Abbot's Archives

Christian monasticism has been around for centuries, over one thousand five hundred years, in fact. It has waxed and waned with the passing of time, with high points and low, good times and bad. Fewer today are choosing the monastic path than fifty, seventy or eighty...

Well, not exactly, but the chickens do come running whenever the Abbot opens his door to Abbotsfield, where the chickens roam all day. The feathered friends are always eager for a handout. As one of our guests recently quipped: chickens are always hungry! Our flock of...

In a matter of minutes this past Sunday afternoon, August 7th, we were inundated with tremendous amounts of rain and hail. Today's photo, taken in our cloister garden the day after the storm, shows some of the results of the recent downpour. What does not appear in...

Sometimes monastic life is defined as an "infinity of little hours." More often than not,  nothing great or spectacular occurs in our lives, but on we go, day by day, week by week, year by year. Isn't this the reality for all of us, monks or not? The concept of "an...

Today's photo bears a striking resemblance to places in New Mexico, including White Sands National Park, but in fact the photo was taken in a place far, far away from the Land of Enchantment. One of our young brothers is visiting his family, for the first time in five...

We are rejoicing in the return of rain after its long absence. That doesn't mean the drought in this part of the country has ended, but it does mean that relief has arrived in the form of moisture. May it continue! Our fields are green and the gardens of flowers and...

Typically, monastery gardens are important spaces that are semi or completely cultivated, adding beauty to the property where monks live and receive their guests. Some monastery gardens are hidden from public view, such as where the monks have their living quarters....

Our second oldest monk, Father Bernard, who turns 91 on July 30th, delights in meeting up on a regular basis with our flock of chickens. They come running when Father Bernard appears, and stay around him for the duration of his visit. The re-introduction of livestock...

For a glimpse of our typical rainy season afternoon downpours, please view today's video clip, taken a few days ago. While it might look a tropical storm that could last for hours, our rains ususally come fast and furiously, but typically only last fifteen, twenty or...

Here are some appropriate quotes to accompany today's photo of the very green grass in our cloister garden. Recent rains have done wonders. Thirteenth century Dominican friar and Bishop, Saint Albert the Great said: "Nothing refreshes the sight so much as fine short...

If a picture still paints a thousand words,  today's photo proves the point. "The heaven's proclaim the glory of God," Psalm 18 tells us, and the Chama Canyon where we live has to be one of the most gorgeous places on earth. Of course, we are biased, but also rarely,...

Today is the great feastday of Saint Benedict, considered to be the Founder of Western Monasticism. The famous Rule for Monks that Saint Benedict wrote around 540 AD is still being followed by many thousands of monks, nuns and oblates around the world. Some of the...

Today was the Requiem Mass and burial in our cemetery of our dear confrere, Father Luis Regalado, who died on June 28th at the age of 79. He was born on June 20th, 1943, and died on June 28th, 2022. Father Luis was a faithful and gentle monk and priest, and will be...

Several birds' nests on our property, not so much in trees as in high beams of our portals, are yielding fledglings. They will soon fly away, of course, but are enjoyable to watch in the meantime. A group of four is featured in today's photo. As children we were...