by Abbot | Dec 18, 2025 | News
Advent is almost over, with Christmas just a week away, but throughout these past three weeks, since the First Sunday of Advent on November 30th, our refectory has been graced with the traditional Advent wreath with its three purple candles, for the first, second and...
by Abbot | Dec 3, 2025 | News
We have been enjoying some beautiful sunsets these days, reminiscent of William Turner skyscapes. In this case, it’s the Master Artist providing the celestial paint. Advent has begun and the present shortening of days reminds us of the soon-to-occur lengthening...
by Abbot | Nov 22, 2025 | News
We have now completed our annual monastic retreat, which began on November 16th and ended on November 22nd, under the guidance of Abbot Elijah of Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. Abbot Elijah’s ten conferences and daily homilies at Mass were encouraging, enlightening,...
by Abbot | Nov 18, 2025 | News
Even monks “go on retreat,” an annual week of greater silence, solitude, prayer and rest. We do it at the monastery, not somewhere else, and it becomes a pleasant and even enjoyable time for the monastic community. This year we are greatly blessed to have...
by Abbot | Nov 14, 2025 | News
Though it may be rare, sacred art can in fact be whimsical. Look at today’s photo below, of a 13th century Byzantine icon recounting the biblical passage of the famous “Wedding Feast at Cana,” found in the Gospel According to Saint John, chapter 2,...
by Abbot | Nov 9, 2025 | News
We are still having above average temperatures for November, though the leaves of the deciduous trees have pretty much turned and fallen. The photo of the tree in front of our church was taken some days ago, and the view is now changed to “late Autumn”...
by Abbot | Oct 29, 2025 | News
Autumn has arrived, and while roses have been blooming and abundant in our cloister garden for the past many months, they have now come to an end. Today’s photo shows the last of this year’s roses, used to decorate our church on October 28th, the Feast day...
by Abbot | Oct 26, 2025 | News
Our very own “Connecticut Yankee,” Brother Andre, now celebrating over forty years as a monk of Christ in the Desert, is pictured today receiving the blessing from the abbot as the “Weekly Table Reader.” Saint Benedict indicates in his...
by Abbot | Oct 21, 2025 | News
We continue to enjoy very pleasant weather these days, with an abundance of cosmos blooming in our greenhouse. Today’s photo bears witness to the beauty of these Autumn flowers. At present our early morning temperatures are in the low 40s, with afternoons...
by Abbot | Oct 17, 2025 | News
We are enjoying spectacular golden displays with the changing of the leaves of the alamo (cottonwood) trees on our property. Today’s photo attests to that fact. God’s paintbrush never ceases to amaze! The daily rising and the setting of the sun provides...
by Abbot | Oct 9, 2025 | News
On October 8th we were honored to welcome a group of Cistercian-Benedictine monks (today’s photo), from the Abbey of the Assumption of Mary in Ava, Missouri. The monks came on pilgrimage specifically to see our monastic life and to share their adventures of...
by Abbot | Sep 28, 2025 | News
Autumn has definitely arrived, as is evident in today’s photo, taken just outside our cloister building where the monks live. The changing of the many cottonwood trees along the Gallina River, across from the Chama River which runs through our property, is...
by Abbot | Sep 10, 2025 | News
Days are getting shorter and are not as hot as in recent weeks, but Summer weather is still in place, and we are getting intermittent rain as well, so we can’t complain. Brothers are staying well, thanks be to God, and we continue to enjoy an abundant harvest...
by Abbot | Sep 5, 2025 | News
At last, we are getting some rain, and it is very welcome and appreciated. Along with that comes some unusual evening skies, as is evident in today’s photo, taken a few days ago. At present, farmers along the Chama River, including ourselves, are not allowed to...
by Abbot | Aug 26, 2025 | News
Every mid-August, rain or shine (and currently it is rain!), several Rose of Sharon (also called Hibiscus) bushes bloom outside our monastery church. See today’s photo, taken from the base of the bell tower of our church. The Latin name of the shrub is...
by Abbot | Aug 20, 2025 | News
Saint Benedict indicates in his Rule for Monasteries that each monastery is to have a place where the brethren gather to pray the Divine Office (the Liturgy of the Hours) and for the celebration of Mass. He calls it the “oratory” (Latin for “place of...
by Abbot | Aug 12, 2025 | News
Generally we don’t have dramatic sunsets, such as one might see over the Pacific Ocean. Because of the mountainous cliffs to the west of us, the sun tends to simply “disappear” from sight most evenings. Today’s photo is an exception to the...
by Abbot | Aug 6, 2025 | News
Our Benedictine Abbot Primate Jeremias Schroder, who resides in Rome at Saint’Anselmo, recently met with Pope Leo XIV. See today’s photo taken at the auspicious meeting. None of us was present, but we found the photo in a Benedictine publication. No doubt...
by Abbot | Jul 29, 2025 | News
With the threat of having to evacuate looming over us these past few weeks, as the Laguna Fire was and is burning in our area, one brother of a certain age quipped that he didn’t have a suitcase large enough to hold all his meds. Another brother responded with,...
by Abbot | Jul 25, 2025 | News
With the reduction of the wildfire in our area, thanks to hundreds of firefighters, as well as rain, our Guesthouse is open once again. To enhance the contemplative experience of our guests on retreat, and to balance the workload of the monks, we now limit the number...
by Abbot | Jul 22, 2025 | News
Recently we have gotten some rain (more is always welcome), and our status will soon be lowered to “ready,” as in, “ready, set, go” being the three stages of wildfire preparedness in New Mexico. We have been on the “set” status for...
by Abbot | Jul 21, 2025 | News
The Laguna Fire continues to burn some miles from us, but fortunately we are being spared from heavy smoke in the atmosphere. Throughout the day helicopters are collecting water from the Rio Chama that runs through our property. We understand that there are three...
by Abbot | Jul 15, 2025 | News
Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Since our founding in 1964, the cloistered Carmelite nuns of Santa Fe, New Mexico, have been friends of our monastery. Their prayerful support and prophetic witness to a life of prayer and silence are...
by Abbot | Jul 10, 2025 | News
In his “Rule for Monasteries,” Saint Benedict gives specific ways that one should follow to reach the goal of life in the kingdom of the Father. The path that Saint Benedict indicates includes the ways of obedience, humility, prayer and fraternal charity....
by Abbot | Jul 8, 2025 | News
You know you’re in trouble when: You’re older than the pope You enjoy reading the current or an old AARP magazine cover to cover in the doctor’s office You remember when EVERY Mass was in Latin Even with a pill organizer, you get confused You can...
