Monday 3 - Brother Michael got initiated into doing the laundry. Tuesday 4 - Father Adrien seemed to be continuing to celebrate his upcoming 80 years, wandering around with
sweet little gifts. Br. Michael started looking into how to replace some floor areas in the basement where the tiles have
come up. Brother Stephan went to Miramichi and came back with a new tire and inner-tube for the abbot's bike. The abbot
went to see Abbess Alfreda at the Trappistines. Wednesday 5 - Ash Wednesday.
We had the chapter for the beginning of Lent with distribution of the books for the Lenten reading that we will do on Mondays
to Fridays in the Scriptorium after Lauds. During Lent we will only have chapter on Saturdays, and will be devoting it to
preparing our house report for the General Chapter. The General Chapter takes place in September in Assisi, but the reports
have to be at the Generalate in Rome by May 1st. We had the blessing and distribution of the ashes at the Mass, but no sermon
because we had had chapter. Father Adrien was proud to announce that he had reached 80 years of age. He was congratulated
by the Abbot in chapter. Then we turned supper into a little celebration of the event, despite it's being Ash Wednesday,
on the grounds that he would not be 80 again. The cook made us a present of her home-made white wine to go with her delicious
salmon and shrimp pasta bake. Brother Stephan fitted a new tyre to the abbot's bike so that he was able to take up roaming
the wilds of West Collette again. The geo-thermal people came back with an estimate. Now we will have to discuss it in community. Thursday 6 - We started our Lenten reading after Lauds with full attendance
in the scriptorium. Br. Mike took the abbot to Miramichi for his monthly visit to his massage therapist and they got some
materials to repair the tiled floor in the laundry. Saturday 8 - In chapter
we started work on the preparation of our "house report" to be presented to the General Chapter in Assisi in September
of this year. First stage: each one will write down how he would present the current life of our community to the General
Chapter. Sunday 9 - The Abbot went with our postulant, Glic, to see Brother
Henry and Father Maurice, whom he found cheerful and positive as ever.
Tuesday 11
- It snowed most of the day and produced a surprising quantity, just when we thought the winter was about to come to an end. Wednesday 12 - We were expecting a big group of guests, but they all cancelled
because there was a blizzard warning active for the area on Environment Canada. P. Guy Legendre, pastor of Rogersville, came
for the first time to be available for the confessions of the brethren. He will be offering this service once a month. Another
man came to see the Abbot in the context of the research into geothermal possibilities. Brother Stephan's six year old
computer packed up totally. Important for running the farm, it was urgent to get a new one. Thursday 13 - Terrible storm during the night. Snow-blowers out early to allow the milk truck to get in and
out. Blizzard continued most of the day. The nuns cancelled their Mass because their access road was blocked by snow. The
cook could not get in and Father Roger replaced her. Father Adrien went with Father Graham to see the doctor and found the
clinic closed. Father Innocent went to pick a would be aspirant up from the train station and found that somebody else had
already brought him to the monastery. No post because of the weather. The snow continued right into the night. Friday 14 - For some reason or other the snow-blower did not go round. So the drive
was difficult for people trying to get in for the Mass. One of the daily faithful got stuck and had to shovel to get away.
Dawn revealed huge drifts everywhere. However, the milk truck got in all right. The cook, also, bravely made her way in. Father
Adrien's appointment with the doctor was re-scheduled for today. The doctor did not have much to say about his stiff condition,
except to suggest it might be an old hernia playing up. During the Lenten Reading Father Adrien caused a stir by knocking
over a lamp with a huge crash. We all thought he had collapsed on the floor. He hadn't! Father Graham took the truck to
Miramichi for an oil change and regular maintenance. Saturday 15 - In
chapter we each presented our ideas on how to present our community in its present situation to the General Chapter. Each
house of the Order has to compile its own self-presentation for each General Chapter, which takes place every three years.
