Monastery News

If you are getting tired of seeing roses on this News Page, fear not, because this will be the last posting of a rose for many months to come, as it is in fact the last rose of Summer (though technically is is already Autumn).

We’ve had a very mild Autumn thus far, though now the early morning temperatures are hovering at around freezing while daytime temperatures are in the mid-60s. We live at 6,500 feet above sea level, thus the extremes of morning to afternoon temperatures at this time of year and into the Winter.

We are happy that Forest Service Road 151 leading to the Monastery is currently being graded. Heavy rains a few weeks ago did some amount of damage to the road, but that should be ironed out, so to speak, in the coming days. The tendency when the road is improved is to race down it, but that can be unwise, as there is often traffic in both directions all through the year.

We are staying well and grateful for that. Be assured of our prayers and please keep us in yours. Thank you.

Abbot Christian and the monks

The likely final bunch of roses for decorating our church were cut in our cloister garden on October 8th. That is very late for us for having fresh flowers, especially roses. In addition, even a lingering Easter lily was found in the garden as well. We always plant the lilies after they fade in church during the Easter season.

Mild temperatures have prevailed over the past couple of weeks, following some very welcome and persistent rain, which may be returning again next week. We are not complaining about that!

The nearby cottonwood (alamo) trees along the Chama River that runs through our property are still in the process of turning, providing a bright golden hue to enjoy in the distance. Few of the leaves have yet to fall.

With this come greetings and prayers in this early Autumn season.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Autumn 2026 is now underway, but so far we have not received any early morning frost in our Chama Canyon setting. That means the roses in our cloister garden are still blooming.

Abundant rainfall over the past many days has added to the longevity of the roses as well, as seen in today’s photo, where they have been used to decorate in our church over the past months.

The rain we have received has been very welcome after prolonged drier than normal temperatures and numerous forest fires in parts of New Mexico this Summer. Fortunately, this year no wildfires have been near us, unlike last Summer, when they were very close.

The rainfall, though, has meant a muddy and slippery Forest Road 151 leading to the Monastery. Drier conditions are returning now, and hopefully the road will dry out in the coming days. Some retreatants and day visitors have made it in and out, but some retreatants had to cancel.

Rain or shine, we continue of “ora et labora” (prayer and work) in this beautiful desert setting.

Be assured of our prayers and please keep us in yours. Thank you.

Abbot Christian and the monks

While enjoying rainfall over the past several days, Saturday also provided some morning mist to enhance the landscape, evident in today’s photo.

The recent rains have made Forest Service Road 151 leading to the Monastery wet and muddy in quite a few places. Some vehicles have gotten stuck.

No rain fell Saturday, so the road is drying up, though washouts in places have made bumpy and rocky patches along the way. More rain is predicted for early in the week.

Like the proverbial “two-edged sword,” moisture in these parts is very welcome, though bringing with it the inconvenience of a temporarily muddy road that has to be endured. This too will pass.

The cottonwood trees along the Chama River that runs through our property are slowly turning color, also evident in today’s photo.

Temperatures are definitely dropping these days, but as of yet there has not been an early morning freeze. During the day, we are enjoying temperatures in the low 70s.

We are staying well and happy to be receiving guests for private retreat once again. Day visitors and pilgrims are also present as well, despite the at times challenging road conditions.

A blessed Sunday and week ahead to all. Be assured of our prayers and please keep us in yours. Thank you.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Do monks recreate? In a manner of speaking, yes! As time permits, some might hike, others bike, still others might ride horses, when we have them, though at present we don’t.

A monastic recreation “room” is more technically a space where monks can gather for relaxation and conversation now and then.

Here we “recreate” as a community twice a week. Each Sunday, after Vespers and Benediction, we monks gather in our refectory for the evening meal, with conversation. Otherwise, our meals are in silence or accompanied by reading at lunch.

Each Thursday or Friday after supper, we gather in the Recreation Room (see today’s photo) to watch an educational video that lasts from half an hour to an hour or so. At present we are enjoying the EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) series, “The Road Less Traveled,” available on YouTube. It is a six part series, each episode lasting an hour. Some have called it “Patristics Without Pain.” See what you think!

Truth be told, our Recreation Room began as a garage, but was eventually tastefully transformed to its current status across from the Laundry Room. Very recently the room was refurbished to its present state.

