The Abbey's cloister garth is a kind of secret garden surrounded by the four cloisters. This garden enclosed is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her beauty, and fragrance set apart for Christ alone, a place where he could nestle and grow. 
On this Solemnity of
her Immaculate Conception we celebrate Mary's chosenness. And we rejoice in her privilege, for she reveals the breadth of our human capacity for
God, the breathtaking beauty of our availability to all that God wants to
accomplish in us.
A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride; a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.
Lines from the Song of Songs. Photographs by Brother Brian.