Mount Saviour Monastery (November 2017)
Mount Saviour Monastery
November 2017
The pond in front of Weston Priory, Vermont
News:
The start of the month saw brothers Gabriel and John away on fraternal
visits to three Northeast monasteries. The first stop was to reconnect
with the brothers at Weston in Vermont whom we consider to be like cousins
to each other. Both of our founders sailed from Europe together in 1937
fleeing Nazi Germany and eventually founded our respective monasteries.
The next stop was a first time visit to the twin community of nuns and
monks at Petersham in Massachusetts where Brothers Gabriel and John, as
in Weston, were warmly received. Petersham is part of the English Province
of the Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation as is Mount Saviour. On their return
trip they made a brief visit to the Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts
where news of happenings in each community was exchanged.
On the 5th, a large crowd was present to hear a very well received talk
on Thomas Merton by Fr. John DeSocio, an Elmira native. Also that day,
our friends and neighbors of many years, Andrew and Marie Colucci were
enrolled as Oblates of the monastery. Our area experienced our first daytime
snowfall this fall on the 7th with undoubtedly more on its way. Br. Mark
escaped serious injury on the 9th when, hearing strange sounds coming from
the front of the car he was driving, wisely pulled off the road and came
to a halt, only to see his front tire continue to roll down the road ahead
of him, which another driver jumped out of his car to catch for him!
On the 13th, Br. Bruno, recovered from receiving recent heart stents,
began the first of several trips to New Jersey taking the sheep to auction.
Also, the chapel was temporarily closed for three days as sound engineers
installed a new system. Some people think the new speakers are spotlights
and are waiting for them to be turned on while others are reminded of the
contraptions that used to envelop women's heads at the beauty parlor, while
still others think they are heaters or are reminded of a lily-of-the-valley
flower. Perhaps they are designed after the Rorschach ink blot tests! The
17th brought the annual closing of the outside wooden chapel doors due
to sustained cold weather.
James McGuire, our former Br. Francis of 20 years, joined the community
at recreation on the 22nd and reminisced about the early days of the monastery.
On Thanksgiving Day our Br. Stephen was briefly hospitalized in Rochester
with difficulty swallowing. He welcomes emails stephengalban@yahoo.com
but no telephone calls or letters please. On the 25th, the annual coupling
of the rams and ewes took place which begins the yearly sheep cycle again
and mysteriously leads to a couple of hundred lambs being born in the spring
when (we hope) new green grass is once again appearing.
Coming Events:
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: Dec. 8th. We will observe a
Sunday schedule
Dec. 24th at 6:30 p.m. First Vespers of Christmas followed by the Blessing
of the Creche
Dec. 25th, Christmas Day: Mass at 9:00 a.m.
Fifteenth Annual Retreat for Knitters: Jan. 12-15, 2018