 We live in times of great uncertainty. From the pandemic to the war in Ukraine and the general decline evident in the Church, we are facing challenging times and many are anxious. What does the future hold? Men and women who try to live their faith in these trying circumstances often make heroic sacrifices that are far more difficult than those St. Benedict asks of his monks. Yet, to each of us, monk and layman alike, God has said, “I do not leave you orphans.” He experienced the loneliness of the Cross so that we might experience the love of the Father. At Pentecost, the death and resurrection of Christ come to their completion in Love. May the joy of Pentecost, as well as some news from “Monte” bring each of you the consolation of knowing you are not alone. Click here to view the newsletter!
The brick arches in the cloister take their shape, making it possible to imagine what the future cloister will become.   A little more than two months ago, on a cold and windy February afternoon, we “buried the Alleluia” carrying out the medieval yet now-familiar custom of placing in the ground the most festive word of the liturgy. Click here to continue reading...
 New pillars have recently been erected in the monastery demarcating the boundaries of the cloister.
On Feb. 10, many centuries ago, St. Scholastica, the twin sister of St. Benedict, passed to eternal life, preceding her brother by about forty days, who then died on March 21. Christ spent forty days in the desert before beginning His public ministry. We also observe 40 days in the Lenten season preparing for Easter. To the great patriarch of western monasticism, God gave this ultimate preparation period of 40 days, after his sister's death, as if it were a final Lent. According to St. Gregory the Great, Benedict knew exactly when he would die and had the tomb opened six days before. Click here to continue reading.  Work continues to bring form to the future Chapter Room of the monastery.  October 30 marked the five-year anniversary of the earthquake that destroyed the ancient monastery in town and launched the community of monks on the new path in Monte (on the mountainside). It is an anniversary that does not pass without our remembering all those who suffered throughout the region, and the thousands of people who helped us in those first days and weeks. We are ever grateful and pray for you. Click here to continue reading.  Now that the walls are rising at the monastery, it is possible to walk around to get an idea of where the monks will eat, sleep, study and pray.   In an 1849 discourse on the Catholic mission, John Henry Cardinal Newman reminded us to “build upon the old foundations and you are safe: begin nothing new, make no experiments … lest in old age you bring your Mother (the Church) to shame.” Although Newman was not a Benedictine, here he articulates a principle dear to the monk’s heart: faithfulness to one’s history is assurance of stability for the future.
As the walls of the new monastery grow on the very same footprint of the old monastery, albeit with some new anti-earthquake technology, we try wherever possible to give deference to what came before. Are we so sure the friars who inhabited this land centuries ago were wrong about where to put the refectory and kitchen? Let us try it the old way first and see. How can we judge correctly without trying it? That same spirit of reverence for the past helped us return to our annual visit to the Benedictine nuns of Norcia, following in the footsteps of our founder. You may recall the story of the time the holy twins, St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, were together one evening, and their visit was prolonged by rain. While for us there was not a cloud in sight, good cheer, good pizza and good beer (Nursia!) kept us together after a long pandemic pause. We know many of you are still suffering with the ongoing material and spiritual effects of the pandemic. All of us can see that the world and the Church are in the midst of great trials. May the enclosed photos which bring the good news of the priestly ordinations of Dom Augustine Wilmeth (from South Carolina) and Dom Bernard Baca (from Louisiana), offer you some consolation and joy. In Christ, Dom Benedict Nivakoff, O.S.B. Prior |
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