Vermont's FIFTH season,...Muuuuuuud season!

The birds are singing, the temperatures are rising the sap is flowing and the river is running,..

As the snow melts at a rapid pace we enjoy the mud season sports of driving sideways up the driveway, the ankle deep suction on the way to the barn and the never ending trail of foot prints through out the house.

As promised I am giving a little pictorial trip down my arch nemesis, the driveway, or as we often refer to it, "the devil's backbone" to see how much fun mud season can be. Whether walking up it, sliding down it at odd angles or simply spraying mud all around, the ground texture is perfect for the season. 

The ruts and bumps leave scattered pieces of car parts in your wake.

 Don't hit the breaks too hard heading down the first hill! Unless you want to see the trees real close up!

Oh and don't forget our own driveway version of a river runs through it...

This driveway can  be a real inspiration for prayer around this time of year.

Once the house in sight, its safe to say we'll make it. But there is still a
lot of snow to melt so this is just the beginning of the mud bog challenge!

The cat seems to be the only one who has found a way to get around this time of year,..

But the good side, there are flowers coming up by the house!

Ah spring in Vermont, the sugaring, the rivers, the flowers, the mud!
But better not take the snow plow off yet, we had 2 feet of snow last April 1st.

Hope you are high and dry where ever you are,

Pax et Bonum from

The Mary Theotokos Center

Ice and cold bring more pilgrims

Early last Saturday morning three pilgrims struggled their way up the driveway. 

Normally the driveway is relatively easy to maneuver but the night we got 5 inches of snow and as the sun rose it began to turn to freezing rain. 

This meant a quick trip up and down the driveway with the plow truck to make a path, and with a few tries the first car made it. 

We were all a bit surprised that the third member of the party, who drove a smart car, made it with no problem at all! 

It may have helped that he was a Priest!

Although there were to be a few more in attendance, illness and weather kept them away. After a greeting and a short tour we all settled down to a mid morning Mass in the chapel. Both these young men and the Priest were visiting from Burlington VT.

After Mass the weather turned even more awful as Father made his escape back to Burlington. 

The lads stayed on for quiet study and 

meditative reflection in the retreat center and in our, "upper room" meeting space.

The only time I found to talk to them a little, was during the lunch break. 

After their individual prayer and discussion time, there was some time for snow shoeing 

and exploring the grounds.

As night fell and the ice increased these two intrepid pilgrims said their good byes and
made their way back to Burlington as well.

It was a pleasure having such conscientiousness and focused young men here. 

Their outlook on the faith is an inspiration and I hope they will make good on the idea of visiting us again. 

In the end I was happy that another set of pilgrims came to Mary Theotokos and found silent time to be with God. Time in the wilderness with our Lord, a fitting and potentially transformational activity for Lent.

Now the snow is melting, the temperature is in the 50's and tomorrow it will be in the 60's. Only two visitors today had to give up and park at the bottom of the driveway then walk up through the ice slush/mud! 

I myself took the last hill a bit sideways, this afternoon, but made it.

Here comes Vermont's famous mud season, break out the rubber boots!

Pax et Bonum

from 

The Mary Theotokos center in Newark VT.

A winter weekend retreat visit with Regnum Christi!

It was another dark and cold night, when our third retreat in two months arrived this past week. 

Four members of Regnum Christi drove up the winding driveway to have a peaceful small group retreat at the Mary Theotokos Center. 

After a long drive up from the White Plains area of NY.,they arrived just before midnight. Even though the drive was long, their spirits were warm and friendly as they jumped out of the car. 

There wasn't much time for introductions that first night but the next morning as they settled down to their breakfast a more lengthy welcome was offered.

Regnum Christi is an apostolic movement at the service of mankind and the Church. It shares the charism of the priestly congregation, the Legionaries of Christ. Its current membership consists of about 70,000 youths, adults, deacons and priests in more than 30 countries.

Regnum Christi is precisely this: a movement for apostolate, a movement for evangelization. It is a movement in which each member has decided to take seriously and responsibly the great missionary commandment that Christ gave to all those who call ourselves his followers.

See: http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/

These four consecrated men enjoyed their time to pray in the Chapel, hold meetings and strategy sessions as well as find some peaceful time to reflect while exploring 

the great out doors.

They were wonderful guests, so kind and generous.  Always ready at a moments notice to engage in conversation. At The Mary Theotokos center one of our missions is hospitality. We want every retreat group or individual to feel welcome and that there is always someone here, in the Catherine Doherty tradition, to make a cup of coffee and listen to their story. 

These four men seemed to do most of the listening, most of the time.

And even though they had come to recharge their spiritual batteries, they still found even more ways to share in their generous spirit.

On the last night of their visit, they cooked us a feast!

Fernando and Bernardo worked outside in the almost below zero conditions to grill up several different dishes while Tony and Matthew concocted other delicious edibles inside.

When all was done we walked into the retreat kitchen stunned by the quality and quantity of food!

It was a struggle to stand and wait to say Grace until everyone arrived, but once we did, we all sat down to a sumptuous feast of wonderful food and heart warming fellowship.

Even "baby doll" was thrilled by the event!

Many thanks to these dedicated men of Christ from Regnum Christi for their love, generous spirit and inspiring lives that filled the house with the warmth of fellowship 

on these cold winter nights.

Meanwhile, the work continues to meet the fire inspection codes!

But more on that later.

I hope you will visit the website for Regnum Christi and see how truly inspiring the work of these men and many more like them is in their missions around the world.

http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/articulos/seccion.phtml?se=359

I also hope we will see this group again, but as others have said when they leave. "We'll be back" so there is always hope.

Hoping your winter is kept warm by the love of Christ,

Pax et Bonum

from 

The Mary Theotokos Center

The Kids are branching out with an egg business!

