One who seeks access to the interior of the home, goes around to the intimate friends or members of the household to attain what he desires. In the present instance, who might these persons be? In my opinion they are the holy angels who wait on us as we pray, who offer to God the […]

If you are a regular reader of our web site you have been following the exploits of 12 men who spent a full two days immersed in the monastic community (5 of whom are candidates for monastic life).  You also know we have been asked by others to conduct an MIW for anyone interested in […]

This morning, Abbot Robert Branes delivered the following exhortation to Fr. Vincent Collins before he renewed his monastic profession. You celebrate today, Father Vincent, the first profession of your monastic vows made on October 28, 1962, as a Cistercian monk at Our Lady of Calvary Abbey in New Brunswick, Canada. Today is your Jubilee of […]

Soren Johnson emailed this quote from the recent Synod on Evangelization to the Abbey: …we wish to indicate to all the faithful [an] expression of the life of faith which seem particularly important to us for witnessing to it in the New Evangelization. The first is constituted by the gift and experience of contemplation. A testimony […]

I don’t have to tell you that disastrous weather is predicted for our area this coming week. Although reports change with each update–and we may only experience heavy rain this Monday, 29 October–we ask all those headed to our Retreat House to use caution and exercise your best judgment regarding your reservation at the Retreat House. […]

Fr. Vincent Collins will celebrate 50 years of monastic profession. The Jubilee Mass will be celebrated at 7:00 AM at which time Fr. Vincent will renew his monastic profession and be granted the blessing of the Jubilee. Our readers and visitors know Fr. Vincent from his tireless work in the gift shop. Father asked for […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. James preaching and presiding.

Remember the days when we got that kind of notice–“check your mailbox…”  Nowadays, of course, it usually says “check your in-box.”  Well remember, we come from a tradition that is 1500 years old so we’re still going to tell you to check your mail box for the new, chock full of news, Fall Newsletter.  You’ll see […]

Wednesday 17 October was definitely a first for the monks of Holy Cross Abbey. At approximately 11:00 AM we gathered with neighbors, friends, employees, the press and invited notables to consecrate Cool Spring Natural Cemetery and to bless the fields along the Shenandoah now being worked by the Zurchmeides of Great Country Farm (Bluemont). We have […]

This past week we celebrated several martyrs. Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, wrote a series of letters to the major Churches of his day on his way in chains from Antioch to his martyrdom in Rome. He eloquently describes the fruitfulness of the martyrs’ self-giving in death, united to the death of Christ. The North […]