A Full June
The very hot days of June seem to have also cooked up a succession of events to keep everyone moving. On Fathers’ Day June 15th, we welcomed the Bell Choir from St. John the Baptist Church in Longmont, Colorado. The choir has been at New Melleray before, but there might have been a rotation in membership. They joined us for our Sunday Eucharist and played a piece for mediation at the time of communion. After the Eucharist, they presented short program to a very appreciative congregation, both of monks and a number of guests and visitors. We look forward to their next visit to the Midwest.
On that same day, Dom Peter McCarthy, the recently resigned abbot of Guadalupe Abbey in Oregon, visited with the community after the mass and concert. Dom Peter had been our father immediate for some years and it was a pleasure to converse with him in an informal setting. He is spending some time over at Mississippi Abbey while on a sabbatical period, leaving time for Guadalupe’s new abbot to establish himself as its leader.
On Wednesday, the 18th, Trappist Caskets held their annual summer picnic. All the employees of the monastery, as well as the monks, were invited to participate. It had been scheduled to take place at the picnic tables directly in front of the monastery, but a mid-morning rain forced a relocation to within the Trappist Casket building itself. It was a good opportunity for some of the monks to connect with TC employees and express our gratitude and appreciation for their fine work.
On Sunday, the 29th of June, Holy Family Parish (the church right across the road from the monastery) celebrated the 175th anniversary of its founding. The parish has long been closely associated with the abbey and we only recently made official lease of the property to the parish. For almost 50 years, one of our monks (Fr. Placid) had served as its pastor. Archbishop Thomas Zinkula presided and two of our monks (Fathers Brendan and Stephen) represented the monastic community. Congratulations to the living and deceased members of this strong community.
The Information Forum at the end of the month reviewed the various projects in the monastery. We have been receiving a number of compliments for the success of the exterior landscaping and cleaning up in front of the monastery. (It won’t go to our heads.) Work on the toilets (speaking of heads – a Navy term) has slowed down but is still scheduled to meet the predicted time-line. The infirmary is the only area of the monastery which is air-conditioned, but that system has been functioning poorly and seems due for an up-dated renovation. The ventilation system in the infirmary is scheduled for a major cleaning. The garden is prospering and its harvesters are perspiring. Men in the Monastic Center offer generous help in the fields.
During our midday meals, we are currently listening to the House Reports of the U.S. monasteries. These had been shared at the recent Regional Meeting at Holy Spirit Abbey and will again be presented at the upcoming General Chapter this fall. It is very illuminating to hear how many challenges and problems are commonly experienced, and how communities are coping with declining numbers while they make some creative responses. There is a deepened sense of communion in responding to changed realities of our time.