To help keep friends and family of the monks up to date I will try to make a weekly post of monastery news. The newsletter links to the right give seasonal updates of bigger events in the life of the monastery so here I will concentrate on smaller bits of news.
07/28/08
St. Benedict insists that the monastery be a silent place so that monks can pray and focus their minds on God. But a healthy monastery by its nature is also a noisy place –not the noise of speech, radios and television, but the noise of activity, the noise of life. July was filled with the noise of new life in Norcia.
We had 9 young Italian men come for a week of monastic experience. Their ages ranged from 10-23 so they added a whole new perspective to the enclosure. We also had 4 English speaking men discerning their vocation for our 10th annual summer discernment program. At times we were feeding 30 people in our already over-crowded monastic refectory. The monks handled the extra burdens with grace and a good spirit.
For the feast of St. Benedict on July 11th, the Archbishop of Perugia celebrated a Pontifical Mass and we had a Palestrina choir for the music. 8 of the young Italians visiting us acted as torch-bearers. All our guests were moved by the medieval pageantry and costumes in the central piazza which accompany the feast.
In September we will have 2 novices and 3 observers, more signs of life! We thank you for your continued prayers and generous support. Be assured of ours.
In Christ,
Br Benedict Nivakoff, OSB
2008:
2007:
2006:
2005:
Archived Notes
2008:
