Pentecost Sunday on the 9th also marked the 60th wedding anniversary of Pat and Tony Cicariello. Tony was the dentist for the brothers for many years, and Pat was the former mayor of Elmira. Before the dismissal of Mass they received a special blessing. Our cooks were blessed with the day off as the community was invited to dinner by the Bethany Retreat Group at the men’s guest house.
Father James, whose health is holding steady, turned 92 on the 19th.
Seven of us celebrated the occasion with him at the Sisters of St. Joseph
Motherhouse in Rochester. There was also celebrating at the monastery as
a result of five solemnities clustered at the end of the month. During
that time we hosted the Orien Arts Residency Group for a week. They treated
the community and guests to a concert and shared artwork created during
their stay with us.
Brother Bruno took advantage of a brief break in the weather to begin haying on the 24th. This year’s wet weather conditions are similar to last year. This has produced challenging conditions to get equipment into the fields. Fortunately, the grasses are as abundant as one could ask for.
COMING EVENTS:
August 11th: Dedication Day. Mass 10:00 a.m. Mass is immediately followed
by brunch in the monastic refectory to which everyone is invited. At 12
Noon there will be a free performance by Grammy Award Winning Artist Rhonda
Larson in our chapel. For more information about Rhonda, please visit her
website http://www.rhondalarson.com
OCTOBER 6th: A talk by Sr. Mary Donald Corcoran in Saint Joseph’s lounge after Mass.
October 17-20: Oblate Retreat Weekend