November-December 2017 at Santa Rita Abbey Christmas is just around the corner, but here's a little news from November and early December. We'll publish a Christmas journal entry sometime after the New Year. Thanksgiving Day We hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a lovely day of thanks-giving on Nov 23. Here are a few photos from our own celebration: Fr. Jim at the altar during Mass, Sisters receiving communion,…
October 2017 (part 2) at Santa Rita Abbey Annual Retreat & A Little Halloween Fun Our annual community retreat was the week of October 15-21 this year. We stay right here for our retreat, but we take a holiday from our Cistercian Altar Bread bakery production. We never take a holiday from prayer, however, so we got up at 3:00 a.m. for the Office of Vigils as usual, then Lauds…
September-October 2017 at Santa Rita Abbey Mother Vicki was away at our Order's General Chapter for most of the month of September. It is always an extraordinary experience to be among abbots and abbesses of our Order from all around the world--the unity of the Order, of the…
July & August 2017 at Santa Rita Abbey After a very bad fire season in the Sonoita-Elgin area this year (the Sawmill Fire in April, the Kellogg Fire in May, and the Encino Fire in June, to…
May - June 2017 at Santa Rita Abbey Friends and Volunteer Helpers This summer at Santa Rita Abbey we have two more women Volunteer Helpers living in our Retreat House for several weeks, participating in our prayer, and helping us with our work. We pray that their time with us will…
Sister Jacqui's Diamond Jubilee Yes, we've just celebrated another Jubilee of Monastic Profession here at Santa Rita Abbey! This time it is our Sister Jacqueline Moor. Sr. Jacqui is a native of England. She entered religious life in 1955 at our great-grandmother house, Holy Cross Abbey, Stapehill, England. There she made her first vows as a Trappistine nun in 1957. Much has happened in the course of those 60 years,…
As promised, here are more photos from Holy Week at Santa Rita Abbey. This post features Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Day. …
Happy Easter! May our risen Lord Jesus fill all hearts with his peace and joy! We had a lovely Holy Week and Easter at Santa Rita Abbey, and we hope that you did, too. This annual celebration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus strengthens our belief that God's mercy and love are far stronger than any human violence and hate. This is true not just this week, nor at…
You may have heard about the Sawmill wildfire which began in our area Sunday, April 23. Here at Santa Rita Abbey, we are all safe. Below the following text, your will find photos of the fire taken from the abbey property. The fire began to the NW of us, moved across the northern end of the Santa Rita Mountains, raced along pushed by strong winds north of our property, and as…
Sister Esther's Golden Jubilee The big event this month was our Sister Esther Sawal's Golden Jubilee, celebrated on Monday, March 13, 2017. Sr. Esther began her religious life in her native Philippines where she entered the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master soon after her high school graduation. She made her first vows in 1967. After twenty years in active ministry, the Lord called her to the contemplative life. She joined…
