Mount Saviour Monastery

November 2017
Weston Priory Pond
The pond in front of Weston Priory, Vermont
News:
The start of the month saw brothers Gabriel and John away on fraternal visits to three Northeast monasteries. The first stop was to reconnect with the brothers at Weston in Vermont whom we consider to be like cousins to each other. Both of our founders sailed from Europe together in 1937 fleeing Nazi Germany and eventually founded our respective monasteries. The next stop was a first time visit to the twin community of nuns and monks at Petersham in Massachusetts where Brothers Gabriel and John, as in Weston, were warmly received. Petersham is part of the English Province of the Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation as is Mount Saviour. On their return trip they made a brief visit to the Trappist monastery in Spencer, Massachusetts where news of happenings in each community was exchanged.

On the 5th, a large crowd was present to hear a very well received talk on Thomas Merton by Fr. John DeSocio, an Elmira native. Also that day, our friends and neighbors of many years, Andrew and Marie Colucci were enrolled as Oblates of the monastery. Our area experienced our first daytime snowfall this fall on the 7th with undoubtedly more on its way. Br. Mark escaped serious injury on the 9th when, hearing strange sounds coming from the front of the car he was driving, wisely pulled off the road and came to a halt, only to see his front tire continue to roll down the road ahead of him, which another driver jumped out of his car to catch for him!
On the 13th, Br. Bruno, recovered from receiving recent heart stents, began the first of several trips to New Jersey taking the sheep to auction. Also, the chapel was temporarily closed for three days as sound engineers installed a new system. Some people think the new speakers are spotlights and are waiting for them to be turned on while others are reminded of the contraptions that used to envelop women’s heads at the beauty parlor, while still others think they are heaters or are reminded of a lily-of-the-valley flower. Perhaps they are designed after the Rorschach ink blot tests! The 17th brought the annual closing of the outside wooden chapel doors due to sustained cold weather.

Speakers of the new sound system
 

James McGuire, our former Br. Francis of 20 years, joined the community at recreation on the 22nd and reminisced about the early days of the monastery. On Thanksgiving Day our Br. Stephen was briefly hospitalized in Rochester with difficulty swallowing. He welcomes emails stephengalban@yahoo.com but no telephone calls or letters please. On the 25th, the annual coupling of the rams and ewes took place which begins the yearly sheep cycle again and mysteriously leads to a couple of hundred lambs being born in the spring when (we hope) new green grass is once again appearing.

Coming Events:
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: Dec. 8th. We will observe a Sunday schedule
Dec. 24th at 6:30 p.m. First Vespers of Christmas followed by the Blessing of the Creche
Dec. 25th, Christmas Day: Mass at 9:00 a.m.
Fifteenth Annual Retreat for Knitters: Jan. 12-15, 2018