December 23, 2023: The Eve of the 4th Sunday of Advent. As we light the fourth candle on our Advent wreath this evening “A Child is born to us. A Son is given to us. Upon his shoulder dominion rests and his name shall be called, “Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:5) So we shall sing on Christmas
Dear Friends, Our 2023 Christmas newsletter is here! The biggest event of the year was the April 22nd celebration of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of our monastery. Inside the newsletter, you will see a photograph of twenty smiling Trappist Cistercians–our community of ten sisters plus the monks and nuns from eight different monasteries who came to help us
December 16, 2023: The Eve of the Third Sunday of Advent. As we light the third candle on our Advent wreath this evening “His kingdom will spread ever wider, and of peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6) Jesus, Prince of Peace, help us to become peace, justice and love in our world. Let us choose your kingdom over promoting
December 9, 2023: The Eve of the Second Sunday of Advent. As we light the second candle on our Advent wreath this evening “Behold the Man! The Orient is his name. He shall sit upon his throne and rule, and he shall speak peace to the nations.” So we sang on the feast of Christ the King. Jesus, Promised One,
December 2, 2023: The Eve of the First Sunday of Advent. This evening, we stand on the brink of Advent. Before us stretches three weeks, twenty-one days where we will journey into the mystery of Emmanuel, God-with-us in the person of Jesus, the Gift of the Father. In the centuries before Jesus’ coming among us, the world was much as
November 26, 2023: A Reflection for the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Matthew 25:31-46 Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Mt 25:29) “In the evening of life we will be judged on love alone.” So says the great Spanish mystic John of the Cross. The past few Sundays, the Church has been
November 5 – 11: National Vocation Awareness Week In honor of this year’s National Vocation Awareness Week, we are putting the spotlight on the three nonagenarians in our monastery. There they are in the photo below, left to right: Sr. Clare, Sr. Miriam and Sr. Jacqueline. They want you to notice their colorful socks, lest you think that being in
October 15, 2023: A Reflection for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Matthew 22:1-14 My friend, how is it you came in here without a wedding garment? (Mt 22:11b) We’ve all been invited to celebrations and parties and one of the first questions we need to resolve when we receive the invitation is, ‘What do I wear?’ Is
October 8, 2023: A Reflection for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Matthew 21:33-43 There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. (Mt 21:34) I don’t know how many of you have noticed the sign on I-10 announcing Sonoita to be the viticulture