same with Br. Bernard.

This week started with three days that The Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault has referred to as the fall triduum; the three days of All Hallows' Eve (a.k.a. Halloween), All Saints and All Souls. Br. Josép used the reference in his very good All Saints sermon. In it, Josép also told us about his Dia de Los Muertos in his cell (pictures below).

All Saints fell on Tuesday. Tuesday diner is typically the only served meal the community takes on its own in the absence of guests. For the All Saints feast we invited three women who have long companioned our community to join us for the midday meal: Sister Susan John Mangan, a solitary religious whose hermitage is in Tannersville, NY, Sister Elizabeth Broyles, CMA, who is our next door neighbor to the North and, the Rev. Susan Guthrie from Poughkeepsie, NY.

Scenes of our "fall triduum." From top left, clockwise: Sr. Elizabeth Broyles, CMA with Br. John; Bros. Robert Leo and Ephrem with Sr. Susan John Mangan; Br. Bede with the Rev. Suzanne Guthrie; Br. Josép's altar for the Dia de Los Muertos (three pictures).

On Friday, we received our two newest Associates during the 9 a.m. Eucharist; Ms. Marjorie Swett of Bethesday, MD and Ms. Jessica Greenfield of Collingswood, NJ. Both of them had good friends in attendance; some of them Associates themselves, others showing definite potential for it.

Our two newest Associates. Ms. Marjorie Swett (left) and Ms. Jessica Greenfield (right).

You regularly read the Monastery Column and you're not an Associate yet? Well, why not consider it. Get in touch with Br. Bernard, the Director of Associates at associates@hcmnet.org to find out more about the program. You can also read about it on our website.