Friday 2 March – There was a workshop in the guest house led by Fr. Melvin Doucet, W.F., organized by a group of people from the Acadian Peninsula.  This priest has a ministry on Prince Edward Island, he professes to receive messages from Our Lady and has a growing following.  He is also a charismatic with a healing ministry.

Saturday 3 – Br. Stephan left for his visit to his family.  He is going first to the Drummondville area of Quebec where his brother John (our former Brother Jean-Baptiste) lives, then he will head for Pennsylvania, where most of the rest of his family is located in the Philadelphia area.

Sunday 4 – Second Sunday of Lent.  The gospel narrates the episode of the Transfiguration and the Abbot gave a long homily on it.  Here the natural surroundings were transfigured by fresh white snow in a generous quantity.

Monday 5 – The Abbot went to visit Br. Henry in Moncton; Roger Proulx, our postulant, went with him as driver.  Br. Henry is doing quite well in the circumstances, considering that he has not yet been fitted with a definitive prosthesis.  He expects to be back at the monastery for Holy Week.

The snow falling off the roof put the wood-burning boiler out of action for heating the chicken-barn.  It can be repaired.

Tuesday 6 – Two visiting priest joined us for the concelebrated Mass: Fr. William Rice of Edmundston and Fr. J. Mallen from Halifax.  An Anglican priest turned up this afternoon as well.  There are two representatives of the laity also staying in the guest house.

Wednesday 7 – Fr. Savio, the priest in charge of the local pastoral unit, formerly three parishes, was with us for Vespers.  He likes to come as often as he can.  Fr. Clovis Chiasson, the chaplain to our Trappistine sisters gives Fr. Savio a helping hand from time to time.

Thursday 8 – Father Graham’s parents came for a joyful visit.  They spend a weekend here from time to time and benefit from the time of retreat.  They are as good as monks in their attendance at all the offices.

Friday 9 – I have started tidying up the common tool room.  I am going to take out an old water tank that is no longer used and takes up a lot of space.

Saturday 10 – Br. Stephan came back from his visit to his family, happy with how things had gone, but still glad to be back in his monastery.  He had driven 4000 km without a hitch.

Sunday 11 – The guest-house had a very busy weekend.

Monday 12 – Departure of the Abbot at 4 o’clock this morning for our monastery of Gethsemani in Kentucky, U.S.A.  He is going as representative of the Canadian Region to the Regional Meeting of the Abbots and Abbesses of the American Region.  He will be back on the 24^th of this month.

Tuesday 13 – Since the tank in the tool-room was too heavy to get out in one piece, Br. Stephan came and cut it up into four pieces, with an eye to what he might be able to use it for later on.  He and Rémi managed to get the pieces out, but they were still very heavy.

Wednesday – 14 – The chickens were shipped out from barns 1 and 2.  These poor chickens, they have such a short life, 6 or 7 weeks during which they only eat, drink and sleep.  They don’t get much activity.

Thursday 15 – We have a surplus of frozen tomatoes.  So I have taken to turning them into juice which we can keep well enough in the refrigerator.

Friday 16 – Early this morning Br. Stephan went to the outpatient clinic at Miramichi for an ultrasound scan on his right leg.  During his travels to see his folks he developed phlebitis.  It is not too bad, but needs keeping an eye on. He keeps on working.

Sunday 18 – This afternoon I went to pick up Brother Henry.  He does not feel too bad and was really happy to get back to the monastery, even though he was well looked after by the sisters of Notre Dame du Sacré Coeur.  We are always relieved to have him in choir.  He is one of our most reliable voices.

Monday 19 – Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus.  In the Abbot’s absence the Mass was a bit less solemn.

A couple from Tracadie-Sheila (Pont-Landry), Melvin and Glenda Doiron, have made us a present of a television set for use in the guest-house for playing tapes with a spiritual message.  The guest house already had a TV, but it long since ceased to work.  We do not have access to the television network in monastery.

Tuesday 20 – An e-mail arrived from the Abbot.  He seems charmed with the meeting of American Abbots and Abbesses.  The element he finds most stimulating is the interaction between the participants.  The number of participants is, in fact, around thirty, including the delegates and invitees.

Thursday 22 – The temperature has gone up a bit.  I began to prune the apple trees.

Friday 23 – This afternoon Br. Stephan went to the airport to pick up the Abbot.  But failed to find him, because the Abbot was still in Montreal, having volunteered to give up his seat in an overbooked aircraft.  He phone the monastery, but Br. Stephan had already left for Moncton airport.  The Abbot spent the night in the Hilton Hotel, courtesy of Air Canada.

Saturday 24 – Fr. Graham went to the airport.  This time the Abbot was there as planned.

In chapter the Abbot spoke about the meeting.  He had found it interesting and enriching.  The exchanges had a positive ring to them.

Sunday 25 – The concelebrated Mass was presided by Fr. Maurice.  There were a good number of people from outside in attendance, some of them quite new.

Monday 26 – Beautiful feast of the Lord’s Annunciation.  The Abbot was available for the solemn concelebrated Mass.

Tuesday 27 – I had an appointment with my doctor in Moncton this afternoon.  I went with Fr. Clovis, the Eudist chaplain to the nuns, who lives here.  I was rewarded with an additional tablet!

Wednesday 28 – Our Lenten reading is a bit of a trial.  We are reading Father Boris Bobrinskoy’s book on the Holy Spirit, Communion du Saint-Esprit.  It is very deep and widely researched, but heavy for before Compline.

Friday 30 – After Lauds, two trucks turned up full of day-old chicks.  They came from Victoriaville in the Province of Quebec.

Saturday 31 – Towards the end of the morning, a group of candidates for confirmation arrived at the guest-house.  They were from Miramichi, about 10 of them.  Fr. Graham exchanged with them.  He found them well instructed.  They took part in Sext and None (which are combined on Saturdays) and stayed for dinner.  A nice group of people.

After the hymn at Vespers, the Abbot blessed a new icon of the Crucifiixion of Our Lord.  This will be set up beside the altar until Maundy Thursday, instead of the crucifix.  It may become a permanent fixture.  Br. Stephan made an impressive metal stand that it hangs from.

At 7.20 pm we had a singing class in preparation for tomorrow’s Palm Sunday liturgy.