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MARCH 2010
Monday 1 – The storm lasted the whole weekend. Not an
immense quantity of snow, but the wet and heavy type. Several big trees were damaged, large branches broke
off.
Tuesday 2 – The Abbot left for Holy Spirit Abbey, Georgia, U.S.A. He is going
to the Regional Meeting of our Abbots and Abbesses as invited representative from the Canadian Region, of which he is currently
President. He will be away 10 days.Claude Hébert, one of our oblates is staying with us for a week.
Wednesday 3 – Claude is joined by his
cousin, Angela.
Thursday 4 – Father Alfred Irving, priest of the diocese of Portland, Maine, U.S.A. arrived.
He is a hospital chaplain and a very nice priest.The weather got colder.
Friday 5 – The only news today is that I am celebrating my 76th
birthday.
Saturday
6 – The Salesian Sisters are here for a short retreat.
Sunday
7 – 3rd Sunday of Lent. Father Maurice introduced the Mass and gave the homily
and Father Innocent presided.
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| Holy Spirit Monastery, Conyers, Georgia |
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| Holy Spirit Monastery, Conyers, Georgia |
Monday 8 – Rémi
Martin, our farm foreman, went to Florida for several days with his family and Claude, one of his brothers.
Tuesday 9 – The weather remains fine, but the snow is not melting very fast. The
maple syrup lovers are seizing their chance.
Thursday 11 – The
Abbot came back from Georgia. The main topic of discussion in the United States Regional Meeting was formation,
naturally, since this is the topic for the General Chapter next year.
Friday
12 – After Lauds, the Abbot spoke about his trip to the States. It was a concentrated and
condensed account.
Saturday 13 – After Mass we took up,
once again, our own dialogues on the theme of formation. Everyone had something to say about the place of humility and the
fruits of the Spirit in our life.
Sunday 14 – Fourth
Sunday of Lent. The stational Church in Rome is the Cistercian church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, and
yesterday it was the Cistercian nuns’ church of Santa Susanna. Here the clocks went forward one hour.
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| Quality notices on the new barn |
Monday
15 – After Lauds, the Abbot spoke in chapter about the meeting of Superiors he had taken part in in Georgia,
U.S.A.We
began the pruning of the apple trees. It was particularly Father Clovis who did the bulk of the work, but
he was able to call on Father Innocent as well. It is a lot of work. Some of the apple
trees are very big and there are a lot of suckers.
March 16 – I had an appointment with
the dentist in St. Louis de Kent this morning, and this afternoon I went to pick up my glasses in Miramichi.
March
17 – The snow is melting very slowly, while the temperature is neither hot nor cold. We have
never seen a winter like this one.
Thursday 18 – Our only novice left.
But someone else is getting ready to come and enter. Fathers Zoel Saulnier and Serge Comeau, two writers, turned
up. They are both priests of the diocese of Bathurst.
Friday 19 –
Feast of Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus and patron saint of Canada. We marked the 25 years of profession
of Brother Stephan by a special supper at which we talked.
Saturday 20 – First day
of spring according to popular parlance. Let us hope that the spring will be as nice as the outgoing winter
has been.
Sunday 21 – Fifth Sunday of Lent.
The Abbot went to the sisters to talk about the meeting in Georgia.
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| Br. Stephan welding |
Monday 22 – Things worth mentioning are in short
supply around here.
Tuesday 23 – Rodrigue Landry, on of our Moncton oblates, is here fro a few days.
We appreciate his continuing to come despite immense health problems.
Wednesday 24 – As you get
older bits and pieces cease to function as they should. Now my feet are paining me. I
went to Footech in Monction to have special insoles manufactured. On the way back we came upon an accident,
a car with its wheels in the air.
Thursday 25 – The inhabitants of Rogersville live to a great age.
One lady has just celebrated her 109th birthday, while a man reached his 100th. One
of our neighbours saw his handsome garage go up in flames.
Saturday 27 – We do not have singing classes very
often. This morning we had one to prepare the music for Palm Sunday.
Sunday 28 – Palm Sunday.
We began the liturgy of the day at the back of the chapel. During the Mass the Abbot took the part
of Christ in the reading of the Passion Gospel, Father Graham was the narrator and Brother Gilles took the part of all the
others who speak. Father Abbot also preached the homily.
Monday
29 – Father Serge Comeau was here for 2 days. Tuesday 30 – The Holy Week retreatants
began to turn up. Wednesday 31 – A Discalced Carmelite brother is with us. He is from Miramichi but exercised
most of his ministry in the United States.
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