Giving Thanks

Every Brother was home this week. It's a beautiful thing to have a full choir chanting the office.

We started the week with the first West Park mass presided by our Br. Ephrem, whose priestly orders were received in the Episcopal Church the prior Sunday. We give thanks for his priestly vocation. It also lightens the rota of active Eucharistic presiders that went from four to five members.

Br. Ephrem presidign his first mass at the monastery.

After Tuesday's Eucharist, we went down to the renovated Guesthouse kitchen to bless it. Br. Aidan, who oversaw the whole project from conception to delivery, presided the ceremony. The architect and contractor were both present for the occasion. We give thanks for all those who worked on this project: for our architect, contractor and craft people; for our chefs who cooked in the interval in difficult conditions; for those who will enjoy the food attentively produced in that kitchen; and for our benefactors who enabled this project to be financed.

The blessing of the renovated Guesthouse kitchen. Upper right picture of the bulletin for this blessing featuring a 1920's picture of the kitchen.

The benefits of a renovated kitchen were on full display for our Thanksgiving feast. We had a full house of guests to celebrate with us. We give thanks for the artistry of our chefs and for the guests who come to share into our monastic life for a few days.

The Thanksgiving Day feast. Good food, good company. Bottom left picture: our happy nonagenarians, Bros. Lawrence and Carl.

After a big, satisfying meal, several of us went for a hike in the John Burroughs Sanctuary near the monastery. We looped three trails, taking in the Black Creek waterfalls. We give thanks for all the public and private organizations that contribute to the conservation of the beauty of the Hudson Valley.

Blooms and hike. Cut flower arrangements in the church for the feast of our Founder and for the feast of Christ the King. Bottom right two pictures: Postulant Samuel Kennedy, Bros. Marc and Josép, intern Clay Wackerman, Br. Edwin (partially visible) and Postulant Anthony Letchworth; Intern Clay Wackerman at the Black Creek waterfalls.

On Saturday, we celebrated the feast of James Otis Sargent Huntington, our Founder. We give thanks for his vision and perseverance in the monastic vocation. We give thanks for our 141 years of brotherhood in the monastic life.

And we give thanks for all those who follow us online through our blogs, our Facebook page and our Instagram account, and through our website. We give thanks for Br. Randy who manages our web presence and online communications. And we give thanks for Associate Tom Bickley who manages our Associates Facebook page.