SEPTEMBER 2015

Tuesday 1st. World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, with special prayers at Mass, and intentions at the various offices. Dom Bede has revised the little community schedule for the upcoming weeks. Before the regular visitation at the end of October the Trappistines will have visited us for lunch, Graham will have been to Wales, Bede will have been to Campbellton, Roger will have been in Ontario, and Mère Danièle from the Generalate in Rome will have visited Calvaire.
Wednesday 2nd. As work continues on the secondary highway in front of the monastery, people have noticed that at least some of the improved Route 126 will have more shoulder and be paved just a bit wider. In places, it had been narrow indeed. The last of the current run of silage was dumped into the bunker this afternoon.
Thursday 3rd. Father Roger has had trouble with the soaker hose used to water some newly planted front lawn. Dom Bede and Father Innocent made their way to Moncton, and brought back greetings from Father Maurice and Brother Henry. There is now a boot scraper outside of the big, red doors. It is a little block of railway tie and the scraper is a little piece of rail.
Friday 4th. Brother Léo has been re-reading the documents of Vatican II, as he has done for many years. He reads the major VII documents from beginning to end as part of his cycle of readings, which also includes lectio continua of different books of the Bible. He says he has come to like the Book of the Apocalypse. His seat behind the door has a little lectern in front of it, just the right height for reading.
Saturday 5th. Geothermal work has ended, because the job is now finished. When Dom Bede decides it is time to start heating for the winter, they will be back to switch the system on and give us a few pointers. With the old oil burning system, it was a temptation for certain parties to switch off the pumps for heating the monastery and guest house, though it was not their duty to do so. Unable to dampen a certain zeal on these parties' behalf, in 2011 Dom Bede posted an ex cathedra notice in the furnace room bearing his coat of arms as well as the motto honi soit qui mal y pense.
Sunday 6th. On Sundays and solemnities, the whole community proceeds out to the sacristy at the end of Mass. Let it be said, our processions are better than in years long past when, at times, few were able to sort out just what was happening once the monks were in motion. One year an Abbot emeritus spent Holy Week with us and acted as MC. The big moment arrived (Easter Vigil), and when a curious alternative to what had been practiced began unfolding, a restrained grin appeared on his face. That expression proved to be lasting.

Monday 7th. In refectory there is a little portable sign reading: "remember the Sunday music and pass this on to the next man" with little images of musical figures like Handel and ‘the Boss' Bruce Springsteen. The turn was missed the last two Sundays and though it is interesting to hear what a brother will pick, the replacement music, Gilbert & Sullivan's the Gondoliers, had pizzazz. In this part of Canada the words Gilbert & Sullivan bring to mind amateur productions; a pastime but the Abbey Road recordings we listened to mean more.
Tuesday 8th. Birthday of Mary. There was just enough sunlight this morning for us to make out the colors on the stained glass Virgin Mary as we sang the Marian antiphon after Lauds. In Moncton, Brother Henry saw one of his specialists, who said he doesn't want to see him again: very good news in this case. Fr. Graham took him and also found Fr. Maurice on good form, though still using a wheelchair because of the weak state of his legs.
Wednesday 9th. Deacon Richard Harris is here with us for a few days prior to priestly ordination on Friday. He has good memories of Brother Henry from Henry's days as guest master thirty-some years ago, remembering in particular the things Henry said to him. Henry also served as librarian and groundskeeper here.
Thursday 10. Br. Stephan bought a plastic dinghy and he and the abbot went out to the middle of the lake to check on Fr. Didier's cross, which marks the spot where this monk of Aiguebelle drowned in 1997 when he fell out of his canoe. The cross was discovered to have turned upside down. The problem needs more thought. In the afternoon there were a lot of geese on the same part of the lake.
Fr. Graham left for England and Wales, where he will visit our monastery of Mount Saint Bernard for the weekend and next week take part in a workshop for formators from different religious Orders, mainly monastic, in Penmaenmawr.
The abbot went to see Dr. Blanchard in Rogersville to catch up on what the specialists were reporting. The doctor was happy that the specialists had recommended that the abbot remain on anticoagulants permanently. He also put the abbot on antibiotics for a throat and sinus infection.
Friday 11. The weather was so rough that Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for the area. We were informed by a notice that: "During Graham's absence, Stephan will lead psalms and short responsory at Lauds, Innocent will do the same at Vespers and Roger will do the hymns and the rest."
Saturday 12. Fr. Innocent had a go with the dinghy on the lake. His greenhouse is also producing remarkable cucumbers. Another remarkable thing was that the sun came out mid-afternoon after about 48 hours of rain. Fr. Graham also reported that the sun was shining in London.
Sunday 13. Father Roger presided the Mass and preached in both languages. If we follow Jesus we have to be prepared to give even our lives. In the afternoon Br. Glicerio drove the Abbot to Moncton to see Br. Henry and Fr. Maurice, in a lead up to the community feast day on Tuesday, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows or Our Lady of Calvary. Somebody drove a four-wheeler through our corn in Village Platt. This is in addition to a similar incident of criminal damage on Young Ridge a few days ago. The police are on the job.

Monday 21st. A touch of frost made its appearance during the night.
Tuesday 22nd. The IT expert came to reset the camera that allows Br. Henry to watch the services in the monastery chapel. It had got de-programmed because of the updating of our internet connection. Br. Michael re-appeared halfway through None.
Wednesday 23rd. A digger appeared in the yard behind the guest-house, part of the process of installing a new stand-by generator. Fr. Clovis has already picked most of the apples. The water supply from the monastery well was declared free of coliform and was turned back on, instead of the one that feeds the chicken barn. The water tastes better and is clearer.
Thursday 24th. Father Graham returned in the middle of the afternoon. We knew because the October missalettes were distributed.
Friday 25th. The frost was heavy this morning: it was ‘the killing frost', a turning point in the annual farming cycle. Brother Stephan explains it for us this way: "The killing frost helps dry down the corn and speeds up the ripening process. It's important that the corn ears are filled out and matured before the killing frost, otherwise shrinkage will result, lessening yield. That's what happened last year and we suffered a lot of yield loss." How does he know when it is eventually time to harvest? "We check the ear, scratch out a kernel, and check its base for ''black layer''. The ''black layer'' indicates the moisture content in the kernels is at the optimum level."
Saturday 26th. We are now milking 87 cows, more than previously, with 13 calvings registered so far this month. The south wall of the barn, whose foundation was raised, is being re-boarded. Yuri Glazov, whose grave is in front of the monastery beside the Sacred Heart statue, was a Russian who taught at Dalhousie University after being forced to flee his country. He loved our monastery and its monks. Today his widow Marina visited with friends and family, including Yuri's grandson, a joyful moment which Father Roger shared.
Sunday 27th. Lobster for lunch. Our cook Simone found it for us and prepared it for us. $5 a pound: pretty good deal. Brother Glicerio remarked that not everyone dug into these lobster, in fact only half the gang did.