Preliminaries: At 8:15 AM, the solemnly professed community meet with the President of the Election, the two Witnesses and the Notary (Secretary) and the Cantor reads Chapter 64 from Saint Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries, “On Constituting an Abbot.” Then the President, Abbot Damian, comments briefly and exhorts the community. The Notary next reads the roll […]
What Happens At An Abbatial Election? Part 1
Electing an Abbot doesn’t happen every day. And the Master of Ceremonies, responsible for the preparations, says: Thank God! But our readers might be interested in what happens. Our last election, which re-elected Fr. Robert Barnes for a third six-year term, happened six years ago, before this website was renewed in its present re-incarnation, so […]
Fr. Robert’s Homily for the 19th Sunday, Year C
Readings: Wisdom18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48 Today’s Gospel ends with the verse: Much will be required of the person entrusted with much and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more. I don’t think I want to speak about that Gospel text today. I would rather we look at the section […]
A Visit to Crozet
Abbot Robert visited our sisters at Crozet this past Tuesday and reports that their church is nearing completion. Fr. Methodius and Br. Hugh from Holy Spirit Abbey, Conyers, were there to install the stained glass. As some of our readers realize, Conyers has a stained glass studio run by Fr. Methodius and they have executed the windows […]
19th Sunday, Year C, 7 August, 2016
Readings: Wisdom 18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48 The community Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM, Abbot Robert Barnes presiding and preaching. It is the first Sunday of the month and our Eucharistic Adoration begins at 4:00 PM and concludes with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament after Vespers (5:30 PM). All are welcome to join […]
Thoughts Matter
Last post, I referred to one of Fr. Michael Casey’s books that I read to the guests in our Retreat House. Another book I read to them is Thoughts Matter: The Practice of the Spiritual Life by Mary Margaret Funk, OSB. Mary Margaret Funk is a member of the Sisters of St. Benedict of Beech Grove, Indiana, […]
A Word From The Cistercian Fathers for August
From Bernard of Clairvaux’s Homily II in Praise of the Blessed Virgin (CF 18 A, pp 30-31) …And the Virgin’s name was Mary. Let us now say a few words about this name, which means “Star of the Sea” and is so becoming to the Virgin Mother. Surely she is very fittingly likened to a […]
Fr. Joseph’s Homily for the 18th Sunday, Year C
Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21 It was back in 2009 that a former professor of mine at Loyola University, and her daughter, were tragically killed in a freak accident. They had been driving in the a severe snow storm and had stopped at a red traffic light when a large tree […]
31 July, 2016 Eighteenth Sunday, Year C
Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21 The Community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. Joseph Wittstock presiding and preaching.
Fr. James’ Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday of the Year, 24 July, 2016
Readings: Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 If I’m expecting esoteric teaching on prayer from the New Testament, I’m going to be disappointed. If I want something for the elite, I’d have to look elsewhere. Of course, I’d be pretty pretentious to appropriate anything elitist when I still have so much work to do on […]