In Catholic culture, the month of May is traditionally considered the Month of Mary.
In our part of the country, various flowers abound in May that we can place at the icon of the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in our Monastery church. Flowers that have bloomed this month include daffodils, tulips, lilacs and irises.
Currently, as the month of May draws to a close, peonies are blooming, and while not particularly fragrant, they are certainly a welcome burst of beauty.
A possible poem, as yet unwritten, could begin something like this: “I think that I shall never see a flower as beautiful as the peony.”
Peonies have a fairly short blooming season, usually a matter of days, but we will make the most of enjoying their presence from the twenty bushes we have in our cloister garden.
Soon, and throughout the summer, roses will be blooming again. That is something to look forward to in June and beyond.
A Blessed Memorial Day weekend, with assurance of our prayers.
Abbot Christian and the monks
