Mount Savour Monastery
April 2017
News:
THE END IS NEAR! That is, the end of this year’s lambing season. At
the close of the month the ewes had given birth to 210 newborns with only
4 more ladies in waiting, or perhaps merely ladies in watching if they
turn out to be sterile. Br. Pierre has been midwifing for over eight weeks
now and so no longer needs to count sheep in order to fall asleep at night.
The bees were not counting the sheep but they still fell asleep. Permanently.
Early in the month Br. Bruno checked in on the overwintering bees only
to discover their demise. Newbies, new bees, have been ordered and Br.
Bruno has been as busy as a, you know, arranging their new accommodations.
This year’s garden was rototilled on the 11th with a new fence installed
around it so monks and guests don’t have to share this year’s projected
bounty with four footed marauders. Our Holy Week ceremonies were generally
well attended until it came to getting up in the middle of the night for
the Easter Vigil. Full, conscience and active liturgical participation
can prove to be difficult at 4:30 in the morning. Easter Sunday was a beautiful
day enhanced by clear sunny skies at dawn with temperatures climbing into
the 70’s, until a spring storm sprung up in the afternoon whereupon we
lost power for six hours. Some of the monks had lost their power long before
that. On the 19th, Br. Ignatio, a solemnly professed monk on loan from
Vietnam returned to his monastery after a two year stay with us, hopefully
with sharpened English language skills. Fortunately he met a Vietnamese
General on his return flight whose help he required in getting the chocolates
he bought for his community through customs. On the 24th, Ronald Lau was
clothed as a novice and took the name Mark which might have been a strategic
move. That meant that according to our custom the community had to have
a name’s day recreation with him the following night, the feast day of
St. Mark! Wrapping up the month was a talk given on the 30th by Dr. Zaman
Marwat, Imam of the Islamic Association of the Finger Lakes entitled: “Muslims,
A Mysterious People,” now hopefully less so for those who attended.
COMING EVENTS:
Sunday, May 7: 15th Annual Damasus Winzen Lecture given by Reverend
Martin Shannon in St. Joseph’s Lounge after Mass. Details can be found
on our website under Community: Features.
Thursday, May 11: New York Benedictine Oblate Meeting. Mass,
Supper and Discussion. New York City
May 26th p.m. & 27th: Yearly Sheep Shearing