Christmas Feast

After Matins, we gathered in the Refractory (dining room) for an incredible feast of roast beef, turkey breast, a carrot dish, potatoes, and another incredible green salad.  The room was splendid, complete with tablecloths, and we had a fabulous bread pudding (as well as wine and some leftover eggnog).  What a meal!

A great meal requires recognition... Edward (I hope I have his name right, he's the chef) and Laurie (she is also the guesthouse manager, but today her title was "Queen of Desserts") were the masters of the feast and the room broke into applause as they appeared.

So that's Christmas the Monastery Way.  What an experience... try it if you can.

I have a quick blog entry, then some packing and driving and a chance to rest before invading the nieces and nephews tomorrow. 

Merry Christmas everyone and thanks for a wonderful time!

Matins on Christmas Day

At 11:00 this morning we had Matins (Morning Prayer). It was a pleasant experience to have worship on Christmas Day.

Back when the kids were little, we used to go to the local LCMS Lutheran church in order to get a Christmas Day service (they were the only church to have one). I always liked doing that because too frequently Christmas Eve is about God, and Christmas Day itself is mostly about things, food, and possibly family. Attending worship on Christmas Day helped us keep the reason for the day front and center.

(Sorry the photo is blurry... I had a nanosecond from when they lit the candles until the first person entered the Chapel. My iPhone wasn't fast enough.)

Lots of prayers this morning

I came across the Pritchard Stand as I entered the Chapel. Usually only a few candles are lit. Today it was quite crowded there.

Getting ready for a feast!

I went down to drop off my coffee cup before Matins. It appears they're getting ready for quite a feast!

Christmas Merriment

Last night I arrived in the Chapel around 10:15 and the place was already full.  I don't know the attendance figures, but the place comfortably seats around 50 and I would guess there were probably 80 or 90 people there.  There were still a few seats available but not many.

Music started at 10:30.  They had a harp, some flutes, some light percussion instruments and maybe a guitar (along with the organ).  It was a nice way to fill the space while we waited and meditated.  All the guests were there and a fair number of people from the local community... a few had traveled some distance to go to the monastery for Christmas Eve worship.

The service was an enhanced Eucharist with all the bells and whistles you'd expect on Christmas Eve.  The hymns were glorious.  It appears that many of the people who visit a monastery are singers.

Afterward, we all retired to Pilgrim Hall for the "Christmas Merriment" portion (started around Midnight... I left around 1:00 AM).  There we had Eggnog with Rum, Hot Spiced Cider, any kind of hors d'oeuvres you can imagine... cheese stations, Italian-style anti pasta, shrimp, some sort of Spanish almonds that were incredible and I'm sure I probably missed some things (as you can see it was a bit tight in there and hard to move around). 

It was interesting talking to some of my fellow travelers... what brings a person to a monastery for Christmas?  The answers varied... some were no longer connected to family, some were seekers, others couldn't get into offerings by the institutional church, and a few had been doing this for years.

There were two clear differences from a typical Christmas eve at a local church.  First there was a lack of children.  There were a couple who showed up to help trim the tree and one or two families at the midnight service, but by and large this was an adult event.  The second was the sense of community.  The brothers went out of their way to ensure everyone felt welcome... I was watching a few of them reach out to a few of the people who didn't seem connected to the place.  Even at Midnight after a whole day's worth of activities they took the effort to ensure people didn't stand alone for too long.  I don't remember exactly, but think that's one of Benedict's rules and it was nice to see they lived it.

I can tell you the Eggnog with Rum was incredible... and I ate too many of the Spanish almonds.  I'm sorry if the photo above isn't the clearest one I've ever captured.  ;)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas Eve evening

So after Supper, I decided to get out the good camera (everything so far has been with my point and shoot or with my iPhone)... mostly so I didn't bring it up here for nothing.  Here are a few shots of the greenery.

