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Our Vision:
Our vision has been
inspired by one of Thomas Merton's last talks. On his way to Bangkok,
Merton gave a talk in Calcutta. He affirmed the classic wisdom of monastic
life and its contemporary significance. He challenged us to form a
monastic life dynamically living out the best of the past along with the
best of the present. He said that this combination required a special
charism. According to Merton, the living stream of the monastic spirit and
contemplative living is "still alive and accessible in our monasteries."
This vitality of the living monastic stream has been shown in countless
ways—the widespread interest in monastic wisdom, its ecumenical
significance across traditions, a burst of oblate membership and countless
excellent publications.
The monastery has had
an environmental plan since the early 80's. It is currently being revised
and enlarged. We are committed to careful stewardship of our land and its
resources.
Along with the Tao Te
Ching, we believe strongly that "there should be visible simplicity of
life." We strongly support bio-regionalism, sustainability, intensive
gardening and other forms of ecological living. As much as possible, our
future architectural endeavors will attempt to be "green" and incorporate
the simplicity expressive of monastic living.
What matters to us:
- Ecumenical work:
the Monastery has helped to further the work of AIM, a group of
Benedictine and Cistercians promoting inter-faith dialogue and
understanding.
- Vigil: we are
committed to the sacred practice of Horarium or "vigil"
- Worship Schedule: early morning time is
especially a time for profound silence and recollection for prayer,
reflection and other spiritual disciplines. Rising time is 5 am but the
first hours of the Office is at 8 am—all the intervening time is to be
used for various forms of spiritual "work".
- Informal adult
education: the Monastery is increasing its outreach through video
technology and Bible Study groups
- We are strongly
committed to our local community in the Southern Tier of Central New
York
Lectio Notebook:
From: "The Monastic
Spiritual Journey" by Sister Donald Corcoran in Word and Spirit.
"The early Desert
elders were called pneumatikos or pneumataphore—spirit-filled or spirit
bearer. Odo Casel portrays St. Benedict as a consummate example of the
spirit-filled elder. The call to monastic holiness today is precisely to
become pneumatikos—spirit-filled. Russian Orthodox layman Olivier Clement
in a challenging presentation of monastic spiritual theology, argues that
'monasticism today is "called to receive fully its charismatic, or to put
it more fundamentally and humbly, its pneumatic vitality." If Esther de
Waal is right, that the heart of the Rule or Benedict is the Paschal
Mystery, then we would do well to focus on the fullness of the Paschal
Mystery. One does not become a pneumataphore (a spirit-bearer) unless one
is first a stavