tis the season of retreats!

Seems to be the season of retreats, these past few weeks, with more on the way. So let me get started with a quick recap on visitors and projects!

Around the 15th for 24 hours the University of Vermont Catholic Center group, FOCUS arrived with 17 college students who were on retreat to plan projects and Evangelization activities on campus for the upcoming school year.

As soon as they arrived they explored the farm, settled in and headed straight to the lake for some kayaking fellowship, 

Karol Wojtyla style.

Once they were back it was all about cooking and meetings, prayer in the chapel and a lot of laughing before bed. When morning came they were gone, as silent as Ninjas. a quick energetic 

and wonderful group.

Shortly after that, Paul and Paula Harvey from PA arrived.

Paul and I could be twins! We laughed to find out that we had a lot of similar life experiences as well! We both had a history of acting Shakespeare, both in this country and England, we were both lectors and we even had some of the same 

close friends in Philadelphia too. 

Not to mention the same taste in fashion! Small world.

As the Harveys enjoyed their tranquil time praying in the chapel, walking the grounds and chit chatting from time to time another group showed up.

This group was about 25 Lyndon State College students who came as a work detail to harvest and clean the garden! 

They arrived in a school bus,

And Cathy got them right to work.

All of them headed off to the garden to begin 

weeding and harvesting.

As the garden work drew to a close they headed into the apple orchard to harvest there.

Cathy hopped on her tractor and kept things going as these young people kept working away!

After herding goats with me Gurly was looking for shade and the horses even came out to eat and watch in their new play pen or paddock or coral or grassy eating place-thing.

In no time the food shelf harvest was looking really good!

Later on today all these veggies and more will be on their way to the interfaith food shelf in town to feed a lot of people.

Once work was done it was time for a few gulps of water and some group shots before the bus pulled out and we all waved good bye!

What a blessing to have them here to do all the work they did!

Now things will slow down for a bit...

the turkeys eat and get fatter for Thanksgiving.

The chickens get bigger and soon will be laying our eggs.

And Aaron the buck dreams of making baby goats!

But within 24 hours the Mother Superior retreat arrives for a week and right on the heels of that is the 50 member Franciscan retreat, so stay tuned for more from,

The Mary Theotokos Monastic Center.

Mary, the Echo of God

From one blog to another, I borrow this excerpt from The Word on Fire blog to celebrate this Marian Feast day.

For more: http://www.wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/August-2014/Mary,-the-Echo-of-God.aspx

"...All this seems to beg for a more fitting conclusion of praise and thanks to God for such a gift, the gift of a Mother whose love is utterly flawless and transparent to God’s own tender and maternal love (Is. 66:13) that humanity seeks out in the love of every human mother. So
I will allow an excerpt from the brilliant homily of St. Gregory Palamas on this feast fill this need:"

"Hence, as it was through the Theotokos alone that the Lord came to us, appeared upon earth and lived among men, being invisible to all before this time, so likewise in the endless age to come, without her mediation, every emanation of illuminating divine light, every revelation of the mysteries of the Godhead, every form of spiritual gift, will exceed the capacity of every created being. She alone has received the all-pervading fullness of Him that filleth all things, and through her all may now contain it, for she dispenses it according to the power of each, in proportion and to the degree of the purity of each. Hence she is the treasury and overseer of the riches of the Godhead. For it is an everlasting ordinance in the heavens that the inferior partake of what lies beyond being, by the mediation of the superior, and the Virgin Mother is incomparably superior to all. It is through her that as many as partake of God do partake, and as many as know God understand her to be the enclosure of the Uncontainable One, and as many as hymn God praise her together with Him. She is the cause of what came before her, the champion of what came after her and the agent of things eternal. She is the substance of the prophets, the principle of the apostles, the firm foundation of the martyrs and the premise of the teachers of the Church . She is the glory of those upon earth, the joy of celestial beings, the adornment of all creation. She is the beginning and the source and root of unutterable good things; she is the summit and consummation of everything holy."

Was that summer?

Well June and July flew by with my work at Vermont Children's Theater and the usual work here. So I am catching up on the blog posts before two massive retreats arrive this month from a College Catholic fellowship group and later a work force of Franciscans from Boston.

The first thing that happened was the repainting of the sign by the end of the driveway. It took a little longer than I thought but the old sign needed some bullet holes repaired and was loosing it's color from the weather. So the sign came down for a few weeks and went back up looking brand new.

Next we embarked more wholeheartedly in our work to help rescue animals in the state. We learned long ago that part of the retreat into silence and prayer in a rural setting needed to involve animals. This was part of Fr. Von Faur's vision of this monastic center. As we are set up for farming naturally some of the animals will be used to feed us as well as retreaters and potential long term community members (if a community is God's plan). But some of the animals are here to simply live and provide that cerebral and spiritual bond with visitors who may participate in their care or just petting them. As Saint Francis demonstrated the moment one interacts with a docile and loving animal the disconnect with the "busy/noisy" world happens thus opening the mind and heart for God to enter.

