Thirteen men here at Holy Cross Abbey’s first Monastic Immersion Weekend got a chance to sit in the church guest pews in preparation for joining the Monastic Choir starting tomorrow for each of the Offices. Men ranging in age from 31 to 70 have committed to two full days of monastic life with the monks.
Six of the men are discerning their vocation (hopefully with us here at the Abbey) and the other seven are using this time to experience monastic life and more importantly take from it tools they can use in their own contemplative prayer life.
This evening Abbot Robert and Brother Efrain (vocations director) met briefly with the men to welcome them to Berryville.
Tomorrow begins a full day including choir practice at the awful hour of 4:45 am a conference on praying the Daily Office, a conference on the rule and one on its history. And, of course, wedged in there is praying the Office with the monks…we also let them eat sometimes.
We will publish more on this important weekend for the Abbey tomorrow. Please continue to pray for us.