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Holy Week Schedule of Services 2024

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, March 24th: Procession and Conventual Mass at 9:15 am

Holy Thursday, March 28th: Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 5:00 pm

Good Friday, March 29th: Afternoon Liturgy of Good Friday at  3:30 pm

Holy Saturday, March 30th/31st: Solemn Vigil and Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection at 12 Midnight

Easter Sunday, March 31st: Easter Day Mass at 11:00 am

March 4th: All You Winds, Bless the Lord

A sure sign that Spring cannot be far off in this part of the country is the arrival of regular daytime winds, sometimes gusting to twenty or more miles per hour.

The beautiful canticle from the Old Testament Book of Daniel, chapter 3, is an invitation to recognize how God is glorified in creation, including the sun and moon, rain and wind, ice and snow, to mention just a few of the many natural features of God’s handiwork, that is, the earth and all that surrounds it.

We continue the forty days of Lent with its usual focus on prayer, fasting and doing good. It tends to be a quieter time, with few big liturgical celebrations during these weeks.

We wish all our families, friends, benefactors and oblates a blessed continuation of this holy season leading to the great mystery of the Lord’s Resurrection and its annual accompanying celebration.

Be assured of our prayers and please keep us in your prayers. Thank you and God bless you.

Abbot Christian and the monks

 

 

February 20th: Brother Orchid

An easily overlooked but worthwhile black and white film from 1940 is called BROTHER ORCHID, starring Edgar G. Robinson. It tells the fictional tale of mob boss Little John Sarto, played by Robinson, who gives up his turf to another mobster, played by Humphrey Bogart. Five years later Sarto tries to take back his turf, but in the process he falls victim to a trap and left for dead. Fortunately Sarto survives the trap and flees, ending up at a monastery of monks, whose principal source of revenue is selling fresh flowers.

Taken in to the monastery by the Brother Superior, Sarto gradually begins to realize the futility of his criminal ways and makes some drastic life changes.

The film clearly carries some important Lenten themes and the name “Brother Orchid” is made evident by the end of the story.

Today photo is of a currently blooming orchid at our monastery.

Be assured of our prayers and we are grateful for yours.

Abbot Christian and the monks

February 14th: Lent Has Begun

The Holy Season of Lent has begun and we monks, along with all Christians, see it as a special time of prayer, fasting and good works. Saint Benedict says a monk’s life should always have about it a “Lenten character,” implying some degree of asceticism and sacrifice year round, but especially so during the forty days of Lent. Why do we do this? In order to draw closer to God and to to build up the Body of Christ on earth.

The reception of ashes on Ash Wednesday takes place during our morning Conventual Mass, which ended at about 7:00 am. At our meeting at 8:30 am, we listen to a chapter of the Rule of Saint Benedict and finalize the morning work, then we each receive from the Abbot a book from the Bible for our Lenten “lectio divina,” or “holy reading.”

This year we  monks will be reading, meditating, praying from and contemplating on the New Testament “Letter to the Hebrews.” We invite all who read this to do likewise. The Letter to the Hebrews is a wonderful text with the general theme of salvation won for us by Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, who gives us grace to avoid sin and to draw nearer to God in holiness. That is our Lenten task, a kind of pilgrimage toward our proper and lasting home in God’s Church now and in Heaven for ever.

A blessed and holy Lent to all. You are in our prayers and we are grateful for yours.

Abbot Christian and the monks

February 11th: Surprise Snow

Over the night of February 10th–the Lunar New Year 2024–we received a generous amount of snow in the Chama Canyon Wilderness. We are grateful for any amount of moisture in the desert Southwest. Last night’s snowfall measured in at about half a foot. This morning we got to use use our recently acquired snow blower on our brick walkway between church and the reception building (lobby, Guestmaster’s Office, Giftshop, Art Gallery and Guest Refectory). We also cleared the way for nice snow-free paths from the church to the Guesthouse and Ranch House (part of our Guesthouse). Today’s sunny skies will likely melt any residue snow along the paths.

Thankfully we are staying well and enjoying the “change of scenery,” which won’t last too long, as we are already presumably past the coldest temperatures of Winter.

With this comes our warm regards and prayers for all of our families, friends, benefactors and oblates. A blessed week ahead.

Abbot Christian and the monks

January 31st: Chapter Room

Every day, rain or shine, we monks gather in the chapter room at 8:30 am. There we hear announcements from the Abbot or if another monk has an announcement, such as a request for help in a work project or a request for prayers for someone in need, a family member or friend, for example. Following announcements, if there are any, we finalize the work details of the day.

