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 […]
Studying The Psalms
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 […]
A Request From The Bakery
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. […]
Ailred of Rievaulx: a sketch of his life, part three
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 […]
Fourth Sunday of Easter, 29 April, 20012
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.
Sustainability and Catholics
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 […]
Third Sunday of Easter, Year B, 22 April, 2012
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.
Waters of Life/Protectig Water Systems, continued
In a post for April 3, I introduced the topic of water and the medieval Cistercian conservation of water systems. I also sketched out the connection between such practices to our spirituality. What St. James wrote of faith and works is not irrelevant: “I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you […]
Raising the Roof at Cool Spring Natural Cemetery – Video
The Trappists of Holy Cross Abbey, with the help of master builder Ron Heath, have been raising the roof of late. But there is no need to worry, the monks – and their guests alike – still value the many sounds of silence that grace the monastery’s grounds just an hour west of Washington, DC. […]
Ailred of Rievaulx: a sketch of his life
Ailred (his name is also spelt “Aelred”, the actual, non-Latinized spelling was “Ethelred” ) was born around 1110 in Hexham, Northumbria, close to the Scottish border. His father was the priest Eliaf, a canon of the cathedral. Even at this late date, there were legally married priests; the Gregorian reform from the previous century, promoting the innovation of […]