Sept 26 – Closing of the Regular Visitation

Dom Gerard D’Souza, Abbot of Our Lady of the Genesee Abbey and delegated visitor of New Melleray, concluded the Regular Visitation in Chapter today with a reading of the “2016 Visitation Card.” The Visitation Card is the Visitor’s formal synthesis of his individual meetings with the brothers, his assessment of the level of charity and the quality of monastic observance, his review of the current finances, and other personal observations during the time of the visitation. Dom Gerard summarized the current state of our community and provided compliments as well as recommendations based on his findings. In advance of presenting the official card he met with the abbot’s council and the whole community to share the key substantive points he intended to include along with some informal thoughts which he did not include in the final document.

Officially, three copies of the Visitation Card will be signed: for submission to the Abbot General of the Order, for the records of Mount Melleray Abbey our mother house, and for the records of New Melleray Abbey.