A blessed week to all, with assurance of our prayers. Please keep us in yours. Thank you.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Rain is finally falling freely in the Chama Canyon wilderness, for which we are very grateful.

New Mexico has had its driest Summer in recorded history, so any moisture is deeply appreciated. It nourishes the earth and reduces the risk of forest fires.

It will take more rain (or snow before long) to “catch up” to where we should be, but what we are currently receiving is a welcome break. It also means cooler daytime temperatures and even cloudy skies, which is also a nice change of pace.

Our remodeled kitchen is functioning very well and much appreciated by our cooks (various monks), as well as by others of us with “kitchen duties,” including dishwashers, food purchasers and those doing meal set-up and clean- up.

The upgrades and equipment replacement has been a blessing, for which we are grateful beyond words. To all who contributed to its realization, especially the professional work crews over these past several months, we extend a heart-felt thanks.

Be assured of our prayers and please keep us in yours. Thank you.

Abbot Christian and the monks

As indicated on the Guesthouse Reservation section of our website, we now receive guests coming here on private retreat only on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.

Check in and room availability is from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. The first meal available on Tuesdays and Fridays is supper, which is at approximately 6:20 pm, after we chant Vespers in church at 5:50 pm.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we “do our best” to make our Monastery and Guesthouse a place of prayer, solitude and encounter with the Lord.

Abbot Christian and the monks

For the past few months our monastic refectory has been doubling as a partial extension of our pantry, while the work of remodeling the kitchen has been going on.

Thankfully, now that the kitchen is remodeled and we are slowly moving there for cooking once again, the refectory is again just that, the place where our meals are taken.

We have been cooking these past months in the Guest Refectory, but that is coming to an end, and the room will revert to being where our guests normally eat.

Today’s photo of our refectory was taken from the vantage point of the weekly reader at our midday meal, when we listen to a portion of Scripture, a book (currently a biography of Pope Leo XIV), and finally, at the end of the meal, from the Lives of the Saints we will be commemorating the next day in the liturgy.

The acoustics in the refectory are excellent, and our chanting of the prayers of blessing before and after the meals are enhanced, maybe even improved, by the reverberation that occurs when we sing there.

We are still praying for rain, as very little has fallen this Summer, our usual rainy season. We know we are not alone in this dilemma, but grateful that at least no forest fires are burning in our area.

With this comes our greetings and assurance of our prayers. We are grateful for yours as well.

For those returning to school at this time, may you have a blessed academic year 2026-2027. Stay hydrated and don’t skip meals.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Tiny amounts of rain have touched our land, and so we continue to pray for more serious precipitation.

Summer is swiftly sailing by and soon it will be Autumn, with cooler temperatures and the gradual change of leaves.

“To everything there is a season,” Scripture reminds us. For us, this season has been one of patiently watching the progress of the remodeling of our kitchen, now completed, as well as Guesthouse improvements.

We are planning to receive guests on private retreat once again, during the month of September. The numbers will be kept at about ten or less at a time, to enhance the contemplative experience of the guests and allow for a nice balance for the workload of the monks.

May all who come here as day visitors or retreatants find the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, the mystery of God-with-us.

With assurance of our prayers and we are grateful for yours.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Work is almost finished on our remodeled kitchen, and we are just days away from “moving in” and getting to work there once again.

Our four main cooks who rotate among themselves, one each day, are eager to “dive in” and prepare meals there once again.

Our less-than-ideal temporary kitchen of the past few months is soon to be obsolete and superseded! That room will return to being the Guest Refectory, where our retreatants take their breakfast and evening meal.

The remodeling project has taken several months, but the time and effort involved has been worth it.

For that we offer special thanks and congratulations to Mr. Fernando Athie, his sons and co-workers, of “Athie Construction” of Santa Fe, who took on this project with enthusiasm and expertise. We are deeply grateful.

Our guests and visitors rarely if ever see our “cloistered kitchen,” but the monks who work there are newly motivated to create “something beautiful for God,” preparing the principal meal each day for the nourishment of the monastic community and those on private retreat here.

Enjoy the photos of the nearly completed kitchen.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Renovations and Reservations

The Monastery Guesthouse is currently closed to guests on private retreat as we continue the full remodeling of our commercial kitchen and substantial upgrades for Guesthouse accessibility.