The General Chapter is in September, but the house reports have to be at our Generalate in Rome for the 1st May. Preparing
the report, an exercise in self-assessment by the community fits in well with the spirit of Lent. Sunday 16 - Father Roger presided the Mass and preached. His thinking on the Transfiguration coincided perfectly
with that of St. Gregory the Great. The water supply to the cowbarn was interrupted for a while due to frozen and burst pipes.
Brother Stephan fixed it all with the help of a local plumber. The day ended with a powerful biting cold wind taking the temperature
back down to minus 20ºC.
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Monday 17
- Saint Patrick's day went by unobserved, as usual. The forecourt was like a skating rink. Tuesday 18 - There were problems at Vespers time with the cooling in the dairy, due to the diffulties with
the water supply. An emergency technician was called in. The Abbot went out to try and get some milk from the barn for the
refectory but was turned back by the daunting ice. Wednesday 19 - Feast
of Saint Joseph. Solemnity. There was no chapter because the Abbot presided the Mass and preached. There was no Lenten Reading
because it was a solemnity. For the same reason there was no class in the novitiate. There was music in the refectory instead
of reading, and there was salmon, and wine to gladden the heart of man. The cooling system in the dairy was still playing
up. A replacement part is needed that is slow in coming. Thursday 20 -
Another big snow storm. The Abbot had to cancel a proposed trip to Moncton to see Brother Henry and Father Maurice. Friday 21 - More men about Geothermal and more snow. Then rain. Messy weather. Saturday 22 - In chapter we reviewed a first draft of our house report for
the General Chapter, compiled from the contributions each one had made the week before. Nobody had anything to say. The Abbot
took the draft to discuss it with Brother Henry and Father Maurice in Moncton. Father Innocent had ‘flu and had to cancel
his class with the postulants. Sunday 23 - Father Innocent was revived
enough to be able to preside the Mass and preach on the gospel of the Samaritan woman, living water and the flowing love of
God. Br. Michael has been reading at Mass all last week and had his first go at serving today.
Monday
24 - 87 year old Brother Leo said he had never known such a cold month of March. Tuesday 25 - Solemnity of the Annunciation. People took the opportunity to congratulate the Abbot on the eleventh
anniversary of his abbatial blessing. We had Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance music in the refectory at lunch. The cook provided
delightful shrimp vol-aux-vents and pecan pie. Wednesday 26 - The Abbot
had a meeting of the business council to have a first airing of the geo-thermal proposals. Nothing has been decided so far.
The storm to end all the winter storms visited us with near hurricane force winds, and a most impressive blizzard that lasted
all evening. Thursday 27 - Day dawned on snow banks of unprecedented size
and a generous covering of extra feet of snow generally. But the wind kept blowing, so every time anybody cleared anything
the snow blew back again! There were reports that all schools in the area were closed and that the Trans-Canada Highway was
closed between Moncton and Truro in Nova Scotia. Bright and beautiful sunshine, but more snow in the forecast! Friday 28 - The Abbot held a council meeting. Brother Glic and Brother Michael will
be starting their novitiate soon. It snowed and then rained. The chickens went out and the farm was busy clearing the barns,
transporting the manure to our land at the far end of a neighbouring road. This makes the neighbours happy. Saturday 29 - In chapter after Lauds we took a final look at our house report for the General Chapter and
made some small changes. The Abbot announced that due to the weather forecast for heavy snow all day the visit of Brother
Henry and Father Maurice planned for tomorrow would have to be cancelled. Father Clovis has begun to prune the apple trees.
The height of the snow allows him to get to the top. Sunday 30 - The wind
kept blowing from the North East and brought more snow, making our drifts higher than ever.
March 31
- The postulants began their retreat in view of starting their novitiate next Sunday. The Abbot will give them a conference
a day on the topic of the Paschal Theme in the Rule of Benedict. By the end of the day the snow was up to the eaves of the
cowbarn.
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