The Abbot then reads the chapter, or a portion of the chapter, of the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict assigned for that day, and makes a brief commentary. The name “chapter room” or “chapter house” derives from the place where monks hear a “chapter” of the Holy Rule read to them each day. It is an important element for keeping in mind the Rule of Saint Benedict that we follow as monks in community.

After the Abbot’s commentary on the Rule, we listen to the names of the monks and nuns of our Subiaco Cassinese Congregation who have died on that day, some stretching back to over a century, and others as recent as last year. We then sing Psalm 129, the “De profundis,” which begins, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,” a fitting prayer for remembering all the faithful departed. The gathering concludes with chanting the prayer “May the angels lead you into Paradise,” then we go to church and pray the Office of Terce, the first of the “Little Hours.”

The morning “work meeting,” as we call it, in fact encompassing a number of elements, normally lasts about fifteen minutes. Today’s photo is of our chapter room, before or after our meeting, with the lights turned off!

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

Abbot Christian and the monks

January 27th: Beauty in Simplicity

Men, including monks, are not always famous for “clutter-free” environments, but we try to do so here, with some areas in the Monastery better at this than others. For us, the corridors within the cloister, connecting our various buildings, are an opportunity to promote ordered spaces, which hopefully fosters peace, freedom of movement, even joy, as well as the possibility to focus on where one is going and not being distracted by “junk” along the way.

Especially as a community composed of young monks and elders, we need to be careful to avoid stumbling going from one space to another. Throughout the day we go to church, refectory, chapter room, mail room, laundry, etc., and the corridors are the conduits for doing so. Their ordered simplicity keeps us on the right path.

Saint Benedict calls the Monastery a “House of God” (Domus Dei in Latin). Keeping that concept in mind should inform how we treat what we have.

We in the Northern Hemisphere are hopefully not too far from the arrival of Spring, a traditional time of “cleaning,” and an opportunity to think about what we might not need and pass on to others what could be useful to them, and superfluous to us. Thrift stores, Goodwill and the like, are such places that might gladly receive our goods. As the old saying goes: “One man’s scrap is another man’s gold.”

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

Abbot Christian Leisy and the monks

 

January 25th: Good Chefs

While we’re neither a hotel nor a spa, we do routinely enjoy healthy and savory meals, prepared by our monks. In today’s photo, Brother Chrysostom (who wears many hats here), and Father Zachary (who also wears many hats here), are preparing lunch, stuffed peppers. We rotate the cook each day, normally having only one cook on weekdays and two on Sundays. Father Zachary is our Kitchen Manager, preparing the menus, the shopping list for each week and often lends a hand to the cook on various and sundry occasions.

We also have brothers who often bake bread, rolls and pies.

We try to honor the natural talents of our monks but also know that cooking and baking is something that can be learned. One of the aprons in our kitchen reads “Real Men Don’t Use Recipes.” On the other hand, it is not considered an error to consult a cookbook. We have a good collection of these.

As Julia Child, the famous chef, always used to say: bon appetit!

Abbot Christian and the monks

January 22nd: Winter Cactus

Popularly called “Christmas Cactus” (technically termed Schlumbergera), because they usually bloom around Christmas time, we have several of these potted plants inside, flowering nicely just now. They are all in front of large (double-paned) windows along our cloister walk to church, enjoyable to see and adding a reminder of things to come, that is, warmer weather and more flowers on our property in the months ahead. Our many indoor plants are usually placed outside, from May to September.

We’re taking a guess that the coldest days of winter may already be passed, but fairly certain more snow will fall over the coming weeks and months. In any case, we are always grateful for precipitation in any form, to give the earth its much needed nourishment.

With our large greenhouse in Saint Fiacre Field now fully constructed, the raised-beds will be built soon and we look forward to growing produce and flowers there. Outdoor growing is an uphill climb, as competing with God’s creatures great and small is never easy in this part of the world. Even high fences the deer can easily leap over. Smaller species, such as rabbits, have no fear of entering our gardens either.

A blessed week ahead and with this comes assurance of our prayers. Please keep us in yours. Thank you.

Abbot Christian and the monks

January 20th: Having A Hay Day

During the winter months, our livestock (sheep, donkey and horses) depend on hay we purchase from local ranchers, some of which is on display in today’s photo, ready to be stored at the “Good Shepherd Inn,” as we call our sheep and donkey barn. Sometimes the “transition” from eating fresh grass in our pastures during the summer and fall, to baled hay later in the year can be a little slow for the livestock, but pretty quickly they adapt and consume the baled hay with gusto.

