Calm in the Midst of Chaos

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Our Abbot General in Rome gave us these words from Psalm 46 as a reminder of where our focus should be during these days of trial. As great as the suffering is, God is still with us and is guiding us through it all to greater union with Him and communion with each other. Amidst the reports of suffering, there are also many bright and shining lights, examples of charity, of greater concern for one another – many reasons to give thanks.

Due to the generosity of our bishop and vicar general, we are still able to participate in the daily celebration of the Mass. With this enormous privilege comes great responsibility, which we take very seriously. Our prayer, our work, all the little sacrifices we can make, and especially our participation in the Eucharist, are ways we join ourselves more fully to you and beseech God’s grace and blessing upon each of you, and upon everyone in the world.

Our hearts go out to those who cannot participate in the celebration of the Mass. In a recent message to the faithful in the diocese, our bishop included a link to an Act of Spiritual Communion, posted by EWTN. You can find it here: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/act-of-spiritual-communion-339

The publishers of the widely read Catholic periodical, Magnificat, are also providing free access to many of their resources. You can find them at: www.magnificat.com

You can also find further resources and the opportunity to join in the liturgies of our brother monks in Dallas at: https://www.cistercian.org/abbey/news/abbey-news/

In the midst of all this uncertainty, we have not given up hope for a new monastery; indeed, times like these only confirm the need for ongoing prayer and further efforts to ensure that the monastic life will continue. We are still working on the campaign quietly in the background as we can and hope to send further updates soon … as we also wait and watch to see how our Lord works through the current crisis.

Please keep us in your prayers and be assured of ours for all of you. If you have any particular prayer requests, please send them to us.