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NOVEMBER 2014

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Saturday 1st. Father Maurice and Brother Henry joined us here for Mass and a festive lunch. Nothing like it! All Saints 2014 marks 112 years of existence for good ol' Calvaire. Brother Henry had a good look at the little yard where so much geo-thermal work has been done and wondered if pipes would be visible above surface when all is finished. He used to take care of the monastery grounds, having at one stage owned a small landscaping company in New England.
Sunday 2nd. First snow of the year; our oldest farm employee says to expect a lot of snow this winter. At Sunday Mass for all the deceased, several people and families from nearby joined us, adding to the prayer.

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Bringing the geothermal into the house.
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Monday 3rd. In Chapter this morning, Dom Bede presented us with "guidelines for the use of internet, mass media and the new communications media", drawn up at the General Chapter in Assisi. One page in length. The goal set is that new technologies may serve our communities, and foster communion. Our spaces and silence, our monastic days and nights as well as the formation of community members are all considered.
Tuesday 4th. Dom Bede said Mass at the sisters, because their chaplain Father Clovis is headed to northern NB to celebrate the milestone of a beloved family member. Dom Clément of Mistassini arrived to us by car this afternoon. He will stay here while carrying out the regular visitation of our sisters' community. As described by the order's constitutions, "the purpose of the regular visitation is to strengthen and supplement the pastoral action of the local abbot/abbess, to correct it where necessary, and to motivate the brothers/sisters to lead the Cistercian life with a renewed spiritual fervour." The reality of the visitation is gentler and more personal than the description can sound.
Thursday 6th. At lunch the reading we're listening to is house reports from the General Chapter. These 178 reports from monasteries of men or women all over the world let us know how things have progressed everywhere over the last three years. One community it is always striking to hear about is the Atlas community. In their house report they mention that the popular French movie "Of Gods and Men", based on the story of their martyrs, has been sparking new vocations to their monastery.
Friday 7th. The snow from Sunday has remained, with just a bit more having fallen since, putting a fresh face on things. The geothermal heating installation is moving along. Now they are putting connections from the wells to where the pumps will be inside, one pump for every three wells. Linking the wells three by three has required a bit of digging. Our elders are impressed with the skill of the high-hoe operator.
Saturday 8th. Dom Clément wrapped up the visitation at the sisters this morning. He will spend a few more days with us, and hopefully speak to us in chapter.
Sunday 9th. In the course of the day we learned of the deaths of Mother Alfreda's mother Ernestine Gaudet, who was 100, and of Father Robert Allain, 62, Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Moncton, both impressive people. Robert had recently moved in to the residence where our Father Maurice and Brother Henry stay.

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Geese on ice.

Monday 10th. In Chapter, Dom Clément thanked us for our hospitality and let us know how some of old friends are doing. After celebrating Mass for us, he left for Québec. Christmas cards to send have shown up in our scriptorium. Each year, Dom Bede designs and produces a new card. This year's theme is Franciscan.
Tuesday 11th. Father Adrien has been spending several mornings cutting up what is left from our apples, for the kitchen to make apple sauce with. This may be contributing to the ongoing presence in the building of fruit flies, but they were already cheerfully flying about before Adrien started. One of our cooks has created a fruit fly trap mix which we leave out. As well as being Remembrance Day and the feast of Saint Martin, today is the 35th anniversary of priestly ordination for Père Maurice. Because of his health at the time, the date of his ordination was advanced to make sure he would be able to celebrate at least a few Masses in his time. These days, he is celebrating a much-appreciated daily Mass for those gathered at the residence in Dieppe.
Wednesday 12th. In Chapter, we discussed the order's guidelines for usage of the internet, and remembered the different reactions of monks to -the daily newspaper, when simply having access to that was something. In town this morning, people were remembering Robert Allain's sense of humor. Generosity seems to go hand in hand with a gentle but keen sense of humor for Acadie's parish priests.
Thursday 13th. Brother Glic has been cleaning the inside of the milking parlour with a pressure washer. Bravo! This week the chapel also got a cleaning, also thanks to Glic. Father Innocent cleared out the summer's tomato plants from the greenhouse. Our employees cleaned the chicken barn. Father Innocent mopped the dining room floor. Even the septic tank truck got a good hosing down, after several days spreading liquid manure on our fields.
Friday 14th. Having attended the funeral for Mère Alfreda's mother on Wednesday, this afternoon Dom Bede went to Father Robert Allain's funeral in Cap Pelé, accompanied by Father Doris, the curé from town. Cap Pelé is roughly two and a half hours from here.
Saturday 15th. After Mass, the community met to discuss the internet and guidelines. To be continued. A good and lengthy discussion. Dom Bede told us a bit about yesterday's funeral: the reactions and attendance indicate to what degree Robert Allain was loveable and of help.
Sunday 16th. Father Maurice and Brother Henry joined us from Moncton for Mass and lunch together. In the barn before afternoon milking, a calf was born, then made its way out of the calving pen to the alley, where it was already walking about. A bull! By the end of the milking, another cow had given birth to a female, who was more sedate. Often, however, the females are markedly more animated just after birth than are males... In late afternoon, Brother Stephan drove Brother Glic to the train station, so that Glic could catch the 5:15 train for a short visit to Montreal, his former home town.