We hope to complete these renovations soon and welcome guests again by early September of this year.

Reservations for the remainder of 2026 are now open.

Reservations for 2027 will become available on November 1st, 2026.

New Guesthouse Parameters

As you look forward to planning a future retreat, please be aware that we will be implementing a new scheduling structure and updated policies for all guests on retreat once we reopen:

• Arrival Days: Arrivals are limited to Tuesdays and Fridays.
• Tuesday Arrivals: Stays beginning on a Tuesday require a minimum of 3 nights and a maximum of 5 nights.
• Friday Arrivals: Stays beginning on a Friday are for exactly 2 nights.
• Departures: Retreatants should depart by 9:30 am on the day of departure, and Sunday departures by 11:30 am. We no longer host overnight guests on Sunday or Monday nights.
• Capacity and Groups: Our maximum capacity is now limited to 10 guests. We are no longer able to host groups. All stays are for individual, self-directed retreats.

Day visitors are still welcome to visit the grounds, Monastery church and Giftshop.

Giftshop Hours

The Giftshop is open from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

On Sundays, the Conventual Mass is at 9:15 am and the Giftshop will be open from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm.

The Giftshop is closed on Mondays.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time of transition.

Abbot Christian and the monks

The month of August is replete with commemorations of important saints in the Catholic Liturgical Calendar.

Today’s photo is of just one of the many saints of August, Saint Clare of Assisi. This sacred image of the 12th century disciple of Saint Francis and founder of the Poor Clare Order, was painted by Italian artist Lorenzo Lotto 1526.

The nearest Native American Pueblo to our monastery, some fifty miles away, is dedicated to “Santa Clara,” hence the choice of today’s art work.

Other notable saints of this month include the following: Saint Alphonsus Liguori, August 1st; Saint John Mary Vianney, August 4th; Saint Dominic Guzman, August 8th; Saint Lawrence Martyr, August 10th; Saint Clare of Assisi, August 11th; Saint Maximilian Kolbe, August 14th; Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, August 20th; Pope Saint Pius X, August 21st; Saint Bartholomew Apostle, August 24th; Saint Monica, August 27th; Saint Augustine of Hippo, August 28th; Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist, August 29th.

That’s enough to keep the head any liturgist, sacristan, or choir director spinning, with particular texts, music, vestments and chalices proper to each of the saints being celebrated.

Today, happy feast of Saint Dominic Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers, now called the Dominicans!

Northern New Mexico was blessed for many decades of the 20th and 21st centuries with myriads of Dominican religious sisters of various branches educating the young.

May those Dominican educators who have died rest in peace and rise in glory. May those still alive receive many blessings from the Lord for their tireless work in the Land of Enchantment.

Abbot Christian and the monks

This past week we have been privileged to host the Benedictine scholar, Sister Colleen Maura McGrane, OSB, from the Benedictine Monastery of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri. She is the  editor of the prestigious “American Benedictine Review,” the foremost peer-evaluated journal of Benedictine thought and scholarship in the world.

Sister Colleen Maura offered us several enlightening lectures on the monastic wisdom of the Christian East, especially embodied in the life and work of Saint Silouan of Mount Athos (1866 – 1938) and his disciple Saint Sophrony of Essex (England) (1896 – 1993) as well Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou (1946 – present), disciple of Saint Sophrony of Essex.

This was Sister Colleen Maura’s second visit to us, the earlier one being three years ago.

We are very grateful for the input and wisdom imparted to us by Sister Colleen Maura, who is especially known for her published volumes of translations into English of the works of the late French Benedictine monk-scholar, Father Adalbert de Vogue (1924 – 2011)

Ad multos annos, Sister Colleen Maura!

Abbot Christian and the monks

Medical Appeal 2026

Dear Friends,
Peace and many greetings from the Chama Canyon wilderness.
I write you to you as work continues here to update our monastery kitchen, in need of a makeover after
more than thirty years of daily use. Upgrading is also taking place at our Guesthouse and Ranch House,
with the two projects hopefully being completed by this August.

Our Guesthouse will reopen soon and website self-reservation for retreats will resume in August.
We are staying well at the Monastery, but like families everywhere, we have aging members who require
medical and dental attention, which in fact is an ongoing concern for young and old alike. We are blessed
in New Mexico with excellent health and dental care.

