The Easter Vigil (Saturday, 30 March) will begin at 8:30 PM with the blessing of the Easter Fire and the Paschal Candle. The Liturgy of the Word follows with the return of the Alleluia. Abbot Robert Barnes will preside and preach. The renewal of Baptismal Promises follows and we conclude with the celebration of the Eucharist.

11:00 AM: the Good Friday Psalter: the monks and our guests pray selections from the Psalter meditating on the Passion of Christ 4:30 PM: the celebration of the Lord’s Passion. This service is in three parts: the Liturgy of the Word culminating in the Passion of Christ according to John followed by intercessions; the Veneration […]

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated at 4:30 PM, Abbot Robert Barnes presiding and preaching. After the Gospel and Homily, Fr. Robert will celebrate the Mandatum, that is, the Lord’s command to wash one another’s feet, the symbolic act of service to one another. St. John’s Gospel gives us the only account […]

On 25 March we usually celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Incarnation to Mary. Since we are in Holy Week, the Solemnity is transferred to 8 April, the Monday after the Easter Octave. That change attests to the importance of our seasonal celebrations: this week we enter into the mystery of the Eucharist, […]

This Sunday, 24 March, 2013, we celebrate the Community Mass at 11:00 PM; Abbot Robert Barnes will preside. The celebration begins with the distribution and blessing of the Palms and St. Luke’s Gospel, describing Jesus entrance in Jerusalem. Extra blessed palms will be left on the Church Porch throughout the day should any visitor require […]

Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11 Today’s dramatic Gospel is a natural choice for movies about Jesus. As the Master serenely teaches attentive listeners, a crowd of men armed with stones drag in a woman, beautiful and disheveled, and demand their harsh justice. Jesus ignores them, bends down to write or draw in the […]

We’ve had a cancellation for the MIW from April 8-12 meaning there is one room available.  If you are interested, email companions@virginiatrappists.org right away and I will reserve it for you.  $100 deposit should follow…for more information click “Take Part” on the home page and scroll down to Monastic Immersion Week/Weekend.  Registration form will be […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Abbot Robert Barnes presiding and preaching.

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. James presiding and preaching. Tomorrow is also the date of the Memorial of St. Patrick. So much of his life has sunk into legend and many nations–England, Scotland, Italy and Ireland–claim to be the land of his birth that it can be difficult to recover […]

This past Thursday morning, Abbot Robert Barnes widened the path through the snow leading up to our assisted living wing: Br. Edward was coming back home. By the afternoon, he was back in his room and we were beginning his new routine of  pureed food and getting reacquainted with the terrain. Since then, the weather has […]