A visit is a blessing…

It is always considered a blessing to the community when someone comes for a visit.
Last April 14th, Dom Marcus picked up a Filipino Diocesan priest assigned in El Cristo Rey parish in Arizona, Fr. Eugene from the community of The Disciples of Hope, to spend for a week in our monastery.

After spending with us for some five days, Fr Eugene left the monastery last April 18th of Friday for Arizona with an edified heart and happy memories of his visit: the experience of waking up early for our 4:00AM Vigils in Church; our silent main meal accompanied by a table reader; our silent prayers in Church at 5:20PM to 5:50PM; our Solemn Vespers and the silence and solitude of the location which is very conducive for meditations and reflections.

One day before he left, that was Thursday, he requested me to join him for some pictorials inside and outside the cloister. I gladly accommodated his invitation to pose with him.
The following images will show me and Fr Eugene in several places, in and out, of the monastery.

at the Cloister garden


still at the garden


infront of the main gate to the monastery portals


infront of the Abbey Church with another guest friend


infront of the meditation garden


inside the Abbey Church


inside the Abbey Chruch infront of the life-sized Crucifix


inside the Abbey Church infront of the statue of St. Benedict


at the Guests' Receiving Hall


inside the monastery's Refectory

breather... a day spent at the gifsthop with two kind souls

Today is the beginning of my work as the assistant manager of the community's giftshop. The shuffling of posts for this year made Fr. Christian the giftshop manager and cellarer. He was made assistant to the newly assigned Prior Fr. Francisco Alanis (Mexican). So,that's it. It's so surprising for all of us to get positions which we do not expect will be handed to us. I will post the complete list of assignments on another post-update.

My first day at the giftshop was so light and was even made lighter with the help of two guests who were actually siblings. They were from New Mexico but the elder, Amanda, is based now in California doing her PhD studies.They volunteered to assist me in the packing of bulks of orders from the giftshop website's orders. I was so glad they gave me a helping hand as I was so deeply buried with so many office works in the giftshop from downloading orders, validating customer's credit card payments, getting on the USPS web to buy electronic postal stamps for packages, and writing thank you letters to donors and benefactors.

The two ladies' help really made my first day of work for this year at the giftshop easier. Amanda, the elder seemed to be so knowledgeable in packing items as she worked in Albuquerque airport's giftshop in year 2002. Her younger sister Sarah tended the store for walk-in customers.

a very dear guest

Last December 23rd, I was so glad and was overjoyed when, at the middle of my rest-sleep in my cell, my telephone intercom rang and heard Sister Kateri's voice telling me she had a surprise for me.

The next voice I heard after she said that was a shrill voice coming from a lady whose voice was indeed very familiar to me... Oh my goodness!, Sister Scholastica a Filipina friend, errr Maria F. now, was on the other side of the line. ( she left the Benedictine congregation already for quite sometime now and is living as a laywoman contented and happy with her job in one of the Dioceses in one State of US near New Mexico. )

Let me refresh your memory about her. She was a Benedictine nun in one monastery in Lousiana but in some reasons or the other, and after persevering for quite a number of years already, she decided to call it quits and is now happy working in a Diocese.

I had mixed feelings about her leaving the portals of her monastery as she was a sure asset of her community. But God works in so many mysterious ways for each one of His Brethren. So, as laywoman, she came over to join the communities of the monks and nuns here at Abiquiu in the celebration of Christmas. She left a day after Christmas as she cannot be away from the Diocese for her job is surely awaiting for her.

Some images of me and her when she came over to visit us three years ago as Sister Scholastica:

Images of me and her on Dec 25,2007--> Christmas Day:








Last photo shows me and Scholastica errr Maria with my friend who is also Filipina who's from my town in Bicol and who was married to an Irish scientist with their two lovely daughters Florence and Felicity.

Franciscan Brothers of the Renewal visit CID

Wooooahhhhh!...lots of things happened these past days that I needed a break from my posting, but at any rate, I am back now, still alive and kicking with much energy to pray for (and blog as well, LOL).

Last week, we had three Franciscan brothers from the community of Franciscans of the Renewal based in New York City,


read the rest of this entry