Abbot's Archives

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 course, but they...

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 prepare for...

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 ladybug among the...

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...

Our new greenhouse is fully operable, under the watchful care of Father Zachary, assisted by others as time permits. We are growing vegetables and flowers there, which will be harvested throughout the Summer and Autumn months. Even in the winter we should be able to...

Currently we are getting some gentle rain, which of course is always welcome, as it reduces the risk of forest fires and nourishes the earth. In addition, the perennial Spring flowers, such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, benefit from the rain and are blooming...

We are enjoying an abundance of new life in the Chama Canyon wilderness. Today's photo shows one of the signs of this, three flowering trees and one "still on the way" in our cloister garden. The warm daytime temperatures indicate that there is unlikely to be any more...

We are always delighted with the arrival of Spring. The fact that it coincides with the liturgical season of Easter is an added plus. Today's photo is from our cloister garden, the area where we monks have our rooms, technically called "cells". The fountain in the...

We are still basking in the light of the mystery of the Lord's Resurrection. Flowers are blooming in the cloister garden, trees are beginning to bud, the grass is turning green again and the weather is decidedly Spring-like. The monks are staying well, thanks be to...

We continue our celebration of Paschaltide (Easter!), coinciding with the arrival of Spring in the Chama Canyon wilderness. The triumphant Alleluia is chanted throughout the day, both at Mass and at the Divine Office (Opus Dei). Today's photo is from our cloister...

Easter Day was on Sunday, March 31st, but the Church continues to celebrate this Great Day with an Octave, that is, eight days of rejoicing to prolong the joy of the Lord's Resurrection. And after that, we still hold on to the Easter festivities right up to Pentecost...