The Abbey of the Genesee

Reunion Weekend

As part of our 60th anniversary we invited all the former members of our community - the Genesee Alumni - to join us for a weekend of reconnection and celebration. Eight former members were able to come. Their membership in the community spanned the days from the foundation back in the early 50's to but four years ago. Some stayed in our guest houses or a local motel with one commuting from his nearby home.

During the celebration they were given a tour of the monastery, bringing back many memories to the ole timers. They joined us in choir for liturgy and Mass with a 'getting reacquainted social' gathering Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning each one spoke to the community in chapter reminiscing on the old days and sharing personal anecdotes of their monastic days. The celebration concluded with a gala Sunday dinner shared by everyone.

It was heartening to hear from them about some of the lasting effects their time in the community has had in their lives and continues to have. Several expressed their feeling of coming home as they drove up to the monastery or found themselves in choir once again. A couple mentioned 'once a Trappist, always a Trappist' and how they consider themselves as being among 'our brothers who are away' for whom we pray daily.

Double Header

While we're still celebrating our 60th anniversary we'll add to it the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the dedication of our Church tomorrow, October 24th, keeping the day as a full solemnity though Mass will be at the regular time, 6 AM. St. Bernard will speak to us about the deeper meaning of the dedication of a monastic church in today's Lectio Notebook.

Retreat Week

Even though our annual retreat ended on the 16th it continues to bear fruit in our lives thanks to the words and person of our director, Fr. Francis Martin. Fr. Martin was an example of the saying of many that they would rather see a sermon than hear one. We were blessed in both hearing and seeing.

If you'd like to experience some of that for yourself be sure to visit his web site at Fr. Francis Martin Ministries where you'll find excellent YouTube talks on scripture and liturgy among other things.

Schedule Change

Next week we'll be celebrating Tuesday, November 1st, All Saints Day, as a Holy Day of Obligation. Consequently we'll be baking on Monday, October 31st, with Mass at 4 PM, instead of Tuesday which we'll be keeping as a solemnity with Mass at 9:45 AM. See our Liturgical Schedule page for the schedule changes for those days.

Lectio Notebook

My brethren, we ought to observe today's festivity all the more devoutly for the reason that it is so peculiarly our own. All the other sacred solemnities which we keep are common to us with the faithful in general. But this is proper to ourselves that if we do not keep it, it will not be kept at all.

It is our own feast, because it is the feast of the dedication of our own church. It is still more our own because it is the feast of our own selves.

The feast of the dedication of our house, my brethren, may be truly called a domestic festivity. But more domestic is the feast of the dedication of ourselves, which indeed is the festival we are keeping today.

For to us appertained that sprinkling and that benediction and that consecration which were performed by the hands of the holy bishops, and the memory which is recalled on this anniversary with joyous hymn of praise.

Excerpts from Sermons for the Dedication of a Church

St. Bernard of Clairvaux