Our first MIW is fast approaching and in case you have been considering, one man had to drop out this week so we have an opening…send email to companions@virginiatrappists.org for information and registration form. The community will welcome the group into choir for the weekend and all materials and supplies, including special clothing and breviaries […]
A Biographical Sketch of Ailred of Rievaulx, continued
Ailred was crippled with arthritis in the last years of his life. His condition was so bad that he was dispensed by the General Chapter from the regular monastic routine and lived in hut adjoining the the infirmary. Despite his infirmity, these were productive years when he produced much of his writing. His final work was […]
Cool Spring Natural Cemetery Hosts Hawk Release
Over fifty people gathered at Cool Spring Natural Cemetery at Holy Cross Abbey in northeastern Clarke County, Virginia, on Sunday to witness two free spirits soar toward the heavens. But Sunday’s ceremony didn’t involve death, but rather new life, as the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center used the cemetery’s commemoration chapel as a release point for […]
Good Availability for Late Summer Retreats
Thanks for responding to our last announcement about available space at the Retreat House. There is still good availability for weekdays through late summer and many openings on weekends. If you’re interested, please contact Carol Hensley, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM till 4:30 PM at 540-955-4383 by phone or information@hcava.org by email.
Sunday, 29 July, 2012, Seventeenth Sunday, Year B
The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM; Fr. James Orthmann will preside and preach. Because Abbot Robert will be driving up to Genesee Abbey, near Rochester New York, for that community’s Abbatial Blessing, and Fr. Vincent will be cooking, they will be absent from the community Mass. We will celebrate in a simpler manner. All communion […]
Available Vacancies at the Retreat House
There’s still good availability for a stay at our Retreat House through the rest of July, August and September (though the last weekend in September is reserved for the participants in the Monastic Immersion Weekend). If you have that “vacant” vacation time, or perhaps your vacation plans have run aground or you need to “get […]
Biographical Sketch of Ailred of Rievaulx, continued
In the last few additions, I’ve been offering some considerations on Ailred’s writings, as examples of his activity at various stages of his life. This post is a reflection on his Pastoral Prayer and suggests a new dimension: the inner life of Ailred. Charles Dumont, a Trappist of Scourmont, began his introduction to his edition of […]
Canticles for Lauds
Some of our readers, our neighbors and retreatants, like to organize their prayer according to the schedule of psalms we use for our worship. It’s possible to do this just using your Bible but Lauds presents a real challenge: the Liturgical form of the canticles can skip a few (or more) verses and that can […]
What Can We Do?
I’ve received several emails, some to my personal account, some to this site, expressing our sorrow and distress about the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Beyond the specific tragedy lies the broader breach in our society’s moral fabric: why does this happen again and again? How do those fragile people lose touch with concerned and challenging […]
Recycling Styrofoam Packing Peanuts
Monastery Bakery Manager, Ernie Polanskas, is once again putting out a call for Styrofoam packing peanuts. Unless you’ve been hoarding them for Christmas as a surprise gift for a not too beloved in-law (a box with nothing in it BUT packing peanuts) Monastery Bakery would be glad to take them off your hands. Most of us share […]