ABBEY NEWS
End of Retreat
Last Sunday we completed our annual community retreat with the homily at Mass by our retreat director, Fr. Raymond Studzinski, OSB, monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey. The retreat talks were on the necessity of hope in various life situations facing us these days and so concluded on a very hopeful note. For that we are most grateful.
Beginning Retreat
Having completed two and a half years of novitiate formation our Fr. John Vianney will pronounce his 
first vows next Sunday, August 4th, feast of his patron saint, St. John Vianney, during the office of Lauds. He will prepare for the occasion making a five day personal hermit retreat from Tuesday until Saturday. Join us in prayer for a grace-filled retreat that will help prepare him for living out his monastic vows.
Novitiate class with Fr. John Vianney, Abbot Gerard, Br. Placid.
Awhum Report
In our Sunday morning chapter today Fr. Isaac gave us a lively and colorful audio/visual report on his recent 3 week stay at our first daughter house, Awhum in Nigeria.
It was most heartening to learn how well the community is doing. Filled to capacity with 74 members they are the largest male branch of the entire Order. With 6 novices they are filled to capacity and are unable to receive current applicants at the present time. Besides being able to sustain themselves pretty well with their various industries they are in the process of making a foundation several miles away. Enough to make Genesee a grateful and proud mother!
Lectio Notebook
As the church’s spiritual tradition teaches, meditation on God’s word, and on the mysteries of Christ in particular, gives rise to fervor in contemplation and the ardor of apostolic activity. Both in contemplative and active religious life, it has always been men and women of prayer, those who truly interpret and put into practice the will of God, who do great works.
From familiarity with God’s word they draw the light needed for that individual and communal discernment which helps them to seek the ways of the Lord in the signs of the times. In this way they acquire a kind of supernatural intuition which allows them to avoid being conformed to the mentality of this world, but rather to be renewed in their own mind, in order to discern God’s will about what is good, perfect, and pleasing to him (see Romans 12:2).
Vita Consecrata (The Consecrated Life)
Saint John Paul II
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