All too often holiness is equated simply with overcoming vice and cultivating virtue. And although this is surely central and integral to holiness it is not all that holiness entails. In his image and analogy of the vine and the branches Jesus says that every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter
Although perhaps less common today, Lent has long been associated with giving things up and denying ourselves. Such self‑denial has been practiced either as reparation for sin or as a way of strengthening our weakened wills, freeing them from enslavement to inordinate desire and the pursuit of pleasure. And when Saint Benedict says that the […]
A Word from Our Cistercian Fathers
I have found him whom my soul loves: I grasp him and will not let him go. I embrace you, my Jesus, and experience the joy of my love. I encompass you, the treasure of my heart, from whom I have all that is mine. May my mind feel, I beg you, the power of […]
Fr. James’ Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday
12 April, 2026:–Second Sunday of Easter, Year A: Acts 2:42-47; 1Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31 Thomas was willing to follow Jesus to Jerusalem to die with him (Jn 11:16). But at his arrest, Jesus said, “…let these men go.” Did Thomas realize then that Jesus was called to something unique, if unknown to Thomas; that it […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the Easter Vigil
We have spent these last six weeks of Lent in a spirit of repentance, sorrow, and lament for our many sins and failings. Indeed, these final days have focused especially on the great price that Christ lovingly paid for our sins and our salvation. Somewhat suddenly, then, on this holy night of the Lord’s rising, […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for Holy Thursday
The impassioned feelings and sometimes heated controversies surrounding the Novus Ordo and the Vetus Ordo of pre–Vatican II worship highlight the complex nature and sacred purpose of the Eucharist whose institution we celebrate this evening. The relatively simple and pared‑down Novus Ordo might even be considered elaborate when set beside the utter simplicity of that […]
Tuesday in Passiontide
The cry of Jesus on the cross—my God, my God, why have you forsaken me—seems to dispute Jesus’ claim (in today’s gospel) that the Father is always with him and has not left him alone. And while we can only speculate on the inner state of Jesus revealed by that heartfelt cry, it can serve […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent
22 March, 2026, Fifth Sunday of Lent, YR A: Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45 In John’s Gospel, Christ is life, but much more than biological life. For those who believe, Christ gives eternal life. In Christ, we begin to function at that level where faith is cultivated, where compassion is born, where our life […]
Holy Week Schedule
PALM SUNDAY: Holy Mass 10.00 a.m. HOLY THURSDAY: Mass of the Lord’s Supper 4.30 p.m. GOOD FRIDAY: Good Friday Service 4.30 p.m. HOLY SATURDAY: Easter Vigil 8.30 p.m. EASTER SUNDAY: Easter Day Mass 10.00 a.m. PLEASE NOTE: The Gift Shop will be CLOSED on the THURSDAY AND FRIDAY of Holy Week, but […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph
The distinct tasks of discerning, then knowing, and finally carrying out the will of God each present their own particular challenges. The Gospel describes Joseph as a righteous man, and so it seems unlikely that he would have resolved to divorce Mary quietly without first seeking, in prayer, to understand God’s will in the bewildering […]