I wandered into the chapel where they already have set it up for the midnight mass.  And I FINALLY heard the organ!  One of the sisters was practicing - there's a group of sisters from one of the Episcopal orders down in the city joining us this evening.  The instrument is a Rodgers and she really didn't open it up, but it seemed to have a nice tone.  She was having trouble figuring out how to work the capture action and I was able to recall enough from my Allen days that we were able to figure it out together.  I look forward to hearing it during worship tonight.  Judging from all the extra chairs that were set up, and from the fact that most of the guests here seem to be musically inclined, it should be a grand evening.

After taking a few photos, I joined Br. Scott and many of the guests in Pilgrim Hall.  Scott had a wonderful and challenging meditation on "Room at the Inn" and as part of that we got to sing a couple of Christmas Carols by the Christmas Tree.  Once he got us in a nice and sentimental mood, he then shattered that pointing out how many of the details about the Christmas story are about the huge injustice in the world - both 2000 years ago with Jesus' birth, and in our world today.  It led to some really thought-provoking discussion.

Normally we would be going to bed shortly (it's approaching 9:00 PM as I write).  But tonight, we have hours to go before we sleep.  Music starts in the chapel around 10:30 with Mass at 11:00 (and expect that will last a bit).  I saw signs on a table in Pilgrim Hall pointing to the place where the container of "Eggnog with Rum" will sit later for the "Christmas Merriment" portion of the evening.  Perhaps there's a reason why Matins will be at 11:00 AM tomorrow.

A Christmas Feast (part 1)

The monastery has a CIA-trained chef.  I knew that by coming here for Christmas I would eat well.  Tonight's menu included mango-glazed ham, butternut squash au gratin, baby brussel sprouts, and incredible apple-walnut garden salad, and a nice bread with cranberries and other 'bits-o-fruit in it.

First Vespers of Christmas

Well, the decorations are out, we're well rested, now it's time to get started on Christmas.  At the monastery, Christmas starts with First Vespers.  All I can say after going though it is wow... what a service.  First Vespers of Christmas starts out with a service of light with the chapel slightly dark and all the candles being lit in silence.  We then proceed to sing the psalms as during a normal vesper service - there were lots of people there and the singing seemed more intense.  Of, course, being a feast day, we had incense as well.  (I'm sorry I don't have photos, but even I have my limits as to when I'm going to fire off a camera.)

After singing the psalms, there was a hymn and then a procession around behind the front of the church - part of the monastic enclosure - and to the Creche display in the back of the chapel.  (I'm sure the space behind the front of the church has some sort of official fancy Latin name, like curveium spaceorium - I'll trust Br. Bernard to supply it to us in a comment.)  Once we were all at the Creche, there was a brief blessing and then people had a chance to pray or meditate in the chapel or by the Creche.  (I came back after people left to take these photographs.)

I helped set up the Creche and learned that the artists were two long-term guests who stayed at the monastery for a while, paying their way by providing art (nowdays they're quite well known in the liturgical art world).  It is all from recycled wood found around the area and it is really stunning.  If you look closely at the photo above, you'll notice that the wise men are missing.  They are traveling by camel... I happen to know that they are way off in the distance in the Chapter House and will mysteriously make their way to the Creche over the next 12 days, somehow arriving just in time for the feast of Epiphany.

A Lazy Afternoon

After decking the halls, we had a couple of hours until Vespers, so I spend it relaxing in my room, gazing across the river to the Vanderbilt mansion, and reading a bit on my Kindle Fire that John gave me. 

That is a popular gift among the guests with several of us having new Fires and we're helping each other learn the technology. 

There's a small chance I had a nap as well...

Decking the Halls

The monastery exploded into a flurry of activity as teams of monks and guests draped the garlands, trimmed the tree in Pilgrim Hall and set up the chapel for Christmas.  It appeared that several local folks came up to help as well.  I mostly helped in the chapel, but was forbidden to blog about it until tonight so as not to ruin any of the surprises. 