Monday 17th. At 8 AM on the dot the geo-thermal team was back to work outside. They seem to be filling in the last open trench along with the opening along the wall. Guess they will begin the work inside next. Using a tractor this afternoon, Brother Stephan turned over Father Innocent's garden, then worked some other, farm fields as a light snow began to fall.
Tuesday 18th. At our three-story chicken barn this morning, workers were shovelling sawdust into the machine that blows this bedding up through an exterior pipe then through an open window, in preparation for the new flock. Yesterday's snow melted, and the lawn showed green beneath it.
Wednesday 19th. Update on the fruit fly situation: other people in the area are experiencing the same phenomena in their homes this year. Is it an after-effect of the verdant summer of 2014? In the scriptorium today Dom Bede posted Mass duties for Christmas Season. From December 24th to January 4th there will be five homilies, from four priests.
Thursday 20th. It snowed a bit this morning, but by afternoon Dom Bede was able to get out to Collette on his bicycle. Father Graham took the Kia for its servicing in Moncton, then took Brother Henry to the Optical to choose some frames. With a half-hour to wait, they went over to watch part of Moncton's oldest shopping center, Highfield Square, being demolished. Henry said he hoped whatever they build next will be as nice as Highfield Square was.
Friday 21st. This morning dozens of starlings settled on one of our apple trees and on the lawn, and on the power line next to it, and warbled, producing quite a lively sound. Does this have something to do with a forthcoming change in weather? Supposedly, after dipping down, temperatures will bounce back up in the upcoming days. These starlings (or their relatives) have taken to wintering in our dairy barn. Though they make it through winter, it does not seem as happy a life for them as life outdoors is.
Saturday 22nd. Dom Bede prepared to set out for Europe this morning. He will assist Dom Guerric of La Trappe with the regular visitation of Tre Fontane in Rome, then visit his sister Marie and her family in England, then the community of Mount Saint Bernard. Father Stephen of Mount Saint Bernard celebrates 50 years of profession, December 8th. He and Dom Bede made profession in 1964 within two months of one another and will be together again for Stephen's day.
Sunday 23rd. Father Adrien helped himself to some of our home-made apple jelly for breakfast. It is good and sweet. Brother Léo says the guest-house looks quiet for the next month, only two bookings up to Christmas week. The guest-house usually remains fairly quiet most of winter and spring, but with variations to that pattern. At lunch we listened to a CD of music for the Royal Wedding of William and Kate, and ate salmon provided by Father Clovis, chaplain to the Trappistines. He has fish connections unknown to us that never seem to fail.

Monday 24th. An exceptionally quiet and still day. Thanks to the woods, the barn, the fields and the lake, mornings are pleasant to look at even when the sky is solid grey. It was this morning, then the stillness was broken by rain. A crack in the steps leading up to the big, red doors caused a bit of water to leak into the basement entrance.
Tuesday 25th. The geo-thermal crew have not been around in several days. They seemed to be on the verge of beginning the indoors work when they stopped. As organised as they are, it will probably be a blitzkrieg approach. In Dieppe today Brother Henry watched a program on EWTN about the experiences of novices to the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word. It took years to get him the cable connection for this channel, the only one he wanted.
Wednesday 26th. Unfortunately, Dom Bede's luggage reached its destination 12 hours after Bede did. Aside from that, things seem to be going smoothly. Bede is now at the monastery of Tre Fontane in Rome. Father Roger went to Moncton on business today, leaving six of us here. At noon we prayed the Office, had lunch with reading, then did the dishes. Half the monks wash the serving vessels in the kitchen and store the left-overs. The other half wash the dinner dishes in the food service area.
Thursday 27th. Big snow overnight. Our video this evening was about the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn. We saw photos and footage from his days as a novice in Vietnam then followed his story and message to the 1990's at Plum Village Monastery near Bordeaux, France. A dynamic and humble person.
Friday 28th. Visitors to the area say that though the driving was not always easy this week, the snow and winter itself is beautiful. Because P. Adrien's brother-in-law showed up in late morning, Adrien invited him to share lunch with him in the guesthouse. Then he showed him around the monastery a little. People are interested in our geo-thermal heating system.
Saturday 29th. Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter on the year of consecrated life appeared in French and English translation. The year begins tomorrow. To date, this particular ‘year of' has not suffered from an excess of publicity: more than a few of us had no idea it was about to begin. The letter is organised according to aims, expectations and horizons for the year of consecrated life. Waking up the world is one of the expectations Pope Francis relates in his letter, "since the distinctive sign of consecrated life is prophecy." He expects us to live lives that, as regards Christian joy especially, are "eloquent".
Sunday 30th. After lunch, Father Innocent was thinking of getting out on our frozen lake. The temperature climbed however; the lake surface grew watery, the lake and the sky became the same grey-blue except for the shadow of the trees. The Advent antiphons for Lauds and Vespers have a nice ring to them, they show to good advantage the style of their composer, a monk formerly based in Rougemont, Québec.

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