Tuesday 1 - The sun shone and began to melt the snow. Somebody
lost the key to the Kia car. Wednesday 2 - The Abbot and Brother Stephan went shopping in Moncton. So they discovered
that the snow banks in Rogersville were much bigger and better than the ones in Moncton. Brother Stephan bought parts for
his machines to his full satisfaction and the Abbot bought new lamps for the scriptorium. They rounded off the day with a
visit to Brother Henry and Father Maurice. The doctors had finally come up with the results of the scans they did on Brother
Henry back in January and they revealed nothing sinister. So they will be taking him off the medicine he is taking for something
he does not have. Both were in a very cheerful state. A group of 12 military personnel from the Gagetown N.B. base came
for a retreat led by their chaplain. Thursday 3 - The key to the Kia car re-appeared. The cook was finding it hard going
coping with twelve guests as well as the community, but she rose bravely to the challenge. People's milking days had to
be all changed round in order to accommodate Br. Glicerio's retreat. News came that Brother Stephan's ninety-one year
old mother was in hospital in a serious condition. Friday 4 - Brother Stephan fixed a new light that the Abbot had bought
for the notice-board, in the hope that if people could see the notices they might actually read them. It is one of these new-fangled
LED lights that shines very brightly and uses next to no electricity, but this one only shines on one small central part of
the notice-board. An on-going project! Saturday 5 - Brother Michael, looking out over the heavy wet snow falling, described
it as a "nice spring day in Canada!" The postulants were washing and ironing their habits in anticipation of tomorrow. Sunday 6 - Brother Glicerio Jalea received the habit in chapter at the start of his novitiate. Brother Michael Perry put
on the habit in private, since he had already received it two years ago. So the two of them began their novitiate on this
day, and we have two novices. We abandoned, as impractical, the white cloth belts we have for novices and gave them a leather
one instead. Environment Canada announced a few flurries and it snowed all morning. Word came from the Résidence Notre-Dame
du Sacré Coeur that Father Maurice needed to go to emergency as his UTI had come back. The Abbot went in the afternoon,
driven by Brother Glicerio, to see Father Maurice and found him very confused and with a high fever in emergency care with
intravenous antibiotics. The Abbot stayed the night in Moncton.
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Monday 7 - The Abbot returned this evening from Moncton
with the news that Father Maurice was somewhat better, though he still had some fever. The doctors are trying to discover
the source of the infection which has not shown up on a whole barrage of scans, x-rays and blood tests. The snow continued
to melt very nicely. The red door in the centre of the building was replaced by a brand new one. Tuesday 8 - Brother
Michael, despite deep snow drifts and rain, replaced a pipe outside the guest house that is the outlet for the pump that removes
water from the basement to prevent the guests' chapel flooding. Brother Stephan missed the lunch hour because he had to
go to Miramichi to get a part for an urgent repair. The news from the hospital was that Father Maurice was more on form, but
still had a bit of fever and the doctors had not yet found the cause of the infection but were pursuing their investigations
with determination. The novices had a class on the Holy Week liturgy instead of on the Constitutions, lest the arrival of
Holy Week overtake the classes! Wednesday 9 - The Abbot went to see Father Maurice in hospital, with Father Innocent
as driver. They found Father Maurice much better with his temperature back to normal. Brother Michael was in Miramichi getting
materials for a variety of repair jobs he is seeing to. Father Graham is planning to extract the summer tyres for the vehicles
from the snow-bound outbuilding where they are stored. Thursday 10 - Father Clovis was fretting over the pruning of the
apple trees not being finished before the snow level drops and the job will need ladders! The snow melted on the drive, so
our bicycles can come and go freely. We got to start Series 3 of Downton Abbey in our Thursday evening video slot. Friday
11 - The sun came out and gently melted the snow. Father Adrien was feeling better and has ordered his tomato plants. Brother
Stephan went for more parts to Miramichi. The news from the hospital was that the doctors have revised their opinion and Fr.
Maurice's infection is in the urinary tract after all. But they are looking into the reasons why he has motor control
problems. So he would not be leaving the hospital for the time being. Saturday 12 - The Abbot went with Brother Michael
to visit Father Maurice in hospital and called in on Brother Henry. Brother Stephan fixed another lamp on the notice-board,
this time one controlled by a light-cell, so that it goes off when daylight appears. Preparations began for Palm Sunday. Sunday 13 - Palm Sunday. We did the liturgy with dignity and simplicity. Brother Michael made his début in the Passion
as a French Synagoga and Brother Glicerio was right on the ball with the serving. There were not very many people at the Mass
and there are no guests this weekend. The music at lunch was extracts from Bach's Saint Matthew Passion. This week we
began new books in the refectory, both in English and in French. In French we are reading "Ces Étrangers Familiers.
Musulmans en Europe (XVIe - XVIIe siècles.)". In English we are reading "Soldier of Christ. The Life of Pope
Pius XII" by Robert A. Ventresca. In the late evening something went wrong with the walk-in freezer in the kitchen. The
novices did a good job of cleaning the thurible in time for Holy Week. Br. Glicerio cleaned the inside and made the charcoal
burn better, and Br. Michael cleaned the outside and we discovered it was made of brass.
