Preparing for Chapter

Everybody was home this week (it happens!). But it was the last week of his internship for Mr. James Huston who is next moving to California to start law school there. We wish him all the best and thank him for his contributions to our community life these past few months. We observed two big feasts this week: the Visitation of the Virgin Mary on Tuesday and Trinity Sunday.

We kicked off summer with Br. Josép's traditional cookout on Memorial Day. The weather was perfect for it. Br. Marc contributed two cakes (coconut tapioca and chocolate carrot cake).This year, we grilled more Impossible burgers than beefburgers; is there a trend there?

Memorial Day cookout. From top left, clockwise: our griller-in-chief, Br. Josép; the pastry chef of the day, Br. Marc; our intern Jim Huston putting some background music on; Bros. Ephrem and Marc enjoying conversation over a cool beer; the Brothers awaitng the goodies on the enclosure porch; Br. Bernard sampling the goodies; Center: Br. Luc enjoying the atmosphere.

The grounds are bursting with greenery and flowers. Thanks to our many gardeners (brothers and volunteers).

Beautiful grounds. From top left, clockwise: the old oak in the Little Cloister; Br. Daniel, from St Benedict's Priory in Hermanus, South Africa, giving a hand in the gardens (two pictures through a spattered window); the Hudson at the bottom of our meadow; a conversation corner in the Guesthouse garden; Bp. Michael Hunn of the diocese of Rio Grande enjoying a read in the gardens; another corner of the garden (in the enclosure) on which Br. Josép lavishes his care.

This weekend, we received a new Associate, Nic Thornton, of Washington, DC. On Saturday, 

Br. Aidan's parish, Ascension Holy Trinity, was celebrating its 150th anniversary. No big hoopla; but the traditional spring rummage sale attracted a lot of people from the area. At 1$ an item, it also attracted a lot of monks. Br. Josép took the formation guys on a pilgrimage to Ascension Holy Trinity for the occasion. Br. Marc picked up a waffle iron; heres's to hoping for waffles...

Monastery people. From top left, clockwise: Brothers walking towards the refectory after Diurnum on the feast of the Visitation; the formation team visiting the Ascension church, at the top of our hill (welcomed by Br. Aidan, priest-in-charge at Ascension Holy Trinity - AHT); our newest Associate, Nic Thornton, with Br. Bernard in the monastery church; the formation team on the AHT campus (Br. Josép, Jim Huston, Br. Aidan, Br. Marc, the Rev. Samuel Kennedy and Summer the dog); Bros. Francis and Bernard doing hive inspections in the monastery's apiary.

Br. Francis, our new beekeeper, invited Br. Bernard to come and visit our two colonies for a hive inspection. Br. Francis is a cool and diligent bee daddy. 

This weekend, Brothers from California, Ontario and South Africa's Western Cape provinve are arriving for our weeklong Annual Chapter meetings this coming week.

And we leave you with a church blooms report.

Garden roses and peonies in the church.