Impressions of Italy: Monastic Products
I have said it often enough over the past forty-seven years as a monk to have gotten tired of hearing myself say it, but here I am actually writing it: monks (and nuns) don’t receive a monthly pay check from the Vatican for being good monks and nuns. Therefore, in...The Abbot’s Notebook for October 10, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for October 10, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! Last Friday night, October 5th, we had four more men enter the novitiate here at Christ in the Desert. First was Brother Seraphim who is 33 years old and comes from Kerala...Impressions of Italy: Bismantova
In August I spent part of a day in a national park in the region of Reggio Emilia of central Italy I was there escaping the blistering heat of Rome, where air conditioning is largely absent. The place is part of the National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Appennines,...The Abbot’s Notebook for October 3, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for October 3, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! Last Saturday, September 29th, our Brother Michael Mugambi made his first vows in our community. He is our sixth professed monk from Kenya. Sister Josephine of the...Impressions of Rome: EUR
Rome: EUR Those who live and work in Rome are presumably aware of, but perhaps rarely visit, a place called “EUR.” The three letters are an acronym for “Esposizione Universale Romana,” that is the “World Exposition in Rome.” And what exactly is that? As a place, EUR...The Abbot’s Notebook for September 26, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for September 26, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! It has been an interesting week because the Weimaraner Benny always gets into trouble. Sometime he seems more accident prone than any dog that we have ever had. He just...Impressions of Italy: Our Lady of Capo Colonna
Italy is a country of beautiful shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well to angels and various saints. The sanctuaries are numerous, and I presume number in the hundreds. Almost everywhere in Italy, and in some cases not so far from each other, one can...The Abbot’s Notebook for September 19, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for September 19, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! I am back home at Christ in the Desert after almost two weeks in Mexico. During that time I visited the Monastery of San Benito in Mexico City, the Monastery of Nuestra...Impressions of Italy: Blessed Maria Luisa Prosperi
It seems that almost anywhere you go in Italy, at least at shrines, monasteries and other holy sites, a saint or blessed of the Catholic Church is connected to the place in some way. A recent visit for the funeral of one of the Benedictine nuns of Santa Lucia Abbey in...The Abbot’s Notebook for September 12, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for September 12, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! I am writing to you from Mexico and ask your prayers for all of our communities here. The travel to Mexico was without problems and as soon as I got here, I began...Impressions of Italy: Elvis Presley
It really took me by surprise, when recently, while reading a periodical published by the Carmelite friars in Italy, called, “Il Carmelo Oggi,” that is, “Carmel Today,” to find a two-page editorial article in the May 2018 issue about Elvis Presley! The piece was...The Abbot’s Notebook for September 5, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for September 5, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! Another week at home and everything here is relatively quiet and peaceful. Our Father Andrew, who is 55 years old, had a mild heart attack on September 1st, so please...Impressions of Italy: Sister Death
Saint Benedict exhorts his monks to “keep death daily before one’s eyes.” In the original Latin, the phrase is: “Mortem cotidie ante oculos suspectam habere.” As one of my friends would likely ask if reading the phrase in English or Latin: “What is that all about?”...The Abbot’s Notebook for August 29, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for August 29, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! Reading the news is sometimes like watching a storm beginning and then waiting to see if anything will happen. The storms of politics and the storms of the Church right now...Impressions of Italy: Saint Francis of Paola
I confess that until fairly recently I knew very little about another important Italian saint, Francis of Paola. I could have told you that he was a fifteenth century hermit monk, the founder of an Order and was not Saint Francis of Assisi. Other than that, I might...The Abbot’s Notebook for August 22, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for August 22, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! Last Wednesday we had the solemn vows of three of our brothers and we are blessed to have them now as permanent members of our community. We now have 25 permanent members...Impressions of Italy: The Carthusian Order
The Carthusians are an ancient and important monastic Order in the Catholic Church, founded in France in 1084 by Saint Bruno of Cologne. The Order was and continues to be a mostly hidden one, since its monks and nuns follow a life of strict solitude and prayer. For...The Abbot’s Notebook for August 15, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for August 15, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! I am home in the Monastery but I spent three days away in a crazy trip to Mexico to be present for the priestly ordination of Brother Antonio Abad and the diaconal...Impressions of Italy: Santa Rita
It almost goes without saying that there are many popular saints in Italy. Not all the saints near and dear to Italians were born in Italy, but lived here at some point in time and eventually won the hearts of Italians and remain very popular to this day. To name a...The Abbot’s Notebook for August 8, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for August 8, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! There are times when things hit me so strongly and I know that I should not write about them until I calm down. There is such a situation in my heart right now. So please...Impressions of Rome: Salve
Since coming to Rome to work in January of 2017, I have been struck by a word that is regularly used here. I don’t recall that it was so much in use thirty years ago when I was living here as a student, but most likely it was. The word is simply, “salve.” My...The Abbot’s Notebook for August 1, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for August 1, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! This was not a quiet a week as the last! But always life is changing and we are always challenged to seek God in the midst of that. Last Sunday, July 29th, our Archbishop...Impressions of Italy: Norcia
The birthplace of Saint Benedict and his twin sister Saint Scholastica is very sacred to Benedictine monks, nuns and oblates. The city is now called Norcia, but in the time of Saints Benedict and Scholastica, born in 480, it was called Nursia. It is located in the...The Abbot’s Notebook for July 25, 2018
The Abbot’s Notebook for July 25, 2018 My sisters and brothers in Christ, Blessings to you! Another quiet week at home is always a gift for me. Some monks have returned from their family visits and others have gone. Another postulant has joined the community. ...
"Let everyone that comes be received as Christ."
— The Rule of St. Benedict
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