Monday 14 - Father Roger went to a meeting with other chicken
farmers of New Brunswick in Moncton. Some guests showed up. The Abbot spent all day preparing a new booklet for the Holy Thursday
liturgy. Tuesday 15 - The guest-house chapel, in the basement, began to flood. The snow melt and the rain had overwhelmed
the pump that is supposed to prevent this happening. But it is not the first time. Later in the day the flooding spread to
the guest-house dining room and the basement generally. But Rémy, our farm worker, came to the rescue and unblocked
a drainage canal outside. Meantime the forecast was for heavy rain overnight and tomorrow. People in other parts of the province
are getting alarmed about flooding. Father Maurice came out of hospital and returned to the Résidence Notre-Dame du
Sacré Coeur, where the Abbot went to see him, with Father Graham. Wednesday 16 - The snowmelt was alarming people.
The river has flooded all below the carpenter's shop and the flow over the dam has risen so high it is covering the footbridge
to the grotto. Thursday 17. - Holy Thursday - We had a singing practice after Tierce to practise the things we have to
sing on this, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. The Mass in the evening with the abbot washing the feet of the community and
three guests went off very smoothly. Father Graham preached an inspiring homily on love. Friday 18 - Good Friday - A
day of calm and recollection. With some nice sunshine and near summer temperatures. The cook produced fresh-baked bread buns,
which made our bread and water lunch a pleasure. Our liturgy has an extra simplified character which goes well with the nature
of Good Friday. Father Roger preached on the suffering Christ, emphasizing that he died for us. Saturday 19 - Our Paschal
Vigil was quite a prayerful experience. Everything went smoothly with no mistakes or confusions, just a few spontaneous adaptations.
It finished just as the sun was rising, the hour when the women went to the tomb. We were impressed by the fact that the chaplain,
Father Clovis, went to celebrate the Paschal Vigil with the nuns and came back to sing Alleluias with us at Lauds.
Monday 21 – In addition to doing the wash, Brother Michael was working on cartoons of the community.
Later in the day, Brother Michael also had word that his mother had been rushed into intensive care in Fredericton after a
strong allergic reaction to some medication. Tuesday 22 – Father Clovis had to attend a funeral.
The abbot was due to replace him for the Mass for the nuns and nearly forgot. But he remembered in time to speed there
on his bike. News came mid-morning that Father Maurice was back in hospital with a return of his infection. The
doctors declared themselves even more determined than ever to find the seat of this recurring infection. Fr. Roger went
to Miramichi for a dental check-up. Fr. Graham went to Moncton to take Brother Henry to an appointment with his neurologist.
Brother Stephan began to look into the technicalities of repairing the pipe between the monastery well and the barn that froze
up and burst during the winter. Father Innocent with Father Adrien began opening up the greenhouse for a new growing
season. Wednesday 23 – Saint George’s Day. The
news from Moncton was that the doctors have confirmed that Father Maurice has cellulitis. The Abbot had an appointment
with the eye-surgeon who gave him lazer treatment to reduce the pressure on one eye. In the evening the Abbot went to
see Father Maurice and stayed overnight in Moncton. He gave Father Maurice the Sacrament of the Sick, again. He
found Father Maurice on good form. He was being treated with intensive intravenous antibiotics. The news was that
the doctors had determined that the source of the infection was in the heart. Thursday 24 – The abbot came back. The news about Father Maurice was that there was cellulitis
even though the source of the infection was in the heart. The snow also came back. Friday 25 – The snow-ploughs were back in action shifting an accumulation of about 9 ins. Father
Roger went to a meeting of the Chicken Farmers of New Brunswick in Fredericton. Brother Stephan got his rock-picker
functioning, after a lot of work. Sunday 27 – Some of us
watched the Canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II live from Rome in the early morning. Father Innocent presided
our Mass and, on the wounds of Our Lord, he said that they were our wounds as damaged persons that Jesus bore and transformed
by his Resurrection. The Abbot and Father Graham left after Mass for a short visit to Mistassini, our Mother House,
which is in the Lac Saint-Jean region in the north of Quebec. It takes the best part of two days to get there, and the
same to get back, so they will not be home till Thursday.
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Mistassini |
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Mistassini |
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Mistassini |
Monday 28 - The prior, Brother Stephan, sent an email to the Abbot
telling him that all was well in the monastery. Father Roger went to see Father Maurice in hospital and found him doing better.
The medical staff seemed to think at this point that the source of infection was the Bladder. Guys from a local company
came again and finally succeeded in unblocking the drain under the kitchen and refectory. The blockage was where we thought,
in the S-trap. Brother Michael is painting his entire new room dark brown. Father Adrien was getting impatient about the greenhouse
water pipe not being fixed yet. Father Innocent wanted to order more than just tomatoes for the greenhouse. He said: "Why
tomatoes? always tomatoes?" Wednesday 30 - The Abbot and Father Graham had a pleasant visit to Mistassini where
they found the nine aging monks in undaunted spirit and very cheerful and welcoming.
Our Lady of Calvary Abbey 11505 Route 126, Rogersville NB, E4Y 2N9 Tel : 506 775 2331 E-mail : CalvaryAbbey@aol.com
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