Summer at the Monastery, Getting Ready for Chapel Renovations, and the Bridegroom's Banquet

It's summer at the monastery! We just wanted to show you some of what's been going on so far this summer. It's been very full and very beautiful. 

Mother Theodora's hard work in our gardens has been very fruitful, and she's gearing up to start canning green beans, and salsa, and all kinds of other wonderful things. 

The flower gardens are moving through the many phases of summer blooms.

We've also been enjoying the wildlife around the monastery. Some baby foxes were born on the grounds earlier this summer, and we've been watching them grow up.

Many of the nuns are going on their annual home visits and retreats during the summer months.  

Mother Natalia and Olivia spent part of their recent monthly poustinia backpacking in Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. 

Early next week, chapel renovations will begin, and we'll be evicted to pray in the "wilderness" of our parking lot and at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch.

(If you are planning on coming to pray with us soon, please note that we'll be praying Matins, the Hour at noon, Vespers, and Compline under a tent in our parking lot, and Divine Liturgies will be at the Shrine.)

We're so glad that this project is finally happening. Materials are being moved into the chapel, and we're packing up all of the liturgical books, icons, vestments, and well, everything. 

Stay tuned for renovations progress photos in the coming months. 

We spent a full day last week filming the new video that will premier at this year's Bridegroom's Banquet, "Receive the Gift: Reflections on Chastity."

We're so excited to share the video with you. It amazing to see how each of our reflections can come together into a single video and be shared with you all.

The Bridegroom's Banquet is coming up on September 10th. There's just one month left to register! The registration deadline is August 29th. 

All of the details about the event can be found on "The Bridegroom's Banquet" tab at the top of this page.

We've been doing lots of other things as well as maintaining our life of prayer and hospitality. 

In the midst of life feeling overwhelming at times, we have the consistency of prayer to bolster it all. We walk across the street to our chapel for compline each night as the sun sets, and there's peace in the air. 

Save the Date for our Fall Work Day

 

Save the date for our Fall Work Day! It will be September 17th, 2022. 

As usual, our work days start at 10am and continue throughout the day, with potluck lunch and dinner, as well as the opportunity to pray Vespers together and then relax in the evening. You can come for the whole day or just for part of it. 

Stay tuned for the opportunity to RSVP after August 22nd. 

"Receive the Gift" of Community at this year's Bridegroom's Banquet

 

One of the best parts of our annual Bridegroom's Banquet is that we get to be with so many amazing people for an evening. 

It's not your average fundraiser, but truly an experience of receiving the gifts the Father gives us so abundantly, especially the gift of community and friendship. 

It's truly overwhelming to see the beauty of the community of people who support our monastic life. 

Every year, we've seen this community grow, and we're looking forward to seeing how it will continue to flourish this year. 

Please help us grow this community by inviting your friends and family to join us for this year's Bridegroom's Banquet. 

The theme is "Receive the Gift: Reflections on Chastity," and we want to welcome as many people as we can into the great gift of how God gives us to one another.

This year's Bridegroom's Banquet is on September 10th. All of the details can be found here. There is no cost to register for the Banquet. 

The evening will include Vespers, dinner, the premier of our new video "Receive the Gift: Reflections of Chastity," a talk from Matt and Cameron Fradd called "Chastity -- Not just for Celibates," and time for rejoicing in God's providence together. 

Have you seen last year's banquet video?

As we get ready for this year's Bridegroom's Banquet (on September 10th), we're getting ready to film another video, and we wanted to make sure we share our video from last year, "Be Poor with Me: Reflections on Poverty." 

We are all currently in the process of praying about what each of us would like to say in this year's video "Receive the Gift: Reflections on Chastity." We are really blessed to be able to create these videos with our filmmaker friend David Bratnik. It's a really incredible way for us to get to share the fruit of our prayer and to show you a glimpse of our life. Our hope is always that the videos will inspire you to follow Christ our Bridegroom with your whole life, whatever that may mean for each person. 

We look forward to premiering a new video with you this year at the Bridegroom's Banquet. Please pray that it will bear much fruit. 

For details about the banquet and to register, please visit "The Bridegroom's Banquet" tab at the top of this page.