April 13: Reading Matters
What does an abbot read, or at least this one? The Bible? Yes, every day. Novels? Not really. Books about theology and spirituality, Church and monastic history? On a regular basis. Murder mysteries and science fiction? Never. Lives of the Saints? Now and then. I...Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Abbot Christian and the monks of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert wish you and yours a very blessed and joyful Easter Season. We keep you, our families, friends, benefactors and loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, especially at the Conventual Mass each day...Monastery of Christ in the Desert: New Lambs Video
Our Brother David shares a video offering from his channel showing the two new born lambs.Monastery of Christ in the Desert: Abbotsfield
Abbot Christian take a short walk through the Abbotsfield with the chickens and donkey.Monastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project: Frozen River Walk With Brother David
A video offering from our Brother David featuring his hike across the Chama river mid January set to music he composed. The Chama River has been frozen for 2 months now with many layers of snow on top. We often cross the river in the summer when the water is warm, but...Monastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project: Refectory Mural
Abbot Christian explains the mural on our refectory wall, behind the head table, portraying saints of the Old and New Testament. The work was done some twenty years ago by Abbot Damian Higgins of Holy Transfiguration Byzantine Catholic Monastery, Redwood Valley...O Antiphons: the Birth of Christmas
A revision of the oblate talk given on December 20th 2020 about the O Antiphons.Monastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project: Our Horses Part II
Abbot Christian discuses the individual horses present at the Monastery in October of 2020. The Sixth installment of our video series. It is sent with our love and prayers for all our family, friends and benefactors. Link to our Video on YouTubeMonastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project: Our Horses
Abbot Christian discuses the history of the equestrian program at the Monastery. The fifth installment of our video series. It is sent with our love and prayers for all our family, friends and benefactors. Link to our Video on YouTubeMonastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project: Our Wool
Abbot Christian discuses the wool produced from our flock of Navajo Churro sheep. The fourth installment of our video series. It is sent with our love and prayers for all our family, friends and benefactors. Our spun wool is not yet for sale, but we hope to make it so...Monastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project: Our Flock
Abbot Christian introduces our Navajo Churro flock and their guardian Donkey. The third installment of our video series. It is sent with our love and prayers for all our family, friends and benefactors. Link to our Video on YouTubeMonastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project: Our Garden, Summer 2020
Abbot Christian welcomes you this time to our summer garden. The second installment of our video series. It is sent with our love and prayers for all our family, friends and benefactors.Welcome to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert Video Project
Abbot Christian welcomes you to visit us virtually. Enjoy our first installment of our video series. It is sent with our love and prayers for all our family, friends and benefactors.Video Series Coming Soon
Dear Friends, I plan to launch in the coming week or two a video series from here at the Monastery. Not wishing to risk the possibility of putting viewers to sleep with well-intended pious platitudes, I will be creating hopefully informative and relaxing videos...If You Are Still Feeling Cooped Up
Dear Friends in Christ, If you are feeling cooped up, which is completely understandable, you may still be looking for things to do at home. I recently saw an article about creating really unattractive flower vases from discarded paper cartons and the plastic...Abbot’s Notebook for June 10
I have been remiss in posting a new Notebook page. I confess I have been more interested of late with my “Quote for the Day” and accompanying photograph on our News Page. I hope you are enjoying those daily postings. As a photographer and avid reader, I have been...Abbot’s Notebook for May 22nd, 2020
Friends have asked how we are doing at the Monastery. Happily, I can report that we are well, thanks be to God, and carrying on with our regular life and duties in this beautiful Chama canyon setting. We monks range in age from 23 to 93 (I am 67!), so we have to be...The Nature of Vocation
When I was growing up in the middle of the last century, attending Catholic Grade school in Portland, Oregon, I recall thinking that a “vocation,” was something one “got” or “had,” and specifically to the priesthood or religious life, to be a Catholic priest, brother...A Pictorial Journey from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday at Christ in the Desert
Christ is Risen!...A Response to the COVID-19 Crisis: Part Two
These days our hearts and minds likely focus on many practical questions, such as: will I contract the novel coronavirus? What about my family and friends, will they be spared? How long will this pandemic last? Will it decrease and then rise up again some months...A Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
Almost every day brothers in the community or those writing from outside the monastery ask about an adequate spiritual response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I have read various and sundry approaches to the question and one of the best I have found comes from Abbot...Love of Silence
Silence is considered an important monastic practice. Much ink has been spilled on the topic, including entire books, but is silence something just for monks to value? By no means! Into every life some silence should fall. Why? Because we are rational creatures, who...Further Monastic Musings
The monastic life requires a spirit of sacrifice at the beginning, but really throughout the entire journey to God. What is sacrifice? At its root are the words: “to make holy.” In ancient pagan practice, sacrifice meant offering incense, food, possessions, animals,...Sunset In The Canyon
"Let everyone that comes be received as Christ."
— The Rule of St. Benedict
If you have two minutes to fill in our website feedback form, we would love to hear what you think...