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01 Dec

The Year of Consecrated Life

Pope Francis has declared 2015 to be The Year of Consecrated Life, which begins with the first Sunday of Advent. The monks of Conception Abbey will continue offering heartfelt prayers for the needs of the Church and the world. We also ask you to join us in praying specifically for vocations to Conception Abbey, to…

30 Nov

The Year of Consecrated Life

It was a beautiful weekend at the Abbey as we move into the Advent Season, a season characterized by waiting for the coming of Christ.  There is also great excitement at the Abbey as we inaugurate the Year of Consecrated Life.  Pope Francis has called this year as a time for a renewal and recognizing…

28 Nov

Rejoice and Give Thanks

The past few days have been filled with many activities:  Community meetings, celebrations, and a festive meal.  The monks of Conception Abbey have many things for which we are thankful. Below:  Abbot Gregory leads the community in a series of meetings and discussions. Below:  Fr. Macario keeps his head warm with an interesting looking hat…

25 Nov

Blog: 1 Year Anniversary

The blog started on this day in 2013. And, here we are, one year later. These days are ideal for a blog about the monastery and monastic life, because there are certainly plenty of activities going on.  The seminarians leave for Thanksgiving vacation after their last morning class.  I’m certain they are excited to get…

23 Nov

Freshman Talent Night

Last night’s Freshman Talent Night was very entertaining.  The Freshman class of Conception Seminary worked hard to put together a show that featured songs, skits, dance, impersonations, and several videos.  This year’s theme was “Saturday Night Live.”  Seminarians, monks, and faculty attended the event which lasted just over one hour.  The event offers the opportunity…

21 Nov

Morning Ministry

I had Mass at 7:30am for the Benedictine Sisters of Clyde all week long.  Just about every day I had to scrape ice off of the car in the morning.  It was a cold week!   Below:  The best thing about being out and about in the morning–Sunrise! Below:  Clyde still has one of the…

19 Nov

Camino Presentation

My 200th Blog Post! Yesterday evening, Novice Joseph gave a presentation on his experience hiking the Way of St. James Pilgrimage across Spain (Camino de Santiago), which he walked with his brother in the fall of 2012.  He provided a slideshow, shared his stories, offered spiritual insights, and answer our questions about the Camino. It was an…

17 Nov

Snow Again

While the temperatures fell on Tuesday of last week, the snow fell on Saturday morning.  There is something magically and nostalgic about the first substantial snow, but the fairytale feelings quickly went away when I was brushing snow off of the car Sunday morning before Mass. I am assigned this week to have Mass for…

14 Nov

The Chill

The best way to stay warm these days is to stay busy.  Everyone is still getting used to the cold weather, it came on rather quickly. Yesterday evening we had another beautiful sunset.  I took the picture out of my window on the 5th floor of St. Joseph Hall. The other day I had finished…

11 Nov

First Snow?

Yesterday at 2:45pm it was 70 degrees outside.  Later that night it was 31 degrees. No thank you.  I was not ready for that. Knowing that it was going to get colder today, I went out yesterday for what might be my last bike ride outside for the season.  It was comfortable, but a bit…

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