Friday, October 16, 2009

Snow comes early to the Abbey




Community members were surprised to find gentle snow flurries falling when they emerged from the church after Vigils this morning. By the time Mass was over about 7 AM, the grass, trees and buildings were covered with a thin layer of snow. By late morning the sun had melted it away. Nevertheless, we've had our first taste of winter already in mid-October!

The shot above is of the verbinum outside the "cottage", which is the former farmhouse now used as a place to stay for our candidates.


Sunday, October 11, 2009

Canonization of Br. Rafael Arnaiz Baron


Today is a special day for our community and Order because this morning in Rome the Church celebrated the canonization of our fellow Trappist Br. Rafael Arnaiz Baron. Br. Rafael was born April 9, 1911, in Burgos, Spain and died at the Cistercian monastery of San Isidoro de Duenas on April 26, 1938. A brief biography can be found at our Order's website, or watch a video on YouTube. For more information on Br. Rafael  there is the book God Alone: A Spiritual Biography of Blessed Rafael Arnaiz Baron (Monastic Wisdom Series).