Abbot's Archives

Some of our hens can't resist a free ride, especially when snow has fallen. Once again, Matty the guard-donkey obliges when Diane or Connie, Clare or Lucy hop on board for a spin around the pasture. No sweat, no cost, so who can ask for anything more? Recently fallen...

Of late we have been treated to majestic sunrises as well as sunsets. Dramatic views, such as in today's photo of Januray 8th sunrise, only last a few minutes, so one has to be quick to capture the moment. Days are already getting longer, which is welcome in the midst...

This past December, two of our monks, Brother Savio and Brother Chrysostom, visited the Monastery of Our Lady of Solitude (La Soledad), in central Mexico, near the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. La Soledad is the place where the founder and first superior of...

Today's photo was taken at sunset on January 4th, offering another glimpse of the "grandeur of God," as British Jesuit poet Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, who died in 1889, referred to the wonders of creation. Because we live in a canyon, in a valley between high...

A hundred years ago the American poet Robert Frost speculated on the form of the end of time, in a poem called "Fire and Ice." He concludes that both are possibilities and equally devastating when the world ends. In fact we do not really know, do we, nor does it...

How can a sunset such as pictured below fail to call to mind the majesty of God? At this Monastery we are blessed with such reminders throughout the year, and how easy to take them for granted. Perhaps the same occurs in regard to those who comprise our families or...

How does an abbot decorate for Christmas? The photo below gives a glimpse. A small flowering plant in the abbot's office became a Christmas tree, adorned with handmade angels and saints sent to him from various places throughout December. Nativity cards and "halo"...

Our sheep and donkey don't wander as much in the winter months, generally staying close to their "Good Shepherd Inn," where they receive daily feedings of hay, as well as water. Our flock of chickens also keeps "closer to home" and to their "Saint Brigid Coop" during...

In the midst of desert beauty, we are currently being treated to snow. Prayers and patience have paid off as powdery moisture proves to be "just what the doctor ordered" for this part of the great Southwest. We have gotten a good few inches of snow so far, as we round...

This year on Christmas Eve and Day, an abundance of rain fell in our environs. We are most grateful for the gift of rain from God, and are praying that more might fall. Thus far we have seen very little snow fall, but that we await for as well. The great silence of...

Friday, December 24th, Mass at Midnight Saturday, December 25th, Mass at 11:00 am Sunday, December 26th, Mass at 9:15 am Tidings of comfort and joy. Merry Christmas to all. Abbot Christian and the monks

Winter has begun, with some dramatic "skyscapes" to accompany it. "Look up and see, your salvation is near at hand," we are chanting these days at the Liturgy in church. We are all well, thanks be to God, staying cozy in our heated buildings and grateful beyond words...

Like our families and friends, monks also prepare for Christmas. More than shopping and travelling, though, our preparations are focused more on cleaning, getting decorations ready, cooking and baking, during these final days leading up to Christmas. While working...

In three more days winter officially begins and daylight will start to increase once again. We are always grateful for that, even if summer's heat is some months away. In the Chama Canyon where we live the nights are cold now, often down to freezing or below by dawn,...

We received some snow at dawn on Wednesday morning, December 15th. It all happened very quickly during Lauds and Mass and ceased as abruptly as it started. In these times we are grateful for moisture in any form, and even a couple of inches of snow is worth its weight...

Nothing quite lifts the spirits of the attentive as blooming flowers. While winters can be cold here, mostly in the early morning, sunshine usually abounds throughout the day. That gives a real boost for house plants, providing us with many hours and days of viewing...