Mcid

[Starets]

Time for another update, dear phatmassers
The biggest news of the last month is that myself, two of the novices, and two senior monks have moved to the buildings that used to be Our Lady of the Desert. The nuns have moved out to Blanco, NM, in preparation for moving to their new home near Gobernador. The cells are bigger and brighter than what I had in the “old Cells”, which are the original monastery residences. It is quiet but a good 100 yards from the main monastery building. Walking back and forth is good exercise.

We are expecting another couple postulants in a few weeks. That will mean soon I won’t be the only one. Oh, and also a Candidate who will be here for a couple months. It is good to see that growth is continuing here. Abbot Philip says he is in email contact with 15 men who are considering joining.

Rainy season is here now. So far at least, the road leading to the property has not washed out. I am sure that will happen sometime soon. There are several arroyos and a couple slot canyons between the property and the highway. 12 miles can be a long way sometimes. I love a good solid downpour though.

I have not gone on a hike in a couple weeks. It has either been threatening to rain or I have had some reading or writing that I needed to do.

I have submitted three names for my name in religion, Joseph, Bruno, and Cassian. Joseph would be my first pick, but it is the Abbot’s role to pick that. He said that he would not have given me Josaphat as it is unusual. No you CAN’T contact the abbot and lobby for Joseph.

Since I was baptised Ukrainian Catholic rather than Roman Catholic Church, my abbot has to get permission from the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is in union with Rome, before I can enter the Noviciate. Usually, I would be entering some time in late September. This might delay things a couple weeks, depending on how busy the Holy Bureaucracy is. I would like to enter the Noviciate on either October 3 or December 5. Those were two very important dates back in 1975 and this will give me a different reason to remember those dates.

Once I do enter the Noviciate, I would ordinarily not be allowed any contact with the outside world whether by letter, phone, or email. I do have an exemption because of my working on the website, but I will be expected to only use my internet connection for abbey business. That will take a bit of discipline on my part.

I work almost exclusively with the website now. I have played around with a few settings, and also added or modified lots of content. The biggest contribution I have made to it in the last month is to add the abbot’s reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict. I have added a couple small pages of my own as well. There really is not much left for me to do on the website.

I also help my brother monks out with computer problems as well. After all, the usual person who would be doing that is chronically sick with some sort of intestinal tract problem.

I still have not left the property except to go on a hike since I arrived. I don’t mind that. I have no real need to anyway. I must admit that I do get the occasional craving for junk food or a hamburger or a steak. No meat from 4-footed animals, but fish or poultry is ok. I will need an appointment for teeth cleaning sometime in September, and that will probably be my first foray off the property other than for a hike.

Speaking of hike, I saw my first rattlesnake in its natural state. The rattle was lower, more melodious, less harsh and rattle-like than I have heard on television. I was only maybe 30 yards from the Guestmaster’s Office, on our relatively new Stations of the Cross trail. Nevertheless, it was coiled, ready to strike, and looking right at me. Given that I was wearing sandals, my long habit, and an old pair of black tights, I really didn’t feel like getting too close. But at least I will know what to listen for when I am a few miles into the bush.

Mind you, if I was a few miles into the bush, I would be wearing my hiking boots, a pair of socks, and a pair of heavy slacks as well as a short tunic and a hat. That would give me a lot more protection in case of venomous snakes trying to take nibbles out of me. It would also give me a chance to survive the trip back to the abbey.

I have adapted to this life fairly easily. One thing that I find interesting is how the Psalms have not gotten old yet. We chant the entire Psalter every week, and many of the psalms are repeated every day. Yet I don’t find that I am just going through the motions. I am slowly memorising them through the constant exposure, yet they always seem fresh. One advantage of having a bad memory I guess.

Time seems to move at a much more leisurely pace here. It may simply be because I no longer have a job where I am being metered to the hundredth of a second and hundredth of a percentage point. I am amazed that I lasted that long there, but I did not have very many options.

