Associates Fall Retreat

This week, Br. David Bryan returned from a two-week visit to our Brothers and Associates in Toronto, Canada. Br. Robert James was on a four-day vacation with friends on Cape Cod, Massachussetts. Br. Jacob is on a four-day vacation, visiting friends in Ohio.

Last Sunday, we celebrated Jeremy Cannon's internship with a social in the enclosure's atrium. Jeremy told us of how his monastic vocation had been awakened and nurtured through the internship. And then he treated us to a piece of music on his native flute. He will be back in two weeks' time to enter the monastery as a postulant this time.

Celebrating a fruitful internship for Jeremy. From top left, clockwise: Jeremy playing the native flute for the community (two pictures); the brothers sharing conversation (two pictures).

On Tuesday, we remembered our departed brethren with a requiem mass and the office of the departed. As is customary, at the end of mass, we processed to the columbarium in our crypt and then to our cemetery, north of the enclosure, to pray and bless the places of repose of our brothers.

The gardens continue to be prepared for the winter. Our men in formation tidied up the Little Cloister this past Friday.

Monastery people. From top left, clockwise: the brothers assembling in our cemetary to bless the tombs of our departed brethren (two pictures); Associate Chris Amy, from Toronto, ON, volunteering in the monastic library; the men in formation tidying up the Little Cloister for the winter (two pictures),

Br. Robert James has assembled beautiful arrangements of fall foliage in the church in these past two weeks. Indoors, our common room Schlumbergera is thinking about blooming.

Autumnal leafy arrangements throughout the church (3 pictures) and budding schlumbergera in our common room.

This weekend, we hosted 25 of our Associates for their fall retreat. Br. Bernard led them in an introduction to centering prayer. As is customary on Associates retreats, we had a social on Saturday afternoon in Pilgrim Hall. That morning, at eucharist, we had received Kimberly Brown of Union Springs, NY, into the Associates program.

A weekend with our Associates. From top left, clockwise: Br. Bernard with latest Associate Kim Brown; the Associates social in Pilgrim Hall (5 pictures)

If you've considered finding out more about our Associates program, do get in touch with Br. Bernard, our Director of Associates.