The rest of this evening include First Vespers of Christmas and Procession to the Creche at 5:00 PM, Supper at 6:00, a meditation on "Room at the Inn" with Brother Scott in Pilgrim Hall at 7:30, music in the chapel at 10:30, First Christmas Mass at 11:00, and "Christmas Merriment" following that.

It's interesting to note that Matins tomorrow is at 11:00 AM instead of it's typical 7:00 AM.

Prayers for Uncle Skip & Family

The Diurnum service at Noon always has an extended time for silent prayer after we finish chanting the Psalms. I always try and bring a list of prayer concerns along to the monastery for use during this time.

On my way up I received word that my uncle was being brought home from the hospital and is expected to pass within the next few days. These vigils are always hard to endure - especially during the holidays. So my prayers today are for God to be with Uncle Skip and his family.

I lit a candle for him....

Advent

As some of you may know, the church really celebrates Advent in December and doesn't celebrate Christmas until late at night on Dec 24. (Unlike the rest of us where it seems the Christmas season starts at Noon on Labor Day and ends at 9:00 on Christmas morning.

Here at the monastery on Christmas Eve, it is still Advent. The only hint that Christmas is nearby is a huge tree in Pilgrim Hall. The chapel as a nice advent wreath (well, without any greens yet). We "deck the halls" after dinner.

Gallery

They redid the hallway outside the gift shop as a little gallery. Some of Br. Julian's and Br. Roy's artwork hangs there. This little gem is one of Roy's calligraphy efforts.

Accomodations

This visit, I have "luxury" accommodations... I have a 2nd bed in the room which allows me to spread out all my junk a bit more, and I have a ROCKING CHAIR (which is great for reading - or blogging)!

My room overlooks the Hudson River and this time of year, the landscape is nicely barren which allows you to see the beauty in the branch structure in the the trees.  Again, we observe the Great Silence from the end of Compline (around 9:00 PM) until after breakfast the following morning.  Now that the place has some familiarity to me, I found it easier to quickly slip back into the rhythm of prayer, silence, contemplation and then being social at appropriate times. 

Drive up and Arrival

The drive up was basically uneventful.  Except for some holiday shopping traffic, it went pretty smoothly.  I found it odd coming up this late in the day and driving so close to sunset (I've never been up during Standard Time before), but I was treated to some glorious sky colors during the drive. 

To get myself in a more Christmas mood, I used the audio cable John gave me for Christmas this morning and was finally able to hear music from my iPhone in the car.  Devices these days are incredible... GPS, cell phone and MP3 player all in one package.  Today's playlist included Christmas music from The Peanuts, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Kenny G, Manheim Steamroller, as well as some of the rock favorites.  My mood brightened during the drive and I didn't mind the traffic... getting here just as Laurie was ready to close the guest house and with just enough time to dump my stuff in my room (I'm in St. Peter Damian this time) before Vespers.

An unexpected surprise as I was seated in the Chapel for Vespers was to see Jose show up in a black robe!  He was one of my compatriots in the "Come and See" program (see below) and at supper I confirmed that he had just joined as a... I'm going to guess it's Postulate (or Novice... I don't remember which comes first).

This time I'm much more at ease with the comings and goings.  While waiting for Supper I helped Don and Donna with the puzzle of the day in Pilgrim Hall, and met several fellow guests during the meal.  I also got to chat briefly with one of the other guests on my floor who's a priest.  She unfortunately has to go back to the real world tomorrow and sounded a bit jealous of those of us who got to stay for Christmas.

Tomorrow looks to be a big day... we get to help the brothers decorate for Christmas in the afternoon and there's some sort of midnight service as well.  It should be a fun weekend.

Going up for Christmas The Monastery Way

One indisputable fact after a divorce is that your holiday traditions will change.  This, my first year after the divorce, offers a chance to greatly simplify the holiday rush and turmoil.  John is going down to be with his mother and I'm going back up to NY to try Christmas The Monastery Way.

http://www.holycrossmonastery.com/retreat-programs#dec23

We will then meet in PA later to spend some time with my mother, brother & sister and their families. 

