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...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 19, 2023 | News
Vocations A talented UK-based band, called “Sadie and the Hotheads,” comprised of not so-young musicians, released the single, “Everybody’s Got a Song (To Sing)” in 2014. The song’s fairly simple tune and message is that everyone has a story, analogous to a song, to...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 15, 2023 | News
Matty the donkey, Gloria and the sheep, as well as our four dozen chickens, continue their tranquil lives in the midst of desert beauty. Matty, who turns four this November, guards the sheep against marauding predators. The sheep provide us with wool for weaving and...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 10, 2023 | News
With umbrella and walking stick in hands, our Prior Bonaventure is shown on his recent hike to the top of the cliffs above our monastery. This sort of hike is not for the faint of heart. It takes some hours to reach the crosses on the top of the cliffs, then a little...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 7, 2023 | News
Our free range flock of chickens are often found roosting on the fence around their field, where they seem to be taking a “break” from their foraging in the course of the day. Perhaps it’s a small reminder to find moments in our day for a...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 4, 2023 | News
Today’s stunning photo was taken by Prior Bonaventure on Trinity Sunday (June 5th) during an afternoon hike far above the Monastery, on the cliffs behind and above our monastic church. The photo is a view to the west of our property, showing the confluence of...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | Jun 3, 2023 | News
Flowers are beginning to “take off” in our cloister garden, but we have some indoor flora as well. In some parts of the world morning glories are almost on a par with weeds, but in our high desert setting, they are welcome additions. Some years ago Brother...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 29, 2023 | News
The Easter season is now finished and we return to what the Church refers to as “Ordinary Time,” primarily meaning, we are not at present in the Church’s privileged seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter. Of course, no time is completely...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 28, 2023 | News
We have now arrived at the final day of Eastertide of 2023, with the Solemnity of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out after the Ascension into Heaven of Christ our Redeemer. Today is considered the “Birthday of the Church.” For a fuller...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 26, 2023 | News
The title of this posting, borrowed from Psalm 95(96), expresses well what we in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing now with Spring in full swing. Our cloister garden is at present bright with the blooming of various colored irises, and not far behind are the...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 25, 2023 | News
Our fine flock of some forty hens (and one rooster) are doing fine. They are currently producing around three dozen eggs per day, which monks and guests can enjoy on a daily basis if they so choose. The flock is completely free range and spends the daylight hours each...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 23, 2023 | News
We continue to be treated to delightful landscapes in the Chama Canyon wilderness . Current modest rainfall is producing some memorable views. Today’s photo includes a rainbow over the cliffs above us. For the attentive eye, there is never a dull moment in...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 23, 2023 | News
Our weather of late is more like July or August than late May. We’ve had thunder and lightening with intermittent rain over the past week or so. The moisture is most welcome and our fields are currently quite green, with no irrigation going on. Today’s...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 17, 2023 | News
Forty days after Easter the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord, when Christ returned in glory to the heavenly realm, when he lives and reigns with the Father and Holy Spirit forever. In modern times, this Solemnity is usually transferred to the Sunday...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 15, 2023 | News
In the midst of desert beauty, we never tire of the sights of Spring, nor of the other three seasons for that matter. Spring certainly carries a distinctive face and scent, which we always welcome in late April or early May. Today’s photo is from our cloister...
by Monastery of Christ in the Desert | May 10, 2023 | News
As we move through May, we are being treated with more flowering trees and blooming forsythia. Today’s photo was taken from outside the Abbot’s office. In the cloister garden, peonies will soon be ready to grace that space and to decorate the church....