Go to:

http://heaveneggs.blogspot.com/

to check out the new venture,

Matt and Anna will be glad you did!

Pax et Bonum

A visitor comes for the silence to recharge his and our spirits,....

This past week we were very happy to welcome Fr. Zuccaro to a retreat here 

at The Mary Theotokos center. 

He had come to take a little time off from running his Parish in Springfield VT as well as working in his prison ministry to find revitalization in silence and 

in meditative prayer and fresh air.

The weather cooperated at first with balmy warmer than usual days but soon we were in for a storm of ice/sleet/freezing rain/snow and what ever atmospheric condition that could make the driveway impassable as well as outdoor activities of any kind, including walking to the barn, extremely treacherous!


Time to break out the chains!

Fr. Zuccaro took it all in stride as he walked back and forth several times everyday from his private accommodations in the main retreat house to our Chapel for his prayer schedule.

But these daily outdoor treacherous strolls were not enough for this active and healthy Priest. His desire to get even further away in his own private "wilderness" fired an inner adventurer spirit in his heart and he put on a pair of snow shoes and headed for a hike towards Mt. Pisgah which looms behind the retreat house.

Even after arduous hiking in very changeable weather, Fr. Zuccaro returned with his ever present contagious smile eagerly planning his next outing.

Although he was here for a quiet and contemplative retreat where he could recharge his spiritual batteries, he still took time to break bread with us and engage in some enlightening and inspiring conversations. ( Can anyone say "spiritual director"?) But this wonderful and generous skill of listening and discussing a myriad of topics was not the only gift he brought with him, he also provided a daily Mass in our Chapel, 

which was certainly a high point of the week for us.

What a blessing it was to have such an intelligent, generous, witty and personable Priest here with us this week. His conversations, his kindness and generosity, his talent for homilies gave us a much needed 

spiritual boost. 

Although he came for his own recharge, his presence raised our spirits ten fold.

Thank you Fr. Zuccaro, we hope to see you again soon.

Pax et Bonum

from

The Mary Theotokos Center 

Our biggest and most fun filled retreat as of yet!

It was a dark and stormy night, on Friday the 13th when our group of retreaters from 

Christ the King parish in Burlington VT., (the BYA, the Burlington Young Adults) made their way through the blizzard and howling winds to The Mary Theotokos Spiritual Retreat center.

With a flashlight directed at our sign, truck loads of sand shoveled out on the driveway, and a few extra plow runs, all nine pilgrims made it safely to the main house, through the pitch black and blinding snow squalls. 

The next morning we were able to welcome everyone properly!

They had come for a weekend of outdoor adventure, prayer and fellowship and we were happy to see them.

Once they settled in they got right to work, unpacking, putting away their food stored in the retreat kitchen, but first there was time for a prayer of thanks in the Chapel for a successful arrival.

Another exciting aspect of this group was that not only did they represent our largest retreat so far, but they also represented our youngest retreater to date.

Maria!

After a good night's sleep the group began with morning prayers, a retreat meeting and breakfast. How easy it was for us that they eagerly prepared their own foods with their own supplies!

And what a blessing for the group that one of their retreat leaders, Edward, the mastermind behind this event is not only a gifted family ministry administrator but he is also an accomplished chef!

These wonderful smells permeated the entire house, and it was difficult for me to stop from dropping in to see, "if they had everything the needed?", especially when the bacon quiche was ready!

Every meal brought with it, prayer, laughter, and heart warming fellowship as this group broke bread together.  

Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, and we even enjoyed the left overs,..very generous guests!

However, Maria was content to eat her socks from time to time.

With their nourishment taken care of there was time for other activities. We often saw hunched figures daring the elements, ( it was mostly a below zero weekend) to run though the high winds both day and night for prayer time at the Chapel, or separating into small groups at various locations for quiet conversation, and also those who would escape alone for quiet reflection. The main reason to come to The Mary Theotokos center, to find quiet time with God.

But after some time with God, it was time to find other ways to celebrate life.

The group decided that aside from X country skiing, and hiking the many trails that sledding was a main goal for the day. Again let me point out that it was so cold this weekend, that the tractor fuel gelled up and it had to wait a few days in the meadow to thaw out. But cold would not deter these adventurous young adults.

First, a few lessons were offered in sledding and leaping through snow drifts unharmed.

During this lesson time, others went outside early to place themselves at strategic areas 

for a snow ball ambush!

The attack worked and the others accepted the ambush with humility and laughs.

Then it was time to sled and in this event, the girls showed their courage, 

searching for the most challenging hills!

Without fear of injury, they really threw themselves into the activity, defying gravity with the reckless of abandon of those with true faith.

The thrill of victory!

The agony of defeat!

After a long day of sledding, snow shoeing, X country skiing and much more fun it was time to return to the house.

The long walk back does offer some peaceful views!

After another meal and time for prayer it was time to break out the board games. In this case it was a round of "cranium", where verbs like, "to Hula" were put to the test!

After the game it was easy to tell from the cheers who won the championship title!

All in all it was a great group to host. Really kind, respectful, faith filled young adults with so much warmth and fellowship to share. They came to share their faith, their laughs and their time together, drawing closer to God in the natural beauty as well as in moments of silence and prayer.

And as I looked through the pictures of this event, I was struck by one picture in particular.

Here at our center named after Mary, the Mother of God, on this retreat weekend, with all of its fun and prayer, we were privileged to witness that sacred relationship of mother and child in the house as well.

How fitting.

Truly a blessing and a blessed event for all.

Thank you to the all the retreaters from Christ the King parish family ministry in Burlington, VT.

You brought so much love and faith into this house. 

Your group is truly a sign of hope in these times.

Stayed tuned for the next event, from

The Mary Theotokos Spiritual reater center

Pax et Bonum