Altar + Home
Moving Right Along
After the extensive demolition of the monastery, the renovation seems to be going smoothly. The contractor says that we should still be ready for a July 1, 2015 move in date. Within the next month, the monks will pick out their rooms based on seniority. I am still in favor of having some kind of…
March for Life
Fr. Samuel and I, along with 10 seminarians from Conception Seminary flew to Washington D.C. for March for Life. It was a day of many blessings as we prayed and witnessed for the dignity of life. I was grateful to cross paths with seminary classmates and good friends from Sts. John and Paul parish in…
Monk’s Hobby
I am starting a new video series to focus on different monks and their hobbies. The written version in Tower Topics is called “By the Work of their Hands.” In this first video, Br. Etienne talks about his enjoyment of digital photography.
Sunset Time Lapse
This weekend we welcomed 30 guests for a “Discernment” retreat. Men and women of all ages and different backgrounds were here to discern God’s will in their lives. I was co-leader of the retreat along with Karen Ceckowski, who works in our Abbey Guest Center. I have to admit that I was a little nervous…
Onward, Renovation!
Here are a few updates from the monastery renovation project over the past couple of weeks. The monastery renovation is on time and should be completed May/June 2015. Above: Workers brought in a large crane to left some of the heating and cooling equipment (don’t ask me exactly what it is). Above: West side of the…
Ask a Monk Videos: Part 3
Back by popular demand, we filmed some more Ask a Monk videos with all new questions! If you missed the first two installments, please be sure to check out the blog postings: Part 1 and Part 2
Sunrise Time Lapse
Before Lauds, I set up the camera to record the sunrise this morning with the time lapse feature. It turned out pretty well for the first one I have recorded. I hope to do more videos like this in the future. It is a cold and windy day at the Abbey. From the rising of…
SEEK 2015
After 5 days in Nashville, Tennessee (Jan. 1-5), Br. Maximilian and I returned to the monastery very late at night, or very early in the morning- depending upon how you look at it. It was 2:45am, so either way, we were completely exhausted and ready for sleep, but incredibly grateful for the past few days.…
Nativity Scenes
It is the last day of the calendar year, and the monastic community began their Day of Recollection, which concludes after First Vespers of Mary, Mother of God on Wednesday evening. We have a Holy Hour for World Peace from 3:30-4:30pm on Wednesday as well. Through our prayers, we place our world in the hands…
In the Christmas Octave
The past few days have been filled with many great blessings and activities. First of all, let me wish you: MERRY CHRISTMAS Christmas is always a wonderful time of the year at the Abbey, and we continue to celebrate during this Christmas Octave. Many familiar guests grace us with their presence during these holy days,…