Abbot's Archives

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 Magdalene, July...

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...

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 offspring in...

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 flowers,...

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...

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 is also the...

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...

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...

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...

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 "pause that refreshes," a...

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 the...

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 David...

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 "ordinary," and in fact...

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 explanation of...

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...