Br. Joseph Vantu, our current prior, greeted the developments of our Refounding Retreat at Priestfield with a heart felt Alleluia. At one discussion he characterized the needed ability to communicate with others according to Lao Tzu’s description of the strong man: he is like water. Flexible enough to conform to a pipe, a well, a vase or a bucket, he can find his “common ground” with a variety of people. Though non-resistant, over time water can penetrate the hardest stone as a man, strong in patience, can penetrate the hardest heart.
Br. Joseph concluded: there are now two dates for us to celebrate at Holy Cross: 18 November, 1950 when the monks first arrived from Rhode Island to live the monastic life at the Cool Spring property in Virginia; and 9 May, 2013, when the monks of Holy Cross Abbey refounded their monastery at the Priestfield retreat.