The Church celebrates the Easter Octave this week. “Octave” is from the Latin word for “eight” and an Octave is an eight day celebration. Strictly speaking, we will be celebrating Easter Day from this Sunday through next Sunday, a way of acknowledging that the Resurrection, and our experience of the Resurrection in the sacraments is […]

Father Abbot and the monks at Holy Cross wish you all the joy and peace of the Resurrection as we celebrate the Easter Octave. You are in our prayers.

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Abbot Robert Barnes presiding and Fr. James Orthmann preaching. The Baptismal promises will be renewed after the homily.

Like any religious Institute of the Catholic Church, our Order has its Constitutions and Statutes to apply the monastic tradition, the Rule of St. Benedict, the Carta Caritatis of our Cistercian founders and all the subsequent developments in Church Law to our daily life and organization. Statute 28.A stipulates: “For the main meal on…Good Friday, the brothers […]

The Easter Vigils will be celebrated at 8:30 PM, Abbot Robert Barnes presiding and preaching. The Celebration begins with the blessing of the Paschal Fire, the blessing and erection of the Paschal Candle and its offering with the singing of the Exultet. The Liturgy of the Word follows with the proclamation of the Resurrection according […]

Good Friday Psalter: 11:00 AM –Guests and Visitors are invited to join the monks to pray through the a large selection of Psalms divided into three “Watches” or divisions. Each division keeps watch with the Lord in his Passion through the words of the Psalms. Like Peter, James and John who failed to keep watch with the Lord […]

Br. Efrain is enjoying his studies in Rome. It’s always an education to meet nuns and monks from around the world; the experience broadens one’s perspective on the monastic life. The customs, the traditions, certainly the history, are so unique from one monastery to another; and yet, there’s such a kinship and familiarity because we share […]

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated at 4:30 PM. The celebration includes the Mandatum and the transfer of the Blessed sacrament to the Altar of Repose. Abbot Robert Barnes will preside and preach. Mandatum refers to the washing of the feet and is derived from the Latin word for something that has […]

It may be no surprise to our regular readers that our commitment as a monastic community to ecological sustainability has a spiritual motivation and a history. Cistercians have a long association with the rivers and streams that run through valleys. There’s a cliche about medieval monastic sites: Benedictines inhabited the heights and Cistercians inhabited the valleys. […]

Because of the special nature of Holy Week and because of the services scheduled for the Triduum, the hours of the Gift Shop have been adjusted and are noted on the Page for the Gift Shop. The Gift Shop will be open this week, Monday through Wednesday, between 1:30 and 5:00 PM as usual. On […]