So long, Br. Mpumelelo!

The formation team (Bros. Josép, Francis, Bruno, Anthony and Ben) and Br. Ephrem are away for the weekend at an inter-novitiate formation event. Br. Ephrem will be talking to the assembled people in formation about the incarnation. 

Br. Mpumelelo is not taking part in the fun because this Sunday evening he is boarding a plane back to South Africa. We have loved praying, worshiping, learning and playing with him. We look forward to the next times we will be together on either side of the Atlantic. 

Last weekend, the men in formation took Mpumelelo out for a Mexican restaurant meal featuring fried ice cream. Br. Mpumelelo loves ice cream. And his American confreres though he should have the fried ice cream experience before returning to his native South Africa. It takes a village to educate a monk...

So long, Brother Mpumelelo!

We took a picture for our soon-to-be-printed Christmas cards this week, on the feast of St James of Jerusalem.

Monastery people. From top, clockwise: portrait of the community; the fried ice cream experience (two pictures; from left, intern Chris Renshaw, Bros. Ben and Mpumelelo, intern Robb Benson-Ernst and Br. Anthony taking the selfie); two archival pictures of Br. Mpumelelo taking part in novitiate pilgrimages.

Br. Ephrem's third book, "The Shape of the Church," came out this week. It's always worth it to browse The Monk's Cell online bookstore. You can also purchase your copy in the bookstore on your next visit to our guesthouse.

And answering to this blog's entry title last week, yest, it was peak foliage color. It it still beautiful bur a lot of leaves have fallen to the ground already taking some of the lovely colors down with them.