Nonetheless, costs do quickly add up, and we are very grateful for the assistance of those who receive this
letter, which goes out each Summer specifically for medical and dental needs.

If you can assist with our 2026 expenses relating to our medical and dental care, please
consider a $10 gift, or more if you are able.

We have set the target date for the completion of this appeal at August 15th, the Solemnity of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

You may donate at this link: https://christdesert.org/give/MD26 or via check made out to:
“Christ in the Desert” and mailed to us at P.O. Box 270, Abiquiu, NM 87510-0270.
We pray for your good health and for all your needs and intentions. God bless you always!
Gratefully in Saint Benedict,

Abbot Christian Leisy, OSB

Belated, but heartfelt wishes for a blessed celebration of the Solemnity of Saint Benedict, Father of Western Monasticism!

We keep the day with much festivity, including a Solemn Sung Mass and an extended recreation time for the monks.

Today’s photo is of a stained glass window of Saint Benedict in the church of the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat in Spain, where Pope Leo recently was.

May Saint Benedict intercede for all who follow the monastic life under a Rule and an Abbot, but also hermits, oblates and friends of Benedictine monasteries around the world.

We keep you in our prayers and are grateful for yours.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Not yet finished, but here is a sneak preview of the main Guesthouse courtyard makeover. Access to the Common Room will be pleasant and easy for all.

Yes, the walkway will not stay cement-color and serious landscaping is taking place as well.

We are very happy with the Guesthouse progress thus far, and hope that all who come on retreat will be pleasantly surprised as well.

Happy USA Independence Day, with assurance of our prayers and best regards.

Abbot Christian and the monks

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, called the “Forerunner of the Lord,” we also recount the founding of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert on this date in 1964. Today we rejoice in 62 years of existence as a “cenobium” (community), under the Rule of Saint Benedict, Father of Western Monasticism, who lived from 480 to 547 AD.

Arriving by vehicle and trailer from Mount Saviour Benedictine Monastery near Elmira, New York, our founding Fathers Aelred, Placid and Basil drove into New Mexico on June 24th, 1964, and into the Chama Caynon wilderness and the property where the monastery was to be, a day or so later. As such, we keep June 24th as founding day. Our monastic church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist as well.

We keep the day with a solemn Mass, the Divine Office of Saint John the Baptist, and a festive meal as a community in the evening after Vespers.

We keep in prayer all who have gone before us and all who continue to be part of monastic journey to God’s House.

Happy Solemnity of Saint John the Baptist!

Abbot Christian and the monks

With daytime temperatures now in the mid-80s (and around 50 at night), lots of flowers are blooming in our cloister garden, especially roses. Today’s photo is of an arrangement at the icon of Our Lady in our church.

Summer has officially begun, which also means the monsoon or rainy season is upon us, and we await in hope for an abundance of rainfall in the coming weeks, and few lightening strikes, which can start wildfires.

Construction work continues on our kitchen remodel as well as upgrades at the Guesthouse, all slated to be completed, if all goes well, by the end of July.

We hope by then to have our reservation process for private retreats in place on our website, meaning retreatants could return sometime in August.

During this time while the Guesthouse is closed, visitors and are still welcome, daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Our Giftshop is closed on Mondays.

As everyone keeps saying in these parts, “Stay hydrated,” we try to be and hope you are too.

With our prayers and we are always grateful for yours.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Less than three feet tall, bordering on being a bonsai, our jade tree remains indoors year round, easy to care for, requiring just an occasional watering, and not too often or it languishes.

The tree is located near large windows, next to our reading room, with sunlight providing nourishment for its good health.

As the Old Testament psalmist wrote some three millennia ago, “Like a tree planted by running streams,” so is the just person, steadfast despite setbacks and struggles. For healthy productivity, we all need God’s grace and “a little help from our friends.”

With greetings, prayers and thanks for your friendship.

Abbot Christian and the monks

Our neighborhood deer never hesitate to vault over fences, no matter how high, and they never miss the mark, stumble or fall.

Our sheep, donkey and chickens, though, willingly share their pastures with the deer.

Maybe a metaphor here, echoing the words of Psalm 132(133): “How good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell in unity.” An aspiration too for a world struggling to live in peace.

Prayers and greetings from the Chama Canyon wilderness.

Abbot Christian and the monks