Mount Saviour Monastery

Feburuary 2022

  News:
We celebrated the Feast of the Presentation as usual on the 2nd, except that all in attendance were masked. We begin Mass in the crypt and then proceed up the steps with lit candles in our hands. Simeon's prophecy that Jesus would be a "light of revelation to the Gentiles" is commemorated by the candles. Speaking of light, Punxsutawney Phil, resident groundhog south of us in Pennsylvania, saw it that day as well. Because he spotted his shadow, we are supposedly in for six more weeks of winter.

On the 4th, we were hit with another snow and ice storm. Only Father Don and the brothers were able to make it to Mass. Because the snow plow had not made it up our hill by Mass time, Father Don showed his stamina by trekking up Monastery Road.

We experienced a bit of relief from the cold temperatures from the 11th to the 22nd as the thermometer climbed into the 50's several times. Most of our snow cover disappeared, and a large flock of robins suddenly appeared on the 21st. Brother John of the Cross, a Cistercian monk we are sponsoring, also enjoyed the break from the winter weather. He came in tow with two of his seminary companions from Baltimore from the 19th to the 23rd.

COMING EVENTS:

May 1, 2022 Damasus Winzen Memorial Lecture

Title:

"Worship in a Post-Pandemic Church: The Future of Christian Symbol Systems"
 

Summary:

Father Damasus Winzen once wrote: 'The joy of salvation must find its expression in the liturgy '.' In this illustrated Memorial Lecture Fr. Richard Vosko will explore how the pandemic has affected the public worship of the church. He will refer to some of the writings of Fr. Damasus that draw upon the rich biblical, liturgical, and symbolic traditions of the church. The talk will also examine how current trends in religious behavior have affected those 'vehicles of divine significance."
 

Biography:

A priest of the Diocese of Albany, Richard S. Vosko, Ph.D., Hon. AIA has worked as a liturgical designer throughout the United States and Canada since 1970. Fr. Vosko is a frequent speaker and author on topics related to religion, art and architecture. His most recent book is Art and Architecture for Congregational Worship: The Search for a Common Ground. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2019).