by Abbot | Oct 6, 2024 | News
We are having a beautiful Autumn thus far. The “look” of the changing of leaves in today’s photo, taken October 4th along the Rio Chama and Gallina Creek, is usually more typical of mid to late September. Apparently we are having record breaking...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 19, 2024 | News
Late morning on Thursday, September 19th, the Congress of Benedictine Abbots came to a close. Ten days of prayer and worship, listening, thinking, speaking, learning, voting, eating(!), as well as resting, were the order of the day by the two hundred twenty-five...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 15, 2024 | News
On September 24th the assembled abbots in Rome elected Abbot Jeremias Schroder as the 11th Abbot Primate of the worldwide Benedictine Confederation. His term of office is eight years. Abbot Primate Jeremias is from the Abbey of Saint Ottilien in Germany. He is fluent...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 10, 2024 | News
This week and next, two-hundred twenty Benedictine superiors, being abbots or Priors, are gathered in Rome for the Congress of Abbots, normally held every four years, and always in the Eternal City. The place of meeting is at the Abbey of Sant’Anselmo, the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 7, 2024 | News
Beginning Sunday, September 8th, the Abbey of Montserrat in Spain is celebrating one thousand years of existence. The jubilee year will include numerous events, though I’m not sure of what they all are. The multitudes of pilgrims who come here every day attest...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 6, 2024 | News
On the morning of Thursday, September 5th, Father Ignasi Fossas, OSB, a monk of Montserrat Abbey in Catalonia, was elected Abbot President of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation. His time of office will be eight years. The General Chapter of our Congregation, currently...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 4, 2024 | News
The General Chapter of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation continues at the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat in Spain. Abbot Christian and seventy other abbots and delegates continue to work on revisions of the Constitutions of our Congregation, to better reflect...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Sep 2, 2024 | News
Abbot Christian and seventy other Benedictine abbots and elected monk-delegates from around the world are currently assembled at the Abbey of Montserrat in Spain for the General Chapter of our Subiaco Cassinese Congregation. The General Chapter began on August 30th...
by Abbot | Aug 24, 2024 | News
For many years now, several Rose of Sharon bushes have been blooming each August outside our monastery church, as today’s photo shows. The technical name of the flower is Hibiscus syriacus. Despite the popular name, the flower is not a rose, but as its technical...
by Abbot | Aug 22, 2024 | News
Mr. Squirrel outside the Abbot’s office seems to be looking toward the rising sun with some trepidation, realizing that the days are growing shorter and winter will be here before he knows it. It’s important to have a supply of food on hand for the colder months, of...
by Abbot | Aug 20, 2024 | News
As promised, here is a photo of our Chama Canyon Wilderness, taken recently from the front of our church, looking toward the Chama River to the west. Generous rains of late have provided us with much green pastureland and around the Monastery in general. The rainy or...
by Abbot | Aug 18, 2024 | News
Guests on retreat here are often amazed at the temperature fluctuations between day and night time in our high desert setting. At this time of year, daytime temperatures can climb to the mid-90s, and by morning, down to the high 50s. Thankfully, humidity is very low...
by Abbot | Aug 16, 2024 | News
For those who may be calling us or trying to leave a voice message, the phones here are down until some time next week, due to repairs underway by the satellite provider we use. It is possible to “leave a message,” but in fact the message is not being...
by Abbot | Aug 13, 2024 | News
Our cloister garden always has roses blooming during the Summer months, and the one in today’s photo is in full bloom just hours before the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated this Thursday, August 15th. One of Mary’s most...
by Abbot | Aug 9, 2024 | News
Of late we have been blessed with rainfall, turning our Chama Canyon and cloister garden, pictured in today’s photo, into almost-Irish lush green. It won’t last forever, but certainly is being enjoyed for the time being. Another forest fire in Chama Canyon...
by Abbot | Aug 5, 2024 | News
We are very happy to have eight new pews in the guest section of our monastery church. The pews were produced by the same company in Mexico, EVOS, in San Miguel de Allende, that made our choir stalls for the monks ten years ago. The guest pews match well the design,...
by Abbot | Aug 1, 2024 | News
Last month, from July 13th to the 17th, Abbot Christian was able to be at the Monastery of Our Lady of Solitude (Nuestra Senora de la Soledad), in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico, close to the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. The monastery property was...
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...