News:
We have the custom of  gathering in the monks' cemetery after None on November 2nd. to remember the monks and the faithful departed who are enjoying eternal rest.  This year, we remember especially 4 persons who were closely connected with the monastery over the years: Helen Siegl, an artist who built a house next to our property, Uli Scheifer who took care of the ladies' guesthouse for many years, Br. John Brown who was the practical force of the first years of this foundation and John Boler who settled in the Annex after retiring as a Philosophy professor.
On the farm, we have to wait until November to collect our monetary reward; Br. Bruno made 5 trips with sheep to the auction.  Before Thanksgiving, we divide the flock in 5 groups for the breeding season.  It is a crucial period as we plan our work for the coming spring.  We accepted a grant from the Dept. of Agriculture to improve our fences.  Br. Bruno and John Mercer pounded dozens of posts before the ground freezes.
Many groups were received in the guest houses including some boys and girls from the Family School Foundation on separate week ends.  The Friends of the monastery organized a series of lectures and the first lecturer was Ron Cassetti, the architect of the new buildings.  On November 24th, Fr. Patrick Mundy, a retired priest in residence, spent a couple days at the hospital for a pacemaker implant.