Category: Around the Abbey

August proved to be a challenging month, calling on all reserves of energy to meet its demands. The most joyful event was the simple profession of monastic vows for one year by our Brother Philip Ross. He professed his vows on August 15th, Solemnity of our Lady’s Assumption into heaven. Fr Jerome received his vows during the celebration of the mass. This made it a more public event than the former practice of professing vows in the Chapter Room at the end of Lauds. Some of his family and friends were thus able to witness the ceremony. On the 29th, Br. Philip went down to Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky for a month’s experience of observership. This will give him and the community the opportunity to become acquainted with one another. Since we are no longer able to provide a permanent environment for his continuing formation into monastic living, it is likely that Gethsemani Abbey will be the community to welcome him and accompany him in living out his monastic commitment. We pray for the happy development of this hope.

On the 20th of the month, the Feast of St. Bernard, our abbey church was the scene of the ordination of Fr. Mary-Francis Ikejiuba, a monk of Holy Cross Monastery in Illah, Nigeria. Father Mary-Francis has been studying at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, and was recently ordained to the diaconate. On a visit to New Melleray, he began moving the wheels to have his priestly ordination here in a Cistercian monastery. This occurred on the 20th, with our local Archbishop Thomas Zinkula presiding. The church was quite full with many guests Father had invited. Several of the sisters from Missisippi Abbey joined us. The abbot of St. John’s and several monks came down to participate. There are large contingents of Nigerians in surrounding areas of the Midwest, and a good number of them also came and added some distinctive African percussion and music to the ceremony. The weather cooperated with a glorious day as a fitting environmental setting. May his ministry be a source of blessing to his community, and to himself.

The powers of heaven were on ample display, but the earthly powers that provide our electricity demanded due attention as well. Our new generator had been proudly sitting in idleness until it was integrated into our electrical system. This meant that all power in the house would be shut off for three periods during Monday, the 17th. An auxiliary generator temporarily supplied power while work was done on installing the new generator. Nonetheless, three times (for periods a little less than an hour) a darkness covered the land. Again, the blessing of the new generator is that it will automatically leap into action in case of a power failure. The next day, the water was shut off in the morning so that repair work could be performed in our pump house. New appreciation for blessings we can take for granted. Problems with land line phones continue, but we hope a new system will bring more dependability.

On the 22nd of the month, we began a new seating arrangement in choir. We had been occupying the east end of the church for offices of prayer, and then moving to the west end for mass. Now, we will use the west end for both choir offices and for mass. The choir will alternate with the cantor in singing the psalms for all the offices. We had already been doing this for the little hours.

Br. Nicholas is now replacing Br. Paul Andrew as prior, and Br. Joseph is replacing Fr. Ephrem as sub-prior. He casts the mighty from their thrones?

Activities in July seemed to heat up in all senses of the words. We were not spared the spikes in temperatures and humidity that afflicted most of the country. The exchanges between New Melleray and Mississippi Abbeys also went on unabated by the climate. On July 4th, several monks traveled to Mississippi Abbey to enjoy a cook-out with the sisters in celebration of the country’s founding. On July 16th, all the sisters came over to New Melleray as we celebrated the 177th anniversary of our founding and the 50th anniversary of the dedication of our church. Whereas in past years, this shared celebration had overflowed into various games, this year’s was confined to sharing a meal together in the refectory.

On the 16th, our landline phone service was interrupted for ten days because of a system malfunction. Repeated calls (via cell phone) to the company failed to awaken a response. Not surprisingly, we have changed our server. Trappist Caskets suffered the greater loss in not being able to receive calls and respond to requests. A few monks do have cell phones, so necessary contacts with doctors, etc. could be maintained.

On the night of July 19th, the fire alarms sounded on the second floor of our senior wing, but the cause was another form of malfunctioning in the batteries. It was an unwelcome drill which at least proved their effectiveness in rousing sleeping monks.

