There’s an extraordinary story playing out at Holy Cross Abbey in Clarke County, Virginia at this very moment and it doesn’t include budgets, politics or taxes. Instead, the story is the remarkable miracle called Spring and it is happening in the fields, woodlands and skies above the Abbey. This is the perfect time to make […]
2012 Fruit Cakes ready for Easter
This year’s fruitcakes, baked in January and allowed to age, are now available in the Gift Shop
Ailred of Rievaulx
Because the Abbot will have a special word for Palm Sunday and Easter, his on-going comments on Ailred of Rievaulx will appear here, this week and next. Jesus teaches not only by word but by action. I might even say that Jesus teaches not so much by word as by action and his own example […]
Palm Sunday, 2012
The blessing and distributions of palms with the processional Gospel will be celebrated at 11:00 AM in church, Abbot Robert Barnes presiding. This entrance rite, as specified by the Missal, will replace the penitential act. Mass of the Lord’s Passion will follow with the solemn reading of the Passion from the Gospel acording to St. Mark; there will be […]
Fear and Love; Death and Life
I’m struck by Jeremiah’s words: “I will place my law within them and write it on their hearts” (Jer 31, 33). That sounds great; but do I have any cause to presume that this promise describes my life or how I operate? Is my heart like that because I’m a baptized Catholic? Is that how […]
Fifth Week of Lent
The feasts of St. Joseph and the Annunciation have certainly interrupted the mood of Lent; but with the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the change in tone is unavoidable. More and more the readings at Mass remind us of the Lord’s sufferings, his betrayal and especially his sacrifice. Sacrifice in every sense of the word: what he […]
A Visit from Fr. Andrew
This week began with a visit from our Fr. Andrew. Father Andrew has been residing at Carroll Manor for a good number of years where he can get the constant health care he needs. During his sojourn there, Br. Isaac, a monk from another of our houses, Genesee Abbey, near Rochester, NY, has been studying at […]
Eagles Eye Monastery’s Green Cemetery
Black and white are popular colors at Holy Cross Abbey located just a few miles east of Berryville, Virginia. Not only are black and white the traditional colors of the cowls and robes worn by the Abbey’s 14 Trappist monks, they are also the colors of choice for two American Bald Eagles who are permanent […]
The Incarnation: a Chapter Talk by the Abbot
Today we celebrate the Annunciation of the incarnation of the Son of God as a human being by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. There is much going on in the community these days, as we strive for sustainability and our day is unavoidably affected by “business as usual”–even if it isn’t a work day! But do your […]
26 March: Solemnity of the Annunciation
The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM. The Principal Celebrant and Homilist is Abbot Robert Barnes. It is a non-work day for the community and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament will be celebrated after Vespers (5:30 PM) The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus Christ to the Virgin Mary […]