On that theme of four legged residents we acquired two rescue horses that are eating grass happily in a section of our meadow.

This big girl is a Tennessee Walker named Molly,

And this Arabian eating grass faster than it grows is Abby.

Don't forget our other lawn mowers and walking brush hogs.

This small herd of five will soon increase to twelve as we prepare for another group of Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats that are soon to arrive. Brush clearing, milk making-soap, cream, yogurt, cheese and petting zoo; a truly multipurpose animal.

There is also a new brood of turkeys for meat and 

laying hens.

There is also a rumor of Alpacas heading this way.

The garden has been in full swing this summer and many veggies have already headed out to the interfaith food shelves locally. It has been much easier as several youth groups have come to work the gardens this year.

Busy and blessed times, but now I at least feel the blog is almost caught up.

Stay tuned for more updates. But if there are anymore animals arriving I may only have pictures of me on a row boat in the lake pretending to fish but trying to escape!

Pax et Bonum

From 

The Mary Theotokos Monastic Center

A whirlwind few weeks since Easter!

After a week and a half of rain things are greening up nicely and the goats are prepping the garden for us.

With retreaters, ( Franciscans from Boston and college students from UVM) there is interior work as well and the 

planting season is upon us!

So it's a good thing we attended Divine Mercy Sunday at the National Marian Shrine in Stockbridge, MA, because we need all the Graces we can get!

Over 19,000 were there for Sunday services but it seemed just as crowded when we arrived Saturday.

It rained all the way down to Stockbridge but when we stepped out of the car the rain stopped, when we arrived at the outdoor location for Mass and the Divine Mercy Chaplet started, the sun came out bright and warm!

Mass was very moving as well, and then we had time to visit the Shrine itself, the Chapel; where the drop of blood relic of SAINT John Paul the II  is displayed, the lovely grounds, the life size bronze statue stations of the cross, the Lourdes grotto and then after adoration, off to the Econolodge in Lenox.

The next day there were so many pilgrims heading to the Shrine everyone parked off site, except for the tour buses and took local school buses in. 

Once there, we had time to tour more of the Shrine, visit the gift shop and even go to the confession tent then guard a plot of lawn when the 19,000 plus pilgrims came for 

Divine Mercy Sunday Mass!

It was a very moving weekend, powerful and resonating with Graces abounding for all of us there. I urge you, if you haven't made this pilgrimage to the National Shrine you really should try to attend the event. To learn more visit the website: 

http://www.thedivinemercy.org/mercysunday/ewtn/?page=tdm-home

And plan to go at least once. It was amazing. To be in such as large crowd, where so many languages are spoken from all around the world makes you realize how really universal our Church is. 19,000 plus and everyone I met was happy, at peace and even willing to share food, umbrella's or anything with each other. And if you think communion is tricky at your church, imagine what communion for 19,000 plus was like, even with 65 Eucharistic ministers!

After a long drive, late to bed and then time to gear up fast!

One of the best parts of the whole event was after all that standing in the rain, walking and lack of sleep, my teen age daughter turned to me and said, "Dad can I tell you something about this whole thing." I prepared to explain how important this day was and she continued, "this was really, cool can we do more things like this". That pretty much made my day. 

Once we got back,..the next day was time for my son, Matthew's Confirmation!

Another glorious event where his Godfather drove all the way from Western Connecticut to be his sponsor.

All those pics are on another camera, but we dressed nice and were very happy with how skillfully Monsignor McDermott presided over a wonderful ceremony!

As before, the insulating project continued in full swing immediately the next day, 

THANK YOU Barrett Adams and Northeast Remodeling!

The project was an epic one, masterminded by Barrett.

Such a huge structure over 4,000 square feet, with so many air leaks needed a lot of foam and cellulose to seal up!

The Basement walls began to look like a ride at Santa's Village!

The temps were warm and foam came out hot, working in that spraying suit was a real ordeal!

But Barrett and his crew soldiered on, completing the entire job in under scheduled time.

I highly recommend professional young man for any remodeling or insulating work in the NEK!

He'll be back here for the insulation of the Chapel and other big jobs to come.

The following weekend was a parish family day with fascinating guest speakers, Adoration and Mass at Jay Peak, no pics, by now we were just trying to keep up.

Then, after all these events, came May 10th, my mother's birthday. A day to remember her recent passing with a wonderful memorial service here in our Chapel accompanied by family and friends, 

followed by a reception. 

It was truly a wonderful and blessed event. A Mass coupled with prayers, music and words that shared stories about her life; just a touching way to recall a life well lived and celebrate her.

After such a whirlwind few weeks came Mother's Day and so we took Mom out for fishing and a picnic,..her idea, and a great time!

That's it for now, phew! 

Some local kids from an alternative school are showing up for major garden work in our quest to supply the local food shelves. And as I said retreaters are on the way, Poustinia huts to build in the woods and I think there is a trout in a nearby river with my name on it. 

So for now, God Bless you and we hope to see you soon at

The Mary Theotokos Monastic Center in Newark VT.

"...to Jesus through Mary."