October 4, 2015

ABBEY NEWS
October 4, 2015

Heading South
Tomorrow afternoon our Prior and Infirmarian, Fr. Isaac, will board a plane and head for Novo Mundo, our daughter house in Brazil. He will be there for some fifteen days giving conferences to the community pertinent to monastic formation, particularly on St. Bernard. Ever since we made the foundation 18 years ago we’ve been sending from time to time various members of the community to give talks and maintain fraternal bonds with our daughter house.

Happy to report the community continues to grow and do well especially with native Brazilian vocations. You’ll find some statistics on the Order’s web page. And if you are up on your Portuguese you can link to the Abbey’s site from there for further information.

Moving On
Also tomorrow our observer, Samuel Luis, will return to his native India after being with us for the past six months. During that time he lived in the novitiate following the full monastic schedule as part of his on-going vocational discernment. While at home with his family he will continue discerning his vocation before making a final decision. Join us in praying that he will come to know God’s will for him and continue responding to it generously as it unfolds.

Annual Retreat
This past weekend we were happy to host our community’s lay associates, The Genesee Lay Contemplatives, for their annual retreat. Numbering in the neighborhood of 30 members they stayed at Bethlehem and Bethany retreat houses. In addition to joining the community for the Liturgy of the Hours they had a few conferences by a member of the community as part of their retreat. You can learn more about them at their web page at Genesee Lay Contemplatives.

Meanwhile, On the Home Front. . .

. . .our Fr. John diligently and happily keeps things bright and cheery around the place these overcast Autumn days by tending to his many plants and shrubs in and around the Abbey.

Lectio Notebook

The greater the perils for humanity become as a consequence of injustice, conflict, and damage to the planet which cannot be made good, the more urgent it is that Christians everywhere understand that we can and must enter irrevocably and radically into God’s plan of salvation: to unmask evil in all its forms and disguises and to conquer it with united powers through goodness, through a life lived according to the Beatitudes.

For a full realization of the Our Father in our lives our faith grows in the power of the love of God, in understanding our glorious calling in Christ, in trust and confidence that we can participate in the great victory of good over evil. Thereby we also unmask false self-love.

Our Father
Bernard Haring, CSsR