Peace vigil and autumnal bonfire

Br. Ephrem attended the reunion of CAROA* Superiors in Toronto this week. He also visited our dispersed monks there (Bros. Brian Youngward, Leonard Abbah and Reginald Crenshaw). He drove back home with Sr. Greta Ronningen of the Community of Divine Love (in California) who is taking a few days of retreat with us. Ephrem proceeded to fly out to New Orleans the next day to attend his mom's 80th birthday. 

Last Sunday, Bros. Bernard and John attended an International Day of Peace Prayer Vigil at Port Ewen's Reformed Church at the invitation of their pastor, the Rev. Brian Steadman, an OHC Associate. There were representatives of the Bruderhof Maple Ridge Community in Ulster Park, NY, of the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, NY, the Sisters of the Companions of Mary the Apostle, and Reformed Church parishioners. We all shared prayers for peace for the world, country, state and county.

People and flowers. From top left, clockwise: attendees at the International Day of Peace Prayer Vigil at Port Ewen's Reformed Church: CAROA Superiors in Toronto, ON (Sister Greta is standing on the left, Br. Ephrem, in our travel habit is standing third from the right); American pokeweed, beautiful but toxic (except to birds); flower arrangements in the refectory and the church (3 pictures).

On Monday, our two Assistant Ground Stewards, Bros. Jacob and Daniel did a Fire Departement authorized burn of brush and branches the whole day. Large piles of them have accumulated through the gardening season by the red barn. Various Brothers visited the bonfire and helped a bit. The fire permit is till December. The fire was monitored at all times. There will need to be a few more fires before the piles of brush and branches are consumed.

Bonfire. From top left, clockwise: Bros. Jacob and Daniel posing like the farmers in the famous painting American Gothic, by artist Grant Wood, painted in 1930; Br. Daniel monitoring the fire; Br. Bernard giving a hand: Br. Jacob picking up more combustible from the pile; Br. Daniel set up his tent for the day to enable those who wanted to take a sheltered nap by the crackling sound of the fire.

This weekend's Nor'easter mostly affected coastal areas of NY and NJ. We got sever winds Saturday afternoon and some intermittent rain Saturday and Sunday but essentially came out unscathed.

White caps on the Hudson River in the hours leading to the passage of a Nor-Easter storm.

Peace and every good to you.

* CAROA stands for the Conference of  Anglican Religious Orders in the Americas