by Abbot | Jul 19, 2024 | News
On Thursday, July 11th, the Solemnity of our Holy Father Saint Benedict, the monks of the Monastery of Saint Mary and All the Saints (Santa Maria y Todos Los Santos), in the Mexican State of Veracruz, a foundation the Monastery of Christ in Desert, celebrated its...
by Abbot | Jul 7, 2024 | News
Each Spring we plant our Easter lilies in the cloister garden. They usually bloom at least once again in the later Summer or Fall. Some bloom from the previous year or years, such as the one in today’s photo. Enough lilies are blooming now that we should be able...
by Abbot | Jul 3, 2024 | News
On June 7th, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our Father Zachary Nelson made his solemn profession and received the monastic consecration, becoming a permanent member of the chapter of monks of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. Numerous family and...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 6, 2024 | News
FAITH OVER DOUBT What is doubt? Another word for the concept is uncertainty or unresolved questions. Who of us doesn’t doubt sometimes or often? Questions such as: will my health hold out and will I be able to keep this job if it doesn’t?; how will my children end...
by Abbot | May 25, 2024 | News
Currently our “guard-donkey,” Matty, has thirteen Navajo-Churro sheep to watch over and protect. Natural predators exist in our canyon, and traditionally ranchers have used dogs, llamas and donkeys to guard their sheep. Human shepherds still exist, of...
by Abbot | May 19, 2024 | News
With the celebration of Pentecost Sunday, observed this year on May 19th, the Easter Season draws to a close and the liturgical season called “Ordinary Time” begins anew on Monday, May 20th. Ordinary Time, which extends until the beginning Advent, when we...
by Abbot | May 7, 2024 | News
Ladybugs in a garden are always a good sign. Why? Because they are natural predators of aphids, tiny insects that feed on plant sap, which ultimately does harm to plants. The ladybug has been called a “natural insecticide.” Today’s photo is of a...
by Abbot | May 3, 2024 | News
Nearly four decades ago a friend of ours brought us a bunch of blue iris bulbs from a monastery in northern Italy. The bulbs were planted here and around 1996 were transferred to our new cloister garden in the middle of our living quarters. 1996 was the year the...
by Abbot | Apr 30, 2024 | News
Our new greenhouse is fully operable, under the watchful care of Father Zachary, assisted by others as time permits. We are growing vegetables and flowers there, which will be harvested throughout the Summer and Autumn months. Even in the winter we should be able to...
by Abbot | Apr 28, 2024 | News
Currently we are getting some gentle rain, which of course is always welcome, as it reduces the risk of forest fires and nourishes the earth. In addition, the perennial Spring flowers, such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, benefit from the rain and are blooming...
by Abbot | Apr 23, 2024 | News
We are enjoying an abundance of new life in the Chama Canyon wilderness. Today’s photo shows one of the signs of this, three flowering trees and one “still on the way” in our cloister garden. The warm daytime temperatures indicate that there is...
by Abbot | Apr 15, 2024 | News
We are always delighted with the arrival of Spring. The fact that it coincides with the liturgical season of Easter is an added plus. Today’s photo is from our cloister garden, the area where we monks have our rooms, technically called “cells”. The...
by Abbot | Apr 9, 2024 | News
We are still basking in the light of the mystery of the Lord’s Resurrection. Flowers are blooming in the cloister garden, trees are beginning to bud, the grass is turning green again and the weather is decidedly Spring-like. The monks are staying well, thanks be...
by Abbot | Apr 5, 2024 | News
We continue our celebration of Paschaltide (Easter!), coinciding with the arrival of Spring in the Chama Canyon wilderness. The triumphant Alleluia is chanted throughout the day, both at Mass and at the Divine Office (Opus Dei). Today’s photo is from our...
by Abbot | Apr 3, 2024 | News
Easter Day was on Sunday, March 31st, but the Church continues to celebrate this Great Day with an Octave, that is, eight days of rejoicing to prolong the joy of the Lord’s Resurrection. And after that, we still hold on to the Easter festivities right up to...
by Abbot | Mar 31, 2024 | News
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Happy and holy Easter to all our families, friends, benefactors and oblates! Abbot Christian and the monks of Christ in the Desert
by Abbot | Mar 7, 2024 | News
Good Friday, March 29th: Afternoon Liturgy of Good Friday at 3:30 pm Holy Saturday, March 30th/31st: Solemn Vigil and Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection at 12 Midnight Easter Sunday, March 31st: Easter Day Mass at 11:00 am
by Abbot | Mar 4, 2024 | News
A sure sign that Spring cannot be far off in this part of the country is the arrival of regular daytime winds, sometimes gusting to twenty or more miles per hour. The beautiful canticle from the Old Testament Book of Daniel, chapter 3, is an invitation to recognize...
by Abbot | Feb 20, 2024 | News
An easily overlooked but worthwhile black and white film from 1940 is called BROTHER ORCHID, starring Edgar G. Robinson. It tells the fictional tale of mob boss Little John Sarto, played by Robinson, who gives up his turf to another mobster, played by Humphrey Bogart....
by Abbot | Feb 14, 2024 | News
The Holy Season of Lent has begun and we monks, along with all Christians, see it as a special time of prayer, fasting and good works. Saint Benedict says a monk’s life should always have about it a “Lenten character,” implying some degree of...
by Abbot | Feb 11, 2024 | News
Over the night of February 10th–the Lunar New Year 2024–we received a generous amount of snow in the Chama Canyon Wilderness. We are grateful for any amount of moisture in the desert Southwest. Last night’s snowfall measured in at about half a foot....
by Abbot | Jan 30, 2024 | News
Every day, rain or shine, we monks gather in the chapter room at 8:30 am. There we hear announcements from the Abbot or if another monk has an announcement, such as a request for help in a work project or a request for prayers for someone in need, a family member or...
by Abbot | Jan 27, 2024 | News
Men, including monks, are not always famous for “clutter-free” environments, but we try to do so here, with some areas in the Monastery better at this than others. For us, the corridors within the cloister, connecting our various buildings, are an...
by Abbot | Jan 25, 2024 | News
While we’re neither a hotel nor a spa, we do routinely enjoy healthy and savory meals, prepared by our monks. In today’s photo, Brother Chrysostom (who wears many hats here), and Father Zachary (who also wears many hats here), are preparing lunch, stuffed...
by Abbot | Jan 21, 2024 | News
Popularly called “Christmas Cactus” (technically termed Schlumbergera), because they usually bloom around Christmas time, we have several of these potted plants inside, flowering nicely just now. They are all in front of large (double-paned) windows along...
