Holy Cross day and new Associates

Br. Robert James, our Superior is two weeks into his month-long visit to our brothers at St Benedict's Priory in Hermanus, South Africa. This weekend, our formator and all our men in formation (five of them!) are at an inter-religious formation conference in Long Branch, NJ. Also this weekend, Br. Ephrem left for a family visit in Louisiana. As a result, we are a bit thin on the ground in choir. But the chanting goes on.

Luckily, we were numerous to celebrate our patronal feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14.

Monastery folks. From top, clockwise: the altar party processing in for the mass on Holy Cross day; the presider (Br. Aidan) and server (Br. Francis) bowing to the altar; the monks in choir prior to mass; Sunday evening "Holy Cross Cinema" (watching "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)"); Br. Bernard paying a visit to our northern neighbors (Sisters Elizabeth Broyles, CMA and Sister Shane Phelan, CMA).

During that week, we were also hosting a Centering Prayer Post-Intensive retreat. The house was in silence. On feast days (Holy Cross and Sunday) the Centering Prayer folks retreated to St Scholastica for dinner to maintain their silence.

Centering Prayer Post-Intensive retreat. From top clockwise: our prayer room for the week (Father Whittemore meeting room); the group have dinner in silence in St Scholastica room on Holy Cross Day; chatty centering pray-ers on the last night of the retreat; supper that same evening.

That same week, we welcomed two new people into the Associates program: Celpha Sands, of St John, Barbados (who also sat on the Centering Prayer retreat) and The Rev. Jane Brady-Close of Ghent, NY.

Associates. From top left, clockwise: Br. Robert Leo's arrangement of garden flowers for Holy Cross day (2 pictures): Br. Bernard with new Associate Celpha Sands: new Associate Jane Brady-Close sporting her Associate cross; Jane having a cuppa with fellow Associate Susan Barbarisi, of Port-Ewen, NY; Br. Bernard with Susan and Jane.

Wishing you a blessed Michaelmas (coming up next Saturday).