The white choir shirts made our Monastic Immersion Week participants stand out, though, obviously not in choir.  After a full week of activity including conferences with the monks, meals and prayer together, all seemed quite happy with their week of immersing in the monastic life of Our Lady of the Holy Cross.   In […]

Mass Readings: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5: 11-14; John 21:1-19 We are now celebrating the wonderful fifty days between our Lord’s resurrection and the marvelous outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday–events carefully spelled out for us by the Church. During these fifty days the Church lives in the present world as if we […]

This past Friday, 12 April, Bishop Paul Loverde began to celebrate his 25th year of episcopal consecration. Abbot Robert represented Holy Cross Abbey at the mass in the Cathedral in Arlington; characteristically, Bishop Loverde noted the value of our monastic presence in the Diocese. Our Bishop expressed his gratitude to the Chancery staff who have […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM; Abbot Robert Barnes will preside and preach.

It’s always interesting to bring volunteers into the bakery. Most try very hard to fit into their expectations of working with monks and it can be a very self-conscious exercise. Some people  go on vacation and spend good money to swim with sharks; others go on retreat and try working with monks. It can be […]

“I didn’t expect this heat,” is the way one MIW participant responded to the ‘how’s it going check in.’  Thankfully the Retreat House is air conditioned…it’s been warm here along the Shenandoah River. The ten folks here for this intense week are a varied group coming from as far away as Florida, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and […]

Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, 8-10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 At the beginning of each of the four Gospels, we are firmly informed that Jesus is the Son of God, not the son of Joseph. Matthew tells us: Joseph son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in […]

Because the conventional date of the Annunciation, 25 March, fell in Holy Week this year, the celebration was transferred to this Monday. The Church does this so as not to interrupt the solemn celebration of the central event of our salvation, from Palm Sunday and through the Easter Octave. Of course, the Annunciation of the […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. Vincent Collins presiding and preaching. It is the First Sunday of the Month and Eucharistic Adoration will begin at 4:00 PM. Vespers will be celebrated at 5:30 PM followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome to join us.

Readings: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9 Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to change? Have you ever noticed how risky it is to absorb new information into an old way of doing things? Have you ever found yourself failing to understand or even hear what someone is telling you because it […]