ST JOSEPH'S ABBEY, SPENCER MA

Our two juniors, Brothers Simeon and Jonah returned home last week from the annual Junior Seminar for the Order's simply professed monks and nuns of the North American region. This year's Seminar was held at St. Benedict's monastery in breathtaking Snowmass, Colorado. The community of Snowmass welcomed the twenty-five juniors wholeheartedly, giving generous witness to monastic hospitality at it's best. The themes of the presentations were: 1) The relationship between Lectio Divina and the Liturgy 2) The monk as "disciple", and 3) The Science of Love. Precious opportunities abounded for bonds to be made and friendships to be established between the juniors. A full schedule of classes, a wide range of extra-curricular activities (hiking, volleyball, mountain biking) and fabulous meals enjoyed together along with rich conversation, provided ample occasions for getting to know one another. The sharing of each person's unique vocational story, formation experiences, insights and struggles, were, for many, the heart and soul of the 2009 Seminar.