The month was crowned by a series of lectures on the liturgy, presented by Rev. Dennis McManus. As part of our on-going formation program, the two communities (Mississippi and New Melleray) join together to invite speakers who address us in joint and separate sessions. This year we were privileged to welcome Fr. Dennis McManus whose list of credentials and appointments would command humble deference from the most accomplished professors. He currently teaches at St. Patricks’s Seminary in California. He is also a member of several Vatican commissions on the liturgy and Jewish-Christian affairs. His presentations were lucid, enlightening, and entertaining. They centered on the distinctiveness of the Roman Rite, its structures and forms, and the ways in which it forms our own prayer and spirituality. The sessions began with a joint session at New Melleray on Monday the 27th (followed by a shared dinner) and concluded with a shared session at Mississippi Abbey on Thursday, the 30th. His will be a hard act to follow.

On the 31st, Br. Philip went over to a retreat house at Mississippi Abbey to begin a retreat and preparations for his first monastic profession on August 15th. We expect him to return on Friday, August 7th. Keep him especially in your prayers.

June brought us entertainment on the weather front. At least two major storms ripped through the area, detaching large limbs and branches from their trees. On the 7th, we experienced a power outage during our liturgy, although the generator was activated after thirty minutes. A new generator is awaiting installation, one which will automatically activate in a similar situation. The blackout should have persuaded any skeptical of our need for a new generator.

On May 31st, Fr. Thomas unfortunately fell in his room at the Stonehill Care Center. He was taken to the hospital where x-rays showed two pelvic fractures. These cannot be treated by surgery, so he returned to Stonehill where he received some physical therapy. It has limited his freedom of movement and we hope the fractures will heal. He seems to be taking this in stride — if that is not an inappropriate term to use.

On June 13th, five of the monks went over to Mississippi Abbey to join in the celebration of Sr. Marie Madeleine Beverly’s solemn profession. Of course, Fr. Brendan was already there as chaplain. It was a joyous day for both of our communities. As Father Immediate, Dom Augustine Myslinski of Holy Spirit Abbey (Conyers, GA) presided over the ceremony. We had the honor of giving him hospitality here at New Melleray and he spoke to us in Sunday Chapter on the 14th.

The beautiful spring weather provided the impetus to organize another Walk in the Woods, when some of the monks and nuns of Mississippi Abbey join for a hike on either of our wooded properties. This year the focus of exploration was on the conservation efforts along Catfish Creek that had been initiated to help slow (if not stop) erosion of the soil. Mock beaver dams (where the busy beavers failed to live up to their reputations) and tree planting have been the employed strategies.

The warming temperatures also led to the decision to temporarily remove cowls and cloaks at the Divine Office. This coincided with the end of the Paschal Season so it seemed to highlight the move into Ordinary Time.

Fr. Jerome Machar, our superior, returned to his home abbey of Genesee for two weeks. His community there is celebrating the 75th anniversary of their founding. He wanted to join them for that and visit with family and relatives. He left on May 20th and is expected to return on June 2nd.

We will be installing a new generator which will automatically switch on in case of a power failure. The present one needs someone to manually turn it on, and it can take a while to get a competent person on the scene. It is now on site, but will still have to be installed while all other power is shut off. The date for this operation is June 8th. They are looking into the possibility of a temporary generator to supply energy while the new one is installed. But we may just have to stay off the elevators and use candles for a few hours.

May seems to be the month for concentrating on our utilities. On the evening of May 22nd, a pipe in the pump house broke (officially: a complication within the distribution system piping) and chlorine levels dropped below a safe level. Of course, this was the Memorial Day weekend so repairs were delayed. Meanwhile, we and visitors in the guesthouse were warned not to drink tap water until safety checks and approval was given. This approval finally came Friday afternoon (the 29th). Ubiquitous small plastic bottles of drinking water are now fading from sight.

The Paschal season is in full flower, with alleluias lifting up the ends of our songs and prayers. Although our Easter Vigil service began at 4 a.m., there was a large gathering of guests to join in our celebrations. We had a communal sharing after the services to begin our entry into the Easter season.

We were delighted to have a monastic guest, Deacon Mary Francis Ikejiuba, a monk of our monastery of the Holy Cross in Illah, Nigeria. He was recently ordained to the diaconate at St. John’s Abbey (Collegeville) where he has been studying for the past years. Fr. Jerome had attended his ordination a couple months past since Holy Cross monastery is a daughter house of Genesse Abbey. Brother Mary Francis drove down himself, apparently a fearless traveler on U.S. roads. He returned to St. John’s on Easter Wednesday.

There is some possibility that his ordination to the priesthood might be celebrated in the fall here at New Melleray Abbey. This is in early stages of negotiation.

