Icon writing retreat

Br. Daniel is on a family visit and vacation in Michigan, coming home soon.

This week, our new Associate Christine Hales, from Sarasota, FL, led an icon-writing retreat for a dozen guests. Her teaching of painting icons prayerfully is always popular.

This week, the retreatants were writing an icon of St Francis of Assisi with the wolf of Gubbio. The legend of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio tells of a ferocious, man-eating wolf terrorizing an Italian village. Rather than fighting the beast, St. Francis met it, made the sign of the cross, and commanded it to stop harming the townspeople, taming the wolf and negotiating a historic peace.

Icon writers at work in St Augustine's meeting room.

On Friday morning, on the closing day of their retreat, our guests gathered with their completed icons in our church for Br. David Bryan to bless the fruit of their art and prayer.

Icon writers having their icons blessed by Br. David Bryan in our St Augustine's church.

The gardens and the trees have been suffering from the drought and episodes of extreme heat these past few weeks. Br. Francis has also given extra ventilation to our four beehives when necessary.

Monastery visitors. From top left, clockwise: a fawn spotted near the monastic enclosure; our newest Associate Christine Hales sporting her ebony Associate cross; a garden flowers arrangement by Br. Robert James in front of the St Augustine icon (two pictures).

Peace and every good to you.