Blog
Oct 18

October 18, 2015

Print This Post

ABBEY NEWS
October 18, 2015

Homeward Bound
During the past week we were glad to have Br. Callistus of our sister house, Holy Spirit Abbey in Conyers, Georgia with us for a quiet retreat. May the graces of the retreat bear much fruit for a long time to come!

This coming Thursday our Nigerian Brother from our daughter house in Awhum, Br. Christian Igbokwe, will return to his community in Nigeria. He Br. Christian of Nigeriawas with us for some three years as part of his on-going monastic formation program. Hopefully he will be able to transmit some of his growth in monastic spirituality to his brothers. Before leaving for Nigeria he is spending a few days visiting our Benedictine Brothers at Mount Saviour monastery in Pine City about an hour and half drive from here.

Meanwhile, our Br. Patrick continues his stay with our Brothers at Illah our other daughter house in Nigeria transmitting monastic values to the small community. Also helping out at Awhum is Fr. Gabriel, Prior of Novo Mundo in Brazil giving conferences there.

Last but not least . . .the first shall be last (cf Mt. 20:16) our Prior, Fr. Isaac will return this Tuesday afternoon after his stay at Novo Mundo where he has been giving conferences on monastic spirituality to the community.

40th Anniversary

ABBEY CHURCH CHOIR FACING EAST

                                                ABBEY CHURCH CHOIR FACING EAST

Here on the home front we will be celebrating the Solemnity of the 40th anniversary of the dedication of our Abbey Church on Saturday, October 24th. It will be a special joy celebrating it this year after the recent renovations which were completed some 8 months ago.

Lectio Notebook

Contemplation is not necessarily a matter of thinking of God. Contemplation is a matter of immersing ourselves in the heart of reality. And to anyone who is capable of taking the plunge, reality suddenly unveils itself, presents itself in its truth, reveals its truth.

But this revelation is possible only if our gaze is pure enough to penetrate this secret sanctuary without violating it or seeking to possess it.

Contemplation is an attitude of mind which does not need either a monastery or a desert to be practiced in. We can develop this contemplative gaze which penetrates to the heart of reality in order to reach its soul in the midst of our ordinary everyday life. Contemplation is the capacity to live out the present fully.

Henri Boulard, SJ
All is Grace