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AUGUST 2014

Friday 1 August - The troublesome drain that flooded the corridor outside the refectory in the basement has finally been unblocked. All the participants in the Regional Meeting left after Mass, Father Roger and the Abbot took Father Sylvain to the airport and were able to visit Brother Henry and Father Maurice.
Sunday 3 - The farm is looking into getting an old pick-up truck as a little runabout for going to the fields and the village, because the one they have is falling apart. The corn is at last beginning to show a bit of height.

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Found

Monday 4 - New Brunswick Day. In Chapter the Abbot presented the report on the Canadian Region for the General Chapter which last week's meeting of superiors had drawn up. The new pastor of the Rogersville Parish was spotted at Mass. Despite it being New Brunswick Day, the farm team were in and the chickens were being delivered, but the cook took the evening off. Of course, Brother Glicerio was milking the cows and Brother Michael was doing the wash. The rock-picker was back in the workshop. Nice thunderstorm to round off the festivities, as well.
Tuesday 5 - The next flock of chickens was settling in. The corn was being weeded. Father Adrien has been picking raspberries like a ten year old.
Wednesday 6 - We have had thunderstorms every afternoon or evening for the last few days. Brother Michael is painting a new notice to replace the one that marks our entrance on the road, which has been in place since the nineteen eighties.
Thursday 7 - Father Adrien went to an appointment in Miramichi, not too clear whether he was going for his eyes or his teeth. When he came back nothing had changed.
Friday 8 - News came, and was received with some satisfaction that Dom Marcel, recently retired abbot of our monastery in Manitoba, has been re-appointed as superior. In chapter we are currently working our way through the house reports that the houses of the Region will be submitting to the General Chapter. Brother Stephan went to Prince Edward Island for a part for his rock-picker.
Saturday 9 - The fridge in the serving area of the refectory, which Noah brought out of the ark, and which was leaking furry cold from its nether regions, was temporarily repaired and condemned. Father Graham went to Moncton on family business.
Sunday 10 - Fathe rClovis was replacing a priest in Miramichi. So the Abbot went to say Mass for the nuns. We heard from Dom Marcel of Prairies during the day. He was on good form and in better health and valiantly taking up the reins of superior again. But the news about Dom André of Val Notre-Dame is not so good. He is still suffering from excruciating sciatica.

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Rebuilding the roads

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a picture of promise

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While the neighbours are combining their grain...

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...we are thinking about another cut of silage!
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Monday 11 - In chapter we finished looking at the house reports of the region prepared for the General Chapter. The abbot also announced that Brother Gilles had received a dispensation from his vows from the Holy See. The rock-picker was working beautifully, but the supporting truck got stuck, causing the rocks to rain down on the driver's cab!
Tuesday 12 - We had the gospel at Mass where Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me", and, lo and behold there was a little African baby there making itself heard. Father Adrien went to see the doctor and got a clean bill of intestinal health, despite the tests that they did.
Wednesday 13 - Brother Stephan went and picked up the new well-used runabout four-wheel drive truck that he wanted for use on the farm that he had spotted on a journey to Miramichi yesterday. Father Graham spent the morning at the dentist who started work on his root canal. The abbot went to the same dentist in the afternoon and was told his teeth were holding up excellently, despite the fact that he had not been there for 20 months.
Friday 15 - Solemnity of the Assumption. Brother Henry and Father Maurice came for the solemn Mass, presided by the Abbot, and the excellent dinner provided by the cook. The corn is in full tassel and the rock-picker is working to admiration, piles of rocks everywhere. The new truck is already in pieces in the garage. It rained most of the day and the nuns were happy we had the barbecue together a couple of weeks ago, because they did not fancy eating hamburgers under umbrellas to celebrate the Assumption. But the sun came out unexpectedly in the evening.
Saturday 16- Feast of Saint Stephen of Hungary whom Br. Stephan invokes as patron. But we do not actually have him on our calendar. Four men and a truck went to pick up the new fridge for the serving area from Sears in Rogersville. On the way they stopped to admire the nuns' new fence. The corn is in beautiful tassel, the cobs are beginning to form well. But it is all a bit droopy in the wet.
Sunday 17 - The damp weather made the charcoal not work at Benediction.

Monday 18 - Father Graham took the Kia car to Moncton for a regular servicing. At the same time he picked up his brother, Father Jason Touchie, priest of the Oratory, who is home on holiday from his service of the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome and is going to spend a week with us.
Tuesday 19 - Father Jason concelebrated at our community Mass. We also have two priests here from Prince Edward Island. There were geese on the lake. The migration has begun and the temperature to fall. The farm team were trucking gravel from the pit in the woods to build up the dirt road leading to the barn. The big thermometer came back outside the cloister window. The windows have been being repaired and repainted.
Wednesday 20 - Feast of Saint Bernard. The abbot presided the solemn Mass and preached. We had a festive dinner with music. Father Graham took Father Adrien to Miramichi for a chest X-ray and something to do with his glasses.
Thursday 21 - Brother Stephan went to a meeting in Miramichi this evening concerning a merger between Northumberland Coop, to whom we sell our milk, and the Quebec dairy company, Agropur. The merger received a positive vote, but the more interesting part, the way of dividing up the Northumberland capital among the members of the co-operative was deferred. Br. Stephan got back rather late, but, nonetheless did the morning milking.
Friday 22 - In the early morning Father Graham drove Sister Kathleen of the Trappistines to the airport to catch her flight to New York to visit her family. The Abbot and Brother Stephan went to Miramichi to see our lawyer about some land registry questions. Happily for Brother Stephan after all this, Father Graham does the morning milking on Saturdays.
Saturday 23 - Father Jason Touchie presided our community Mass. The guest-house seemed exceptionally full for this weekend. Mainly a group from Prince Edward Island, a province where Catholic life is still rather vigorous. The farm team was all poised to start work with the rock-picker on the very last of our fields for this year. After that the machine can be tucked away for the winter.
Sunday 24 - Father Graham presided the community Mass and the Abbot preached.

Monday 25 - Word came from Moncton that Brother Henry was in hospital after one of his fainting bouts. The farm team was thinking about another cut of silage.
Tuesday 26 - Word came from Moncton that Brother Henry had been released from hospital. They had found nothing in particular as usual.
Wednesday 27 - The Abbot went to see Brother Henry and Father Maurice. Brother Stephan drove and had to pick up various parts and equipment for the farm, and, principally a load of bricks to re-build the pillar of the enclosure gate. They came back with a washing machine and no bricks.
Thursday 28 - We still have a slot in our weekly programme for watching videos on Thursday evening. We just completed the third season of Downton Abbey, now we have started to watch the ancient classical film from the forties: "Sergeant York." Brother Henry came to the monastery for the middle of the day with his brother and nephews and his great nephews and nieces with their mother and grandmother. Quite a party.
Friday 29 - We were discussing precarious communities in chapter. Fr. Innocent went to Moncton to pick up his new pottery wheel. Br. Michael went to Miramichi to look at materials for re-doing the baking-room floor.
Sunday 31 -With the chapel windows open some of our offices are accompanied by the voice of the bald eagle that sits high on a tree on the other side of the lake.

Our Lady of Calvary Abbey
11505 Route 126, Rogersville NB, E4Y 2N9
Tel : 506 775 2331
E-mail : CalvaryAbbey@aol.com