On December 9, Brother Bruno made his final trip to a New Jersey auction with 21 sheep. That morning, the local airport recorded a temperature of six degrees below zero—the second sub-zero reading before the official start of winter. Monastery Christmas preparations began on the 17th, coinciding with the start of the O Antiphons at […]
+ My dear Relatives and Friends, On the night of December 7th to 8th this year, I had an unusual dream: I was writing down a short Christmas story. It was dictated to me in my dream, but I considered each word so carefully while writing it down that it had remained clear in my
The month began with the celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints. On the 2nd, for All Souls’ Day, the community visited and blessed the graves of deceased brothers in the monks’ cemetery. The weather was pleasant, sunny, and in the mid-50s. Brother Bruno made three trips to New Jersey to auction a load of
The month began with a crisp reminder that autumn was settling in, as our coldest temperature of the season dropped to 36 degrees. The seasonal shift was visible and audible, with the first wave of geese honking their farewells as they flew south. On the third, a group of high school students from Elmira’s Catholic
Labor Day on the 1st, as early as it can be celebrated, ushered in September. Being a Monday, we changed Mass time from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. to allow more folks to attend. The brothers labored as usual. On the 11th, our neighbor, good friend, and oblate Andy Colucci died peacefully at age 93.
All is well with our water wells once again. They have filled back up after losing 90,000 gallons of water in June. On the 1st of the month, a second well was reactivated with a new pump and electrical system. Now they work in tandem with one another. The 6th, the Solemnity of the Transfiguration,
Brother Savio, now ordained, arrived on the 1st to study in preparation for his comprehensive exam in spirituality. Brother Savio first came to us straight from Vietnam to learn English and to begin his studies several years ago. From the 1st through the 10th, the Elmira Soaring Museum sponsored a national glider competition with pilots
We welcomed a knitter’s retreat here for the first weekend of the month. A sample of their work can be seen in the accompanying photo. Their handiwork was graciously donated to the Gift Shop. A well-attended memorial Mass was held for our dear neighbor and oblate, Marie Colucci, on the 7th. Brother Pierre was hospitalized
Early in the month, we had an unusual four-legged visitor out for a walk. At age 15 and weighing about 45 pounds, Lisle is an African spurred tortoise, the third-largest tortoise species in the world. They can live over 100 years. Our dogs did not quite know what to make of it, but they got