Into Advent

 This week, Br. Bernard visited Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT, to offer spiritual direction to seminarians. This weekend, Br. Ephrem is leading a parish retreat at St Sephen's Episcopal Church, in Middlebury, VT.

The Rule of St Benedict greatly values work, and particularly manual work, for the monks. Each of us take turns in liturgical and ancillary tasks on a weekly basis. We also have episodic work, like greening the church for Advent and Christmas. And then we have steady jobs; jobs that require too much know-how to easily rotate amongst monks (e.g. guestmaster, bursar, formator, etc.).

This week, we caught our brothers working. It's easy to do, they are up to something laborful every day.

Ora (but also) Labora. From top left, clockwise: Br. Marc addressing Christmas cards in the Pauli Murray and Absalom Jones work room; Br. Robert James greening the church for the first week of Advent (in the belltower, 2 pictures); Br. Marc cleaning the laundry room; Bros. Luc and Edwin making our esteemed Holy Cross Incense; Br. Josép buffing up the piano in the formation room; postulant Anthony feeding a new compost heap (3 pictures).

On Friday, we received a new Associate, Bishop Frank Brookhart, retired bishop of Montana. He traveled with his wife Susan from California where they now live, especially for the occasion.

On Saturday afternoon, some brothers and several guests walked up the hill to nearby Ascension Church (where Br. Aidan is priest-in-charge) to visit the crafts and cookie decoration fair.

At Vespers, that evening, we started a new church year, with the beginning of the season of Advent. We lit up the first candle of the Advent wreath in front of the ambo.

Monastery people. From top left, clockwise: the first lit candle on the Advent wreath before Vespers of Advent 1 B (2 pictures); intern Clay, Bros. John and Marc visiting Ascension Church's crafts and cookie decoration fair (with priest-in-charge, Br. Aidan, with antlers!); Br. Aidan greeting a friendly cat at a "friendsgiving" party in Woodstock, NY; Br. Bernard with the Right Reverend Frank Brookhart at his reception as a Holy Cross Associate; Susand and Frank Brookhart; a frequent visitor, a well-camouflaged three-armed antlers buck.

We wish you a blessed Advent. May you go within as you anticipate the celebration of Christ of ancient days, the Christ birthing in our hearts and the Christ of the end days.