It’s probably clear from the responsorial psalms of the Mass that Christian faith and prayer brings a particular slant, a particular interpretation to the psalms. I always remind people that a Jewish perspective on the psalms will bring us closer to how Jesus prayed and quoted the psalms than if we just interpret the texts on face […]

As part of our Vocations Strategy we have instituted two Monastic Immersion Weekends.  These weekends, that require full ‘immersion’ into the life here at the abbey are scheduled for September 28-30 and November 9-11.  The September weekend for men only has a few slots left…register soon if you are interested.  Below is the full summary and […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM; Fr. James Orthmann will preside and preach This is the First Sunday of the Month and Monthly Eucharistic Adoration begins at 4:00 PM. Vespers is celebrated at 5:30 PM before the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction follows (Benediction begins at approximately 5:55 PM). All are invited to […]

Towards the end of the Mirror of Charity, Ailred touches upon the subject of friendship within the general contexts of attractions and what might draw the monk away from God. That said, he doesn’t reject the possibility of friendship in monastic life. He cautions that it can go either way–for good or ill–but tries to make a […]

In the novitiate Scripture Classes we’ve begun studying the psalms. Yes, we consider data like when they were composed, characteristics of ancient Hebrew poetry, the language and vocabulary of the psalms, the world-view of their authors and so forth. But the most important part of the classes is that each of us finds or re-discovers […]

Bakery Manager Ernie Polanskas is requesting styrofoam packing peanuts for shipping certain Monastery Bakery Products. Yes, we are well aware that styrofoam is anything but eco-friendly and finding suitable alternatives is on the agenda, but in the meanwhile, he’s putting out this request as one way of re-using packing peanuts rather than putting them into land-fill. […]

After Ailred became Abbot, his life was rather uneventful by our standards; but less so by the standards of his time because he had to travel annually to Citeaux for the General Chapter of Abbots and conduct visitations to Rievaulx’s various foundations. During his journeys, he might be asked on occasion to preach in a cathedral […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM. The Principal Celebrant and Homilist is Fr. Vincent Collins. Vespers will be celebrated at 5:30 PM followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament (beginning at approximately 5:55 PM). All are welcome to attend.

Needless to say, Holy Cross Abbey is not the only Catholic Community concerned about sustainability. A future post will consider the papal awareness of  the ecological crisis and what needs to be done. Without going into details now, suffice it to say that Pope Benedict XVI is acutely aware of the impact of climate change and […]

The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM; Abbot Robert Barnes will preside and preach. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament will follow Vespers. Vespers is celebrated at 5:30 PM; Benediction begins at approximately 5:50 PM.