Readings: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40; Romans 8:14-17; Matthew 28:16-20 The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Abbot Robert Barnes presiding, Fr. James Orthmann preaching.
Fr. Joseph’s Homily for Pentecost, 24 May, 2015
Readings: Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 31, 34; John 15:26-27, 16:12-15 For so-called “cradle Catholics” the uncommon zeal and enthusiasm of someone recently converted to Christianity can either be mildly irritating or a source of holy envy in the face of their own apparent lack of zeal and tendencies to spiritual indifference–what […]
Pentecost Sunday, 24 May, 2015
Readings: Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 15:26-27, 16:12-15 The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. Joseph Wittstock presiding and preaching. Our Lay Cistercians are with us this weekend for their annual retreat and will reaffirm their vows on Saturday, 23 May, after Midday Prayer.
The Current Vocation Crisis, Part Three
The big question that Br. Paul Bednarczyk, CSC, asked the Vocation Directors and Superiors of our U.S. monasteries was “Where will you be twenty-five years from now?” That is a question that no one can answer for sure but what may be very significant is that question had not been asked before. Decades ago, when I lived in […]
July and August: Available Rooms at the Retreat House
We still have good availability in the Retreat House through July and August, both weekdays (Monday through Friday) and Weekends (Friday through Sunday). If you’ve ever stopped and wondered why vacations can seem frantic and anything but relaxing, how about taking some vacation days for a retreat? It’s a great way to truly get away from everything, […]
A Visit to Our Lady of the Angels, Crozet, Virginia
Fr. Charles Cummings from Holy Trinity Abbey, Utah, has been serving as chaplain to our nuns at Our Lady of the Angels monastery in Crozet, Virginia. That’s a few miles outside of Charlottesville. During this past week, Fr. Charles went, as he has annually, to the Medieval Congress hosted by Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. He […]
Fr. Robert’s Homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension
Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1: 17-23; Mark 16:15-20 Today, on Sunday, the Church in most of the United States celebrates the feast of the Lord’s ascension into heaven instead of last Thursday. The bishops in our country have chosen the ascension to be moved so all Catholics may participate in this important feast of our faith. […]
Current Vocation Challenges for Monastic Communities, Part Two
As we’ve been know to say in the past forty years, do you want to hear the bad news or the good news first? Actually, I’m not sure whether that’s the appropriate question in this case since we can’t forecast where things are going. We can only refer to what we know from the past […]
Sixth Sunday of Easter, 10 May, 2015
Readings: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 John 4:7-10; John 17:11b-19 The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. Vincent Collins presiding and preaching.
A Word from the Cistercian Fathers for May
In this life, Martha and Mary should never be separated. When the time comes when Jesus is no longer poor or hungry or thirsty or able to be tempted, then Mary alone–that is, our spiritual activity–will occupy the whole of the house–that is our soul. Saint Benedict saw this, or rather the Holy Spirit in […]