Christmas!

Advent, Christmastide, or any other season, there are always repairs and maintenance going on at the monastery. This past monday, our new generator was inspected and programmed to enter function. On Christmas morning it went into gear for its first power outage. We only realized it after a few minutes: flawless transition to generator power and less noise than our previous generator. 

Jamie and Lewis Morano, two of our building contractors, worked on renovating two dropped ceilings in offices on the main floor of the enclosure. The rooms look much neater now.

Maintenance, repairs and development. From top left, clockwise: a technician for Electric Power Systems programs our generator for proper functioning; Lewis Morano prepares a dropped ceiling framework for repainting; his brother Jamie Morano doing the same; in next door's office (Br. Aidan's new Bursar office), the finished result of a renovated dropped ceiling.

On Friday, our landscaping and snow-plowing contractor delivered a beautiful 10 foot Christmas tree for the Guesthouse. Jamie and Lewis Morano installed it (not a mean feat at that size). And it was ready for triming (lights only on Friday afternoon, all the rest with the help of our guests on Christmas Eve).

The guesthouse christmas tree. From left, clockwise: Br. Aidan photo-bombing my shot of the tree offered by our landscaper, Anthony Marguglio; without the photo-bombing; with just the lights on (December 23); with all the trimmings (December 24).

On Christmas Eve we decked the halls. We have three teams working concurently in the guesthouse, in the church and in the enclosure. Our guests and our guesthouse team did a great job once again.

Greening (and redening) of the guesthouse and the church. From top, clockwise: window sill in Pilgrim Hall; the ambo and the altar in the church; staging of the poinsetias (in the belltower) the day before; the decorated belltower; the tabernacle; the Lady and Child statue; the Holy Family in the refectory (two pictures).

And the church team and the sacristans did a great job too.

Meanwhile a small team worked in the common room and conservatory of the enclosure.

Decorating the enclosure's common room by Bros. Bede, Bernard (not pictured), Josép and Randy.

The creche (nativity scene) in the church. From top left, clockwise: before Christmas; after first vespers of Christmas on Christmas Eve; the birth and resurrection of Christ in the same view.

A choral schola trained by Br. Josép for the last month presented half hour muscial programs before the first Vespers of Christmas and the Eucharist on Christmas day. It featured 5 monks as chorists, 2 men in formation as guitarists and the Rev. Suzanne Guthrie as both chorister and flautist (and drummer).

We had a full house of guests for the weekend and some day visitors joined us for mass and dinner on Christmas day. Our chefs and guesthouse staff did a fantastic (and scrumptious) job.

May we welcome the Prince of Peace as lavishly in our hearts every day.

Guests and Brothers on Christmas Day. From top left, clockwise: Sr. Shane Phelan, CMA, of West Park, NY, with Alana Krivo-Kaufman of Philadelphia, PA; Br. Ephrem rehearsing before Christmas mass; Br. Laurence with a family of Liberian friends; Mr. Samuel Kennedy giving Summer the labradore her Christmas present in Br. Josép's office; Br. Ephrem and Samuel admiring Summer's efficiency at enjoying her Christmas treat.

Brothers and guests enjoying the Christmas feast. From top, clockwise: overflow of guests seated in the St Scholastica room; table settings; the spread inspected by Samuel Kennedy; the desserts spread; Br. Aidan reading the menu and saying the graces; tables of guests and brothers enjoying the feast (four pictures).

May you have a blessed Christmastide (the twelve days of Christmas to Epiphany).