We are enjoying very pleasant days just now, though always in anticipation of snow or rain, welcome at any time in the Chama Canyon wilderness. Recent snowfall has pretty much melted, creating some amount of mud during the day on Forest Service Road 151 leading to the Monastery. at such times we always advise traversing the road with four-wheel or all-wheel vehicles.

With this comes our warm regards and assurance of prayers. We are grateful for the support and kindness of so many friends, near and far. May all who travel be kept safe. Blessed Sunday and week ahead!

Abbot Christian and the monks

January 19th: Abundance of Sun

While nighttime temperatures in the Chama Canyon can drop to freezing or lower during December and January, thankfully after sunrise they can rise to the mid or high 40s by noon. We are blessed with an abundance of sun throughout the year, and no less so in the winter months. Days are shorter than summer, of course, but we are still able to enjoy the solar gain for our electrical system which is completely off the grid.

Our church is heated by radiant heating, that is, hot water running through pipes under the floor. This is a method used by humans for millennia. Our system is more sophisticated than what you find on the hilltop ruins of Masada in the Holy Land, for example, but the principal is the same. In our case, the water is heated using solar panels and then mechanically pumped from the boiler room to the church, kitchen, refectory, reception lobby, laundry etc., at the Monastery.

Brothers are staying well, with no “common colds,” the flu or covid at present. For this we are grateful. Some brothers are visiting family at this time, something we have as a possibility every two years.

We are now preparing for the return of guests for private retreats in the month of February. May all who come here be received as Christ, as Saint Benedict reminds his monks.

Be assured of our daily prayers and we are grateful for yours.

Abbot Christian and the monks

January 10th: New Prior at La Soledad Monastery, Mexico

Abbot Christian has named Brother Elias Sanchez Chavez as the new Prior of the Monastery of Our Lady of Solitude (La Soledad), near San Miguel de Allende, in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico. Brother Elias succeeds Father Ezequiel Bas Luna, who has served as Prior of La Soledad for the past many decades and is now taking a well-deserved break. Thanks to both of these monks for their good zeal and willing service to the community of La Soledad!
In today’s photo, Father Ezequiel is in the center, back row. To his left is Brother Elias. The La Soledad community used this photo as their Christmas greeting for 2023.
La Soledad was the hermitage of the founder and first Prior of Christ in the Desert, Father Aelred Wall, where he lived from 1973 until his death in 1984. After his death, the hermitage expanded into a full-fledged monastery, as a dependent monastery of Christ in the Desert. Both our monasteries live the Benedictine life of prayer, work and reading in beautiful settings, offering hospitality for private retreats at the monastery.
At one point in time, the monks at La Soledad adopted the color blue for their habits, as part of their special dedication to Our Lady, whose “color” is blue.
To Father Ezequiel, thanks and prayers. To Brother Elias, assurance of support and prayers in his new assignment.
Abbot Christian and the monks of Christ in the Desert

January 6th: Wild Kingdom

A young mountain lion from across the Chama River has been eyeing our flock of sheep and even gave them a “run for their money” in broad daylight. However, intrepid guard-donkey Matty chased away the predator for now, but that’s  no guarantee the lion won’t return.
We are truly surrounded by the grandeur of God, evident in the landscape and in the many creatures, great and small living in our vicinity. One of the monks took this photo shortly after the mountain lion had chased the sheep.
A blessed celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, recognized by Magi from the East, bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh, gifts befitting the King of kings and Lord of lords.
We keep you in our prayers and we count on yours. Thank you.
Abbot Christian and the monks

January 3rd: Christmas Continues

It is still Christmastide, up to the Feast of the Epiphany (the visit of the Magi) on January 6th, and concluding on Monday, January 8th with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. After that we return to “Ordinary Time” until Ash Wednesday on February 14th this year.
This means that for now our Nativity Scene and poinsettias remain in church, the outdoor lights are illumined at dusk and the refectory is still decorated with candles, greenery and the large Christmas tree.
The new civil year has begun and we pray for peace among all people of good will. Every morning at Lauds we pray that the Lord may “guide our feet into the way of peace” (see Gospel of Saint Luke, chapter 1, verse 79). May that be an aspiration of us all.
This January at the Monastery we are using the days for an increase in prayer and solitude. Our Guesthouse will be open again to private retreatants at the beginning of February.
We’ve decided to limit the number of guests on retreat at any one time to twelve, to improve the experience of those on retreat and to hopefully  promote the atmosphere of recollection and the balance of prayer and work for monks and guests alike.
Be assured of our prayers and please keep us in yours. Thank you.
Abbot Christian and the monks

December 26th: Joy to the World!

