Abbey News
Sunday, March 21, 2010
No Commemoration This Year
Benedictines normally commemorate the death of St. Benedict on March 21st but not this year since it falls on a Sunday which takes liturgical precedence. But don't mind us if we keep our own little private commemoration. We'll give him due honors on his feast day, July 11th.
Observer
We are happy to have David Czachorowski with us these days as an observer. A  pharmacist by profession he hails from nearby Cheektowaga, NY. Instead of doing a full month's observership he will be breaking his up into two segments of two weeks each due to work constraints. He'll be with us until Palm Sunday and return again later this summer for the second round.
Observers soon discover that they do more than 'observe' during their stay. They are immersed in the full round of monastic life which includes, of course, working in the bakery. Here we see David diligently packing Monks' Bread for shipping to the supermarkets.
While we're in the bakery we might as well break the bad news. . .there'll be no Holiday Bread available this Easter. Our markets are not carrying it at this time and we cannot make small batches for our store. But the good news is: Christmas is only 9 months away!
Poet At Work
Our resident poet, Br. Isaac, has co-authored with a friend, Jeffrey Einboden, a translation of Sufi poems, THE TANGLED BRAID. The work is described as:
A unique collaboration between a Cistercian monk and a scholar of Islamic translation, this volume offers fresh and distinctive interpretations of works by the spiritual Sufi poet, Hafiz of Shiraz. Combining scholarly precision with keen sensitivity to the mystic contours of the Persian originals, these esoteric verses are rendered into English without forfeiting the artistry or accuracy of the original intent.
Knitting together aesthetics and erudition, each poem seeks to be intellectually stimulating and spiritually invigorating. Generated through conversation and exchange, and supplemented with reflective introductions and notes, these poetic translations provide an authentic means of crossing religious and cultural borders, admitting contemporary audiences into the world of Persian Sufism.
The book is now available at Amazon and can be ordered by clicking the image below.
Address Change
The post office has changed our P. O. box number from 900 to 159 and they frequently return mail to the sender using the old box number. Our correct address is now:
Abbey of the Genesee
P.O. Box 159
3258 River Road
Piffard, NY 14533-0159
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