by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 29, 2023 | News
On this day fifty-five years ago, our Monastery church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was formally blessed as the place of worship for the monks of Christ in the Desert and its guests. We keep the day as a Sunday, with more solemn celebration of the Conventual...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 20, 2023 | News
Throughout the Summer months we have been enjoying roses blooming in our cloister garden. Occasionally the flowers are used to decorate in church and at other times left to be viewed “in situ,” right where they blossom. We are staying well and keeping busy...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 19, 2023 | News
Of late we are getting rainfall, much needed and much appreciated. The threat of forest fires is greatly reduced now and the Chama Canyon is once again “turning green,” as it usually does in July and August. These days we are getting various landscaping...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 14, 2023 | News
Not seen every day here, but more frequently than fifty years ago, Bighorn Sheep are another natural wonder in the high desert of New Mexico. Today’s photo was taken by one of our monks while on a trip to town on September 13th. The majestic ram in the photo was...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 11, 2023 | News
Today our dear confrere, Father Bernard Cranor, died peacefully at the Monastery . He was ninety-two years old and lived a very long and fruitful life, first for a short time as a Trappist monk in Utah, then as a Dominican friar for many years, then as a monk of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 7, 2023 | News
We are already feeling a definite “cooling down” in the mornings, with temperatures in the mid to low 50s. By afternoon, the mercury climbs to the low 80s. To everything, there is a season. We continue our daily round of prayer and work and welcoming...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 2, 2023 | News
The psalmist, writing thousands of years ago, had this to say, presumably while pondering the wonders of God’s creation: “The heaven’s proclaim the glory of God and the firmament shows forth the work of God’s hands. Day unto day takes up the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 31, 2023 | News
The German Benedictine nun, Gertrude of Helfta, now known as Saint Gertrude the Great, who lived from 1256 to 1302, once made a very insightful observation about Benedictines. One day in contemplation, Gertrude considered Saint Benedict and his followers under the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 30, 2023 | News
The days fly by, at least for us in the Chama Canyon wilderness. Summer skies hold their own beauty at this time of year, most especially at sunset. The days are now visibly growing shorter and daytime temperatures are “only” in the mid-80s. That’s...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 25, 2023 | News
After a very fine downpour a week ago, we’ve seen very little rain since. Some days appear promising with regard to moisture, as in today’s photo, but then nothing comes of it. In any case, we keep praying for more rain. We continue indoor and outdoor...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 20, 2023 | News
We are finally getting some rain and are very grateful for the gift. Roses are blooming in the cloister garden and Easter lilies are lining up nicely for a third flowering. The first was at Eastertime, the second was in late Spring, and now the third in mid-Summer....
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 18, 2023 | News
Each Tuesday and Thursday evenings the monks gather for about 20 minutes for a period of “recreation,” as it is called in monastic culture. The time consists of simply relaxing and speaking, enjoying one another’s company in what is usually lively...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 15, 2023 | News
Today’s photo is another view from atop the mesa behind and above our monastery buildings. Clouds are forming, but we still await the arrival of rain, very much needed in the great Southwest. It is hard to believe we are already in mid-August and celebrating the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 12, 2023 | News
Having just celebrated the feast of Saint Clare of Assisi, the close collaborator of Saint Francis of Assisi, on August 11th, we also called to mind the fact that we have many friends from the various branches of the Franciscan family, including Franciscan Friars of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 5, 2023 | News
Another glorious view of the Chama canyon is posted today, as the Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord on the Mountaintop, traditionally identified with Mount Tabor in the Holy Land. In ages past a Benedictine monastery existed on Mount Tabor, but today...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Aug 2, 2023 | News
Believing that we have some of the healthiest hens on planet earth, there are some simple facts that we’re more than willing to share on the topic. Our forty-five hens, of a variety of sizes and colors, have a very large area of lush green grass in which to...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 30, 2023 | News
The Summer season is replete with liturgical feasts of many noteworthy saints, including Saints Aloysius Gonzaga, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, Benedict, Bonaventure, Mary Magdalene, James the Greater, Joaquim and Anne, Martha, Mary and Lazurus, Ignatius of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 27, 2023 | News
We are beginning to get much-needed rain, and are grateful to God for that. The rainfall also almost immediately reduces the daytime temperatures, these days in the high 80s. Hopefully into and throughout the month of August we will see more moisture, as the typical...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 24, 2023 | News
For the second Summer in a row, one of the two large yucca plants in front of our Monastery church is in full bloom. With a flowering head of some three feet tall, and about ten feet above the ground, the delicate white yucca blossoms are a beautiful sight. Yucca are...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 23, 2023 | News
We have named the bird in our photo today, “Robin,” who is still learning to fly, with our cloister garden as the testing ground. We have been praying for rain, as the usual monsoon season seems to be delayed. Fortunately, on the Feast of Saint Mary...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 17, 2023 | News
Just now we are enjoying an abundance of Easter lilies blooming in our cloister garden. Each Spring we plant the lilies we use to decorate the church during the Easter season. Typically, the plants die back then re-emerge in the Summer. True to form, that is happening...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 8, 2023 | News
As presumably millions of people worldwide take to the skies for Summer holidays this month and next, in this quiet corner of Mother Earth, a little fledgling learns to fly, as illustrated into today’s photo. Every Spring and Summer robins nest and raise...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 6, 2023 | News
Each year at Easter we have a couple dozen potted Easter lilies decorating our church. Their fragrance and beauty add to the the joy and glory of the season of the Lord’s Resurrection as Spring returns. The Easter lilies in church last for weeks, being hardy...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jul 4, 2023 | News
True to form, Cholla cactus are blooming in the Chama Canyon wilderness. This magenta display always takes place on the first days of Summer, and normally between the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, on June 24th, and the Solemnity of Saint Benedict...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 27, 2023 | News
Each Summer we are invited by the Church to commemorate in a special way a goodly number of saints. On June 24th, just as Summer dawns, we celebrate the Nativity (birth) of Saint John the Baptist, “the last of the prophets,” as he is often called. That day...