Why go to a monastery for Christmas?  I'm not sure, but it seemed the logical choice.  I wanted to be around people, but not someplace where I was going to have the divorce right in my face all the time.  It felt right to let John spend this first year with his mother since her birthday is right near Christmas.  Given that he would be gone, I certainly didn't want to be bouncing around the house alone all weekend.  The monastery seemed to be a perfect way to spend the weekend without getting caught up in all the commercialism.

Before John left this morning, we did exchange a few gifts.  I got a Kindle Fire and a reproduction of the Gospels and Acts from the St. John's Bible (a recently completed hand-inscribed Bible) - sort of both ends of reading technology. It's sort of interesting that I first encountered this Bible while up at the monastery a few months ago (wow, time flies).

 It was a nice simple start to what I hope will be a nice simple (and relaxing) Christmas.

2011 Final Thoughts

For me one of the best aspects of the monastery is the bell.  It rings as an "alarm clock" five minutes before each worship service and we all drop everything and scramble to get to worship in time.  Once you're sitting in the chapel, the next time it rings is a call to worship.  Next to the sound of silence, it's the main sound I associate with the monastery... a urgent call to action and a calming call to worship.

And once again, I leave the place wondering where or what God is calling me to do.  The answer is both - action and worship.  There are times of storm and times of calm... time for rest and time to work.  It's funny, but the lesson this morning during Matins was Paul's letter to the Corinthians pointing out that we are all like different parts of the body... all different and all essential. 

What is God calling me to do?  I may not know long term, but for now, God is calling me to my favorite Adirondack chair...

He's calling me to rest a little, read a little, then rejuvenated by 2 weeks of retreat, re-enter life, enjoy a weekend with my son, and then get back to work - both in my profession and in my church.  With time, after the waters calm a bit, he may call me to other places or even here.  But for now my role is to trust in God to care for me and use me as He needs.

Friday Morning - The river is calming

This morning during breakfast, there was a bit of fog on the river which almost seemed to be just drifting along the surface.  The angry river of a two weeks ago is calmed, replaced by the placid Hudson I normally encounter up here.  There is still a brown tinge to it... the effects of last week's storms aren't completely cleared up, but things are improving.  Of course, more storms will come... that's just life.

After Eucharist, the three of us had a last session with Br. Robert (the Superior of the order) in the Middle House Common Room.  We worked through an African version of Lectio on the section in Matthew 9 where Jesus heals the blind men and the mute man.  After that, we shared what we each felt were our next steps. 

For me, it's unknown... the storm of a divorce is still going on.  The waters will eventually calm for a while and the only certainty is I will face more storms and calm periods for the rest of my life.  Robert shared that St. Ignatius' guidance is that we shouldn't try and discern during the storms of our life.  It sounds like good advice.  I have time on my side.  For now it's time to let the waters calm a bit. 

I did initiate a discussion with Br. Ron about joining the associates.  This is a program for lay people who want a stronger relationship with the monastery.  It parallels the "How to be a Benedictine and Not Give Up Your Day Job" line of thought. He will get an introductory packet to me.  That might be a way to strengthen the ties while the waters calm.

After that, I spent some time by my favorite window in the guest library to complete the final few blog entries and then pack away the computer before Diurnum and the Noon meal.

Thursday evening - Open discussion

(The photo above has nothing to do with the blog entry... I wanted to include a photo of some sorts... this is the fruit table in the little coffee area on a nice sunny morning.)

This evening after Supper we had a small meeting with Br. Robert, Br. Ron, Br. James and Br. Roy.  It was a sort of question and answer session for any questions we had about what we learned so far.  I won't go into details but we mostly discussed what life is like for a monk... what do they do during the day... where they see opportunities for ministry and the like.

One very interesting aspect of this retreat was getting to know the brothers enough that they are becoming real people with real personalities to me.  They have been kind enough to let down their "host" facade that we typically encounter as guests.  Some of that may be the fact that I've been hanging around for 2 weeks and have returned for several years, but I'm sure part of it is the Come and See retreat. 

I haven't spoken much about my "companions on the journey" (other guests here at the monastery) this time.  We have really been quite busy as part of this retreat, which is part of it, but the other part is the various groups of guests are generally keeping to themselves. 

We had a group that was the board of a local charity that had a short retreat earlier in the week.  Another group is several ladies that are on a silent retreat (they have not spoken for days... I think until Friday night or Saturday morning... I'll be gone by then so I can't ask them about it).  Finally there are a couple of individuals who have come and gone.  You can always see a brother taking a bit of time to chat with the various guests and I learned tonight that is a large part of their ministry.

Tonight is my last night.  Tomorrow is a flurry of packing, worship, eating, doing dishes, and a last session with Br. Robert.  I'm going to hang in the area for a couple of hours doing some photography (so I didn't pack the big camera in vain), and then head back down to real life.

A Movie and More Work - Thursday

This morning after Matins and Eucharist, the three of us got a chance to watch a recent movie involving the monastic life.

Of Gods and Men is a french film about a group of monks that get caught in a the middle of a small war. Are any wars small to the people caught up in them?  We watched the first 2 hours while the brothers were in a meeting this morning. 

After Diurnum and the Noon meal, we had another afternoon of work... this time with Br. Bernard.  Bernard wanted us to help remove a bunch of junk that has accumulated at the monastery and a bunch of able bodied men were just what was needed.  So we loaded the monastery pick-up with old mattresses, computers, lumber, glass and the like and headed off to the transfer station where it was all unloaded. 

Another portion of the work was to bring plants inside and distribute them around the monastic enclosure.  Br. Bernard was nice enough to show us his room and I of course requested a photo.  A bit of quick cleaning was involved but he kindly agreed.  You can see their "cells" look like private doorm rooms.  The large wood panel hides a murphy bed (kids in my youth group can look that up), and you can't see a set of three doors that hide a small sink, and two small closets.  You also can't see the fabulous view he has out the windows, but he directly overlooks the Hudson River, being right above the common room (see below).

Later we took a quick trip to Staples to recycle some old computer equipment and we were able to take a scenic view back... so I indulged my hobby a bit from the car window.  This is the Esopus Point Lighthouse.

After Supper tonight we have a sort of social hour with the brothers and then have to watch the rest of the movie.  Monks lead a busy life!

Working in the Monastic Enclosure - Wed afternoon

After the Noon meal, we met Br. Scott and Br. Ron and helped out with some moves that are taking place in the monastic enclosure.  The monastery is undergoing a bit of a change in leadership this year and as part of that they're changing around the office spaces to make the work that goes on behind the scenes flow a lot smoother.  So the three of us (Bob, Jose and I) who are on the Come and See program got to help out by moving several bookcases.  (Do you get the impression that monks have a LOT of books?)  Monastic life is evidently a lot of work.

We were able to get that completed ahead of schedule, so we had some free time and since it was sunny and 70, I decided to spend some time on my favorite Adirondack chair.  Currently, I'm reading "finding sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life" (yes it is capitalized that way).  This is a nice concise easy read that describes how to pull aspects from the Rule of St. Benedict into a person's everyday life.  It's loosely based on the TV series "The Monastery".

As 5:00 rolled around it was time to head back to the chapel for Vespers.  I'm starting to get used to my new vantage point.  It's weird looking across to the other monks... it sort of promotes a sense of community, and greatly improves the sound of the chanting (except when I screw up), though I can't really hear the lessons anymore because the podium is set up so the speaker is facing mostly away from me.

After supper, we had some one-on-one time with a brother.  My session was with Br. Julian.  We spoke about all the changes taking place in my life (similar to the conversation with Br. Adam last week and Br. Andrew earlier this week... I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot).

I won't go into details, but since Br. Julian is the photographer of the bunch, we were able to spend a short while chatting about a shared hobby.