The Savior reigns. Don’t forget: Christmas has just begun. Don’t cease from celebrating at least until the Epiphany on January 6th/7th.
With assured of our prayers for a blessed Octave and beyond, the twelve days of Christmas.
Abbot Christian and the monks

December 20th: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass Schedule

On Sunday, December 24th, at 9:15 am, Mass of the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Same Day, at Midnight, Christmas Midnight Mass.
On Monday, December 25th, at 11:00 am, Christmas Day Mass.
May all have a Blessed and Merry Christmas! You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Abbot Christian and the monks

December 14th: Not Snowed In

We were happy to receive a dusting of snow over the night of December 13th. Moisture in any form is always welcome here, especially in these recent years of drought conditions.
Often we’re asked if we get “snowed in” when it snows, but the answer is, no. Normally snow does not prevent us from traversing Forest Service Road 151 leading to and from the Monastery. As we always state on our website, four-wheel or all-wheel vehicles are strongly recommended when there is rain or snow, and we too only use four-wheel vehicles in these instances.
The Advent Season of 2023 is moving along rapidly and soon it will be Christmas. May we prepare our hearts well for the coming of Christ, who save us. May our preparations for the great Solemnity of Christmas not be frantic, but peaceful.
Be assured of our prayers, especially for safety for all who travel at this time of year.
Abbot Christian and the monks

December 8th: Newly Professed Brother Savio

Our Brother Savio Vu made his definitive “yes,” by pronouncing solemn vows of obedience, stability and conversion of life, and receiving the monastic consecration as a Benedictine monk, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
In addition to his monastic community, a number of friends were also present for the Conventual Mass of Monastic Profession on December 8th at 11:00 am.
Distinguised guests included Brother Savio’s uncle, Father Benoit Vu, pastor of the parish of Saint Joseph in Springer, New Mexico, approximately four hours from us.
Only an hour away is the parish of San Juan Nepomuceno in El Rito, New Mexico, whose pastor, Father Joseph Nguyen, was present too. El Rito is where there is a medical and dental clinic that we regularly visit.
After the 11:00 am Mass, lasting about an hour and a half, at approximately 1:15 pm we enjoyed a splendid Vietnamese meal prepared by our Brothers John Baptist, Martino and Prior Bonaventure, as well as oblates Tom and Angie Nguyen.
We rejoice in the continued growth of our monastic community and for Brother Savio’s commitment, and appreciate your prayers for Brother Savio, for all his needs and intentions. Thank you.
Abbot Christian and the monks

December 1st: More Moisture

We are now receiving more moisture in the form of snow in our canyon. We are grateful beyond words for this, and while it’s an inconvenience for those traversing Forest Road 151 leading to the Monastery, with the recommendation that only four-wheel or all-wheel vehicles be used at this time, the much needed nourishing of the earth is always welcome.

Brothers are staying healthy and hopefully happy at this time, as we move into the winter months. Our private rooms and common areas (church, refectory, chapter room, kitchen, etc.) are heated, so there is no great hardship, even when the temperatures drop and snow or rain falls.

Today’s photo was taken inside our cloister, surrounded by the quadrangle of rooms of the monks.

The holy season of Advent begins this Sunday, leading up to Christmas on December 25th. May all our families, friends, benefactors and oblates have a blessed preparation for the commemoration of the Birth of our Savior later this month.

As usual, we will have midnight Mass on December 24th/25th, as well the Day Mass on Christmas day, Monday, December 25th. That Mass will be at 11:00 am.

With assurance of our prayers and grateful for yours,

Abbot Christian and the monks

 

November 27th: Silence Made Visible

We were happy to wake up the morning after Thanksgiving Day to freshly fallen snow. Moisture is much needed in this part of the world, and we have been praying for it. We now have another reason for giving thanks. In his book “The World of Silence,” the Swiss philosopher Max Picard (1888 – 1965) refers to snow as “silence made visible.” It is still seems a very apt description.
As is often the case here, the snow is already melting, so we’ll need to await another “installment” to arrive, but any reduction to the possibility of forest fires, for example, is always welcome.
We are now in the final days of the Liturgical Year and preparing for the season of Advent which begins next Sunday. Time flies, as they say, and it’s hard to believe that the year 2023 is drawing to a close.
We continue to pray for peace in places living in conflict or war, and for better days ahead.
Be assured of our prayers and please keep us in yours. Thank you.
Abbot Christian and the monks

"Let everyone that comes be received as Christ."

— The Rule of St. Benedict

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