Brother Antonio returned from his family visit to Mexico on the 9th. For the first time this winter, the ground began to firm up from the rainy year of 2018. That gave Brother Bruno his first opportunity to get equipment into the fields to bring in haystacks that have had to sit there since the fall. Last year our area received over 57 inches of rain, the most of any year on record. The feast of the Baptism, this year on the 13th, concludes the Christmas Season. Over the course of the following days decorations were removed as we began the first week of Ordinary Time. Father Thomas Reese reminds us that it is called "ordinary" not because it is unspectacular or ordinary in the sense we "ordinarily" use the word, but because the weeks of the year are numbered, as in ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.).
A little more celebrating happened on the 17th. That is the name’s day
of Brother Antonio, so the brothers observed a festive evening recreation
with him. The knitter’s group began their yearly retreat on the 18th. They
were the only non monks able to make it to Sunday Mass on the 20th due
to snow, cold and high winds. Our area received a general 12 inch snowfall
which was still in high gear at Mass time. The monks who were not sharing
the “bug” traveling through the monastery were treated to a Moroccan meal
with the group later that day. On the 23rd a funeral Mass was held for
Salvatore “Sam” LaLomia who helped Brother Antonio make candles in the
Arts and Crafts shop. Please pray for his wife Mary Ann and family. The
thermometer bottomed out at -13 on the morning of the 31st. Father Don’s
car steering was frozen so he managed to hail a car heading up our hill
in time to celebrate Mass. The weathermen say next week we might hit 60
degrees as we move into February and our roller coaster winter continues.
MAY 5th at 10:30 a.m.will be the Damasus Lecture with Sr. Julie Upton, RSM and Benedictine Oblate, President of the American Benedictine Academy.
OCTOBER 6th we will have Sr. Mary Donald.