The Second Sunday of Easter (April 12th) was highlighted by two events. We celebrated the anointing of the sick in Chapter after Lauds. Only two monks did not receive the sacrament. Following the anointing, the community voted on the admission to profession of Br. Philip Ross. He was officially admitted to profess monastic vows on August 15th, 2026. He was warmly welcomed and congratulated.

On Friday, the 17th of April, Fr. Stephen gave the community a power-point presentation of our financial situation. We are blessed and fortunate to be in a secure position, especially in this time of transition and uncertainty about our future. We continue to have discussions about the steps we need to take. Equally important is the sharing of personal responses and faith interpretations of what we are experiencing. These have been very supportive and uniting in this moment of our journey together.

The flow of events has been fairly smooth, with few ripples asking for attention. The community did enter a week of retreat the first week of March. Our Constitutions (ST20.A) recommend that Each year all the brothers are to make a retreat of at least six days. Although we did not engage a “presenter” who would give conferences, we tried to enter more reflectively into the Lenten season by a deeper silence and withdrawal from unnecessary activity. Sext and None were prayed in private and more flexible use of time in the middle of the day was available.

Chapter 48 of the Rule of St. Benedict directs that monks should be assigned a special Lenten reading ; During this time of Lent each one is to receive a book from the library, and is to read the whole of it straight through. In the past, books were chosen by the superior. Currently, each monk makes his own selection of this special Lenten lectio divina. While the monk is free to choose the time and place for this reading, five members of the community gather in the Chapter Room each evening at 7 p.m. until Compline. There is strong mutual support and commitment to this practice.

A new air conditioning system is currently being installed in the infirmary. The previous system had been unreliable and malfunctioning precisely in the hot days when it was most needed. We are hoping for better, if not the best.

There are some holes which cannot be filled, and the departure of John Schroeder as our forestry manager is undoubtedly one of these. John has been with us for the past eight years and has been a super-competent steward of almost 1300 acres of woods and forest. He has spearheaded various conservation programs on the land and has been publicly recognized for his innovative efforts. He will be sorely missed.

At the end of January, we held the annual meeting of the Trappist Casket Board. This includes all the members of the community who comprise the “ownership” of the corporation. Also present were our lawyer, Davin Curtiss, Sam Mulgrew, manager, and David Schueller, financial advisor. The decreasing demand for caskets might lead us to consider devoting some land as a location for “green burials,” an option which is becoming more popular. At least two Cistercian communities in the U.S. currently offer this possibility and we will investigate its feasibility in this area.

Fr. Brendan, who has been serving as chaplain for our sisters at Mississippi Abbey, experienced some malfunctioning of his blood pressure, with diastolic readings at low levels and causing some alarm. He made several trips to the Emergency Room (even driving himself!), but his heart has since stabilized after these episodes and he is back to full-time service for the sisters. He is planning to preside at all their Holy Week services. The sisters plan to celebrate the vigil service in their own chapel this year. For the past two years, they had joined us at New Melleray for the Easter Vigil and added quality and volume to our services.

The schedule for our own services has been published:

HOLY THURSDAY MASS: 6:30 p.m.

GOOD FRIDAY CELEBRATION OF THE PASSION: 3:00 p.m.

EASTER VIGIL : 4:00 a,m,

EASTER SUNDAY MASS: 10: a.m.

The Advent season moved us smoothly into Christmas. Fr. Brendan had a sudden and unfortunate encounter with a deer on the highway. (Not so smooth, after all.) One less deer thirsting for running waters and one less automobile for driving. But Fr. Brendan is back on the road.

Three men from the local Epworth Fire and Rescue squad came over to the monastery on Monday, December 15th to give us a mini-course in emergency care. They demonstrated the use of defribrillators, some CPR instructions, and proper procedures for attending to someone who has fallen. We appreciated their generosity in making this presentation and hope that we will have the coolness of mind in time of an emergency to follow the instructions they gave. The Epworth EMTs and Volunteers have been an excellent and reliable resource for us over the years.

The many feasts which occur during the Christmas season were the main objects of our attention. There was a very large attendance of guests at midnight mass on Christmas eve and enthusiastic participation in the Christmas carols. The final end to the season was the dinner provided on the evening of January 11th by our loyal neighbors, the Burke family. The sisters from Mississippi Abbey annually come to the monastery for Vespers and then the two communities join in our Guesthouse dining area for the splendid meal prepared for us. We are very grateful for their kindness.

Fall seemed to declare its closure with a dramatic delivery of over twelve inches of snow on the last day of November. This coincided with the day of the burial of one of our brothers, Br. John O’Driscoll. Br. John died on the morning of November 26th at the Stonehill Care Center. He had resided there for the past two years, receiving care for his Parkinson’s Disease and the loss of peripheral vision. He was 85 at the time of his death. He joined the community in 1963 and was known for his unwavering convictions and readiness to defend them. The snow storm prevented some of his surviving relatives from attending the funeral and only the pall bearers ventured out to the cemetery to lower him into the grave. During the Chapter meeting on the following Sunday, the community shared their remembrances of his life with us and our gratitude and appreciation for his fidelity to monastic life. May he rest in peace.

After a fall which caused him to spend some time in the nursing home, Br. Cyprian has returned to the monastery infirmary. He still experiences severe pain when he walks or puts pressure on his leg, but he continues exercising and physical therapy. Thanks to a motorized chair, he is able to attend monastic services and functions.

News Release: On October 22, 2025, Fr. Bernardus Peeters, the Abbot General of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, appointed Father Jerome Machar, a monk of Genesee Abbey, as Monastic Commissary and superior of New Melleray Abbey.

After the General Chapter of 2025, the Commission of the Future met with the community of New Melleray Abbey to encourage the brothers to realistically consider its options for the future. Though the monastery’s economy and financial situation are solid, the community’s greatest challenges are the aging of its members and diminishing numbers. In light of these challenges, the community has been asked to ponder and discuss the following: What would the fullness of monastic life look like in the future? Where is the Holy Spirit leading, individually and communally?

For the moment, New Melleray Abbey is not accepting applications to the novitiate, but the formation program is still active and will continue to be so.

Striving to live out their fragility together, and not knowing what the future will offer, the monks of New Melleray continue their journey guided by the light of faith, encouraged by the words of the Abbot General: “May we journey together as pilgrims of hope towards Him. Then He will touch and raise us with His healing hands, so that we may once again be of service in Church and world.”

From our Order’s website: October 30, 2025

Dom Joseph Wittstock (abbot of Berryville), who has been monastic commissary of New Melleray since December 2024, offered his resignation as monastic commissary of New Melleray. The Abbot General, with the consent of his Council, accepted the resignation, which became effective on 21st October 2025.

On the same date, the Abbot General with the consent of his Council appointed Fr Jerome Machar, monk of Genesee, as monastic commissary of New Melleray. Dom Jerome was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA in 1949. He entered Genesee in 1986 and made his solemn profession in 1991. He had been helping at New Melleray since 2024.

The community continued its monthly discussions of the monastic values which are central to our way of living by addressing our practice of fasting. To a large extent, personal practices are incorporated within the common disciplines and designated times of Lent, Advent and the period of the Monastic Fast beginning on September 14th, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Portions of food available are reduced with some allowance made for the elderly and infirm. While not as severe a common fast as in previous years, there is a need to integrate restraints on the desires of the body in the discipline of bringing to life and awareness the hunger and thirst of the spirit.

After having fallen one Sunday morning, Br. Cyprian found it difficult to put any weight on his right leg. A succession of radiation exams and an MRI failed to reveal any specific cause. He remained in Stonehill Nursing Center for two weeks of rehabilitation, but has since returned to the monastery. Since we cannot provide personnel from the community to give him the assistance he presently needs, we have hired in-home care in the hopes that he can regain his mobility.

The beautiful fall weather gave an added incentive for several of the monks to join some of the sisters at Mississippi in a nature walk through the wilds of the nuns’ property. These walks are an opportunity for informal sharing and mutual support.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette of September 21 featured an article on the monastery entitled: Faith, Forests, and Final Rest: Monks blend spiritual life with conservation, sustainable craftmanship. While nicely reporting on the integration of monastic spirituality, our conservation efforts, and the production of Trappist Caskets, it overstated (misspoke?) some details. We are not into growing mushrooms or making cheese and the possible federal funding under the Forest Legacy Program has to wait for a number of preliminary steps before it becomes fact. Fact check. But a nice article, overall.