News was received on the 7th that John Leinenweber, former Oblate Brother Peter who was at the monastery in the 60’ and early 70’s, died. Please remember him and his family in prayer. On the 9th one of our Maremma guard dogs, Emma, was euthanized due to end stage heart failure. Our vet had warned us when we were gifted with her that she came to us with heart issues.
It took two full days for two professionals to take down two large graceful trees along Monastery Road near St. James. One was already dead and the second was rotting inside. Father Don can now sleep a little easier knowing the one will not suddenly appear in his bedroom. Our walking paths to the river and points beyond were smoothed out on the 24th with the grateful assistance of neighbors and their heavy duty equipment.
After 16 months of closure, the Chapel and Gift Shop were reopened to the public on the 20th. Details have been posted on our web site. One week later on the 26th the community agreed to reopen guest houses to retreatants provided they are fully COVID-19 vaccinated. Closing down was certainly a lot easier than the logistics involved in reopening. We hope to be reacquainted with our extended family soon!