One big new project of mine is to relearn Latin. I used to know the language but that was 20 years ago. The Abbey Library has a few copies of Wheelock’s Latin, which is the standard text for learning University level Latin. It is what I used 20 or so years ago to learn Latin in the first place. We also have the Lewis and Short Latin – English dictionary, which is one of the better ones. Our sub-prior is ordering a couple other items for me that will also help me out. I hope to have my knowledge of Latin back in about a year. Then I might be able to teach Latin to some of the other monks.

[VeniteAdoremus]

It's so wonderful to hear from you, Br. Duncan

You have picked three wonderful names... are you sure your abbot will restrict himself to them, though?

It's really nice to read your descriptions of the monastery life. We'll surely miss them during your novitiate...

And speaking of that, are you allowed to receive mail?

[Luigi]

Startz:

I'm glad you mentioned that you don't find the psalms boring and that you're not just going through the motions.

I prayed vespers once or twice a week at a Benedictine monastery for an extended period and I had the same experience. Praying the psalms is like praying the rosary in that it is the same set of prayers in the same order again and again, but neither the psalms nor the rosary were/are monotonous to me. Both the psalms and the mysteries are rich in meaning for us to mine and realize, and the meaning will never be depleted if we bring our current situation, needs, petitions, and understandings (from reading the Bible or theological sources) to those set words.

If that were not the case, I doubt that the Divine Office and/or the rosary would have been used - and to such great effect - for so long by so many people in so many countries; obviously, it works.

I did used to wonder why no new psalms have been written since the time of King David - and in a sense I guess you could say that hymns written since then are a form of new psalm - but then I realized that, within those 150 sets of lyrics, all human situations are reflected and dealt with, and all possible relationships to God are represented. So whatever our current individual situation is, one or another of the psalms can provide us with the words we need to understand ourselves and express ourselves to God.

Thanks for the update, and may your novitiate prove fruitful.

[Starets]

I interrupt my radio silence to announce that Br. Cecilian Ratsimbazafy, OSB will be making his Solemn Profession here at MCID tomorrow morning. He is from Madagascar and was in a monastery there for several years before transferring here.

[Luigi]

[quote name='Staretz' post='1626815' date='Aug 14 2008, 11:40 AM']I interrupt my radio silence to announce that Br. Cecilian Ratsimbazafy, OSB will be making his Solemn Profession here at MCID tomorrow morning. He is from Madagascar and was in a monastery there for several years before transferring here.[/quote]

YIKES!! I'm glad you included the fact that he's from Madagascar - if you hadn't, I would have thought for sure you were making up the name!

Nonetheless, prayers for God to bless him in his monastic vocation.

[jmj]

[quote name='Staretz' post='1626815' date='Aug 14 2008, 10:40 AM']I interrupt my radio silence to announce that Br. Cecilian Ratsimbazafy, OSB will be making his Solemn Profession here at MCID tomorrow morning. He is from Madagascar and was in a monastery there for several years before transferring here.[/quote]
Let him know I am praying for him.

[littlesister]

Good News. Prayers for both of you...

[Starets]

Time for my third update

This has been a busy month. Many things have happened. Most of them good.

The biggest event was the Solemn Profession of Br. Cecilian. He is from Madagascar and has spent time in formation in a couple monasteries there. He is also a very good guitar player. But, he was at the end of his ninth year in Simple Vows. By Canon Law, that is all you are allowed. So he applied for Solemn Profession and that was granted.

I've had my ups and downs this month. The honeymoon is over, the novelty has worn off, and now the real work of becoming a monk begins. This is to be expected. I knew it would happen eventually. A couple good hikes pulled me out of the "blahs". They usually do!

The first hike was a relatively short hike. There is a small ridge between the main abbey building and the Noviciate. I hiked up that, then down the side of an arroyo, then up again. There is a scree slope leading a couple hundred feet up the cliffs behind the Noviciate. It is steep but doable.

