Spring Thoughts:
How lucky we are to live in a world with four very different seasons! Certainly the signs of spring are right on schedule as we continue this season of Easter. If Easter is the great celebration of renewed and new cosmic life, it’s wonderful to see so many reminders in the emergence of buds, leaves, and blossoms. We always wonder in the dead of winter if and how the plants and trees would survive. But hopes springs eternal!
We see that in these weeks as the liturgical year allows us to savor the wonderful Easter stories in the Gospels. The apostles must have been pretty excited and yet inexperienced missionaries bringing Good News to all those who would listen.
We were blessed during these weeks to offer hospitality, spiritual reflection, and space to grow for many different groups who spent some time with us. A good number of our wonderful oblates who have become an extended part of our monastic family spent the first weekend after Easter reflecting on the practical meaning of Easter in every day experiences. At the same weekend a separate group of people interested in lettering and calligraphy explored the physical and spiritual dimensions of the ancient art of lettering with Bro. Michael.
We monks can be so grateful for the signs of new life within our community as we recently welcomed a new postulant, Samuel Backus, to begin sharing our life. While Samuel is getting acquainted with Conception for the first time, we are also happy to be receiving three new novices, formerly seminarians in our seminary. Since they know us, and we know them (as good shepherds are called to do) we hope they can formally enter the novitiate in August. Samuel and other postulants who may come along will enter the novitiate when they and we feel that they are ready for such a big step.
Certainly having more manpower in the form of novices and postulants will be a welcome addition this spring and summer as we move ahead with the infirmary renovation project. While staying within our financial resources—limited due to hard economic times—we are planning to renovate the existing infirmary building first constructed during the early 1960’s. The first step is to move the residents of our infirmary to temporary quarters being built for them in the first floor, southwest corner of the monastery in what used to be the business office area. Making the move from the infirmary to the temporary quarters will be challenging not only for our elderly monks but also for the nursing staff. If all goes well the infirmary renovation should begin around June 1 and be completed by Christmas.
Another big project for the summer is to renew our electrical power lines on campus. All of these lines will go underground. This long needed renovation will provide future protection from damaging ice storms such as the one in December ’07.
As these Prior’s Journal thoughts are being composed, our graduating seniors are welcoming their families to be with them for their final weekend of graduation and the Sunday Mass of Thanksgiving. We offer our prayers and support to them as most of them move on to theological studies preparing for the priesthood.
The week following the end of the school year is our annual community retreat. Our monks will be coming home from their outside assignments for these days of prayer and reflection. Our Retreat Director will be Abbot Christopher Jamison, OSB, of Worth Abbey, England. We look forward to insightful and enjoyable conferences from Abbot Christopher who has visited here before.