Abbot Christian has finally been able to visit our two monasteries in Mexico, La Soledad and Santa Maria. The pandemic made it impossible to travel to Mexico until now.
Our two monasteries in Mexico are approximately nine hours by car from each other, in very different locations and climates, but sharing the common monastic vision, like Christ in Desert, of prayer, work, lectio divina and hospitality.
Our Subiaco Cassinese Congregation Abbot President Guillermo Arboleda, who lives in Rome, is with Abbot Christian in Mexico during these days, to encourage and support our brothers in Christ and Saint Benedict in Mexico.
None of our monasteries has pretentions of grandiose numbers or edifices, but all hope to have as members serious yet joyful men, who truly have a vocation to contemplative monastic life. That means serious discernment and screening of candidates.
Both La Soladad (in today’s photo), and Santa Maria, number around a dozen monks each, and Christ in the Desert two dozen. The Mexican monasteries currently have a number of young vocations and work well together as communities dedicated to authentic Benedictine life.
La Soledad and Santa Maria are working toward eventual autonomy, a normal course of development for Benedictine monasteries.
Autonomy means the ability to have the right to elect their own superior, rather than having one appointed by the abbot of Christ in the Desert. They are also able have their own chapter of finally professed monks who vote on important matters for their life as a monastic community.
Prayers for all three of our communities, Christ in the Desert, La Soledad and Santa Maria are much appreciated. We keep all our families, friends, benefactors and our oblates in our daily prayers as well.
Gratefully,
Abbot Christian and the monks