The second hike was much longer. If you have seen my pictures of the abbey property, you might recall a long slope at the back of the property that seems to go right to the top of the mesa. I had wanted to make an ascent of that slope for weeks. Br. Francis, one of the other monks here had never climbed it either. So we both made the attempt. By the time it was time to turn back, we made it almost to the top of the mesa. We were certainly above the top of the cliffs. We would like to do an expedition one day that would take us up that slope, across to the crosses then down Chavez Canyon and back to the abbey.

There is certainly toughness and struggle in this life. This, however, is to be expected. But there are joys to it as well. Masses are always celebrated with reverence and attention to detail. I have a life conducive to prayer, contemplation, study, and work, all in good balance. I am surrounded by views I never tire of. It is very easy to be 5 miles from the nearest other living person. No-one tries to “help me out of my shell”. No sanctimonious gits. A good community, for all its faults (and mine!).

There have been quite a few new faces here this month. Three Observers have come by to try out the life. At least one of them has decided that the life is too challenging here. That is understandable. We also have a new Postulant, a PhD in Math and former seminarian whose spiritual director suggested that maybe monastic life would be better for him than the diocesan priesthood. There is also another fellow who is trying to re enter monastic life. He was a monk before but an aunt became gravely ill. He asked his community for exclaustration, a kind of “leave of absence”, but his community refused, so he had to ask to be dispensed of his vows. His aunt died a few months ago and now he is here for a couple months. He is a talented singer and musician. He might enter here; he might not. There will be other Observers in the coming weeks.

One of the Novices, Br. Evagrius, left the abbey and has returned to Korea. There are still two Novices: Br. John the Baptist, from Vietnam, and Br Michael, from the US of A.

I have a couple more “jobs” within the community now. That is good. At least now I am not solely working on the Holy Website. I am looking more and more like the “Brother Url” graphic on the website with each month!

I asked the abbot if I can be received into the Noviciate on October 3, as that is the anniversary of a very traumatic event that took place in 1975. He is ok with that, even though he will be in Italy that day. He can authorize Prior Francisco to receive me into the Noviciate though. That is the Feast of Blessed Columba Marmion. Oh, and Columba’s legal first name was Joseph.

I have started learning Latin, as I indicated in my last update. The downside is that now that I have these extra “jobs” I do not have as much free time as I once had. So I must schedule things and use time properly.

Last Thursday was my first trip off the property, except for hiking, since I arrived here on March 26th. I just needed to apply for my Social Security Card and get some pictures taken. We dropped off the Abbot at Albuquerque Airport first. It is a 2 and a half hour drive. Then we went to the SSA office in Santa Fe. Turns out the border guard who let me into the country decided my first name was “Dumetra” and so that is what is entered on my I-94. So now that name is an alias for me. Oivey!

Then we went to a doctor in Espanola to see the results of a TB test. One of the other brothers with me, a priest from Korea, tested positive for TB, so we went from the doctor to a community health clinic, to a store for some shopping errands, to lunch, back to the clinic, to an imaging center for some chest x-rays, then back to the initial doctor. But at least that stage is complete.

Anyway, I better get this sent out. I am Assistant Cook today!

[Starets]

oops

[stlmom]

You're in our thoughts and prayers, thank you for being so candid in your reports.

[Mari Therese]

Thank you for these updates. God Bless you brother!

[Deus te Amat]

You're in my thoughts and prayers, brother. I miss you.

[littlesister]

Thank you for the encouraging and honest update. It is always helpful for discerners to have a look at the everyday-inside of monastic life. Keeping you in prayer...

[Starets]

I interrupt my radio silence again to announce that the Abbot and his Council have approved my request to enter the Noviciate on October 3. That is the memorial of Blessed Columba Marmion (who seems like a neat guy) and is also the 33rd anniversary of a very traumatic and lifechanging event. That is why I chose it. I did not know about Bl. Columba Marmion.

[shadowedseraph]

Congratulations and many prayers