• Home
  • About
    • Monastic Life
    • Gallery
    • History
      • Holy Cross Abbey
      • Cistercian Order
      • Property and Battlefield
    • FAQs
    • Videos
  • Take Part
    • Pray with us
    • Visit
      • Service Times
      • Directions
    • Vocation
    • Lay Members
  • Vocation
  • Retreat House
    • Testimonials
  • Cemetery
    • Overview
    • Stones
    • Rules Overview
    • Pricing
  • Store
    • Gift Shop / Porter’s Cottage
    • Bakery Products
    • Webstore
  • Updates
    • News
    • Liturgy
    • Abbot’s Lectio Post
  • Contact

Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane Berryville, Virginia 22611

Support Us
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Br. Aelred Joseph receives the novice habit

March 19, 2014 by Kurt

WIN_20140319_074007As the featured post above says Br. Aelred Joseph received the novice habit today in a very moving ceremony in the Chapter Room of the Monastery after Lauds.  Br. Aelred, who comes to us from Massachusetts by way of New York City was formerly a Franciscan Friar, then a counselor and now a monk to be!

The ceremony is a simple, yet solemn one,  in Trappist fashion.  The candidate asks to be admitted, the Abbot accepts for the community and then helps him become a ‘new man’ with new monastic clothes symbolic of a new life dedicated to God.WIN_20140319_073826

Some ask why in the Chapter Room and not the church?  The receiving of a novice is a community function, more than a public function.  And the Chapter Room of a monastery is the center of ‘monastic activity’ along with the church and cloister.   It is here that monks are received after vows and it is here the business of the monastery is done, including the weekly chapter talk by the Abbot after Lauds on Sundays.  The community councils that help the Abbot transact the communities business, also meet in this room.

Pray for Br. Aelred and the community.  He is the first new novice since the ‘re-founding’ of Holy Cross Abbey and we expect he will be the first of many.  Brother David, currently in his postulancy, will be next with several more men following him.

Share

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: News

Documentary Trailer

Watch the full-length documentary on the videos page.

More Video

Support Us with a Donation

Contact Us

Newsletter Signup

Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane
Berryville, Virginia 22611-2700
Phone: (540) 955-4383

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Quicklinks

  • Cemetery
  • Retreats
  • Directions
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Get Involved

  • Pray with us
  • Visit
  • Vocation
  • Support Us

Copyright © Holy Cross Abbey - All Rights Reserved
Website Development and Management by MarketSpark
Maintenance Log -  Webmail -  Admin