Another set of important doors on our property are those that lead to the main residence area for the monks, what we call “the cloister.”
The cloister doors were built nearly twenty-five years ago, and apart from occasional oiling to refurbish the wood, they have stood the test of time and served their purpose well.
As in most households, some parts of our property are for reserved for the monks and not open to the public. This is not a matter of shunning, but of allowing us to have quiet areas to ourselves, for some amount of privacy and prayer.
The cloister doors open to a covered walkway where we regularly assemble for procession into church for Sunday morning Mass and Sunday evening Vespers. The Latin term for our assembling for the procession into church is “statio,” which literally means “standing,” and from which our word “station” is derived.
The hardware for our cloister doors was crafted by Tom Joyce, an internationally recognized blacksmith and MacArthur Foundation fellow from Santa Fe. Tom also made the beautiful handrailing for the staircase leading down to the cloister proper, where most of our monks have their rooms (we call them “cells”).
Christ called himself “the Door” (see Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 9) and it is Christ who is our sure Way to God’s House.
Blessed weekend!
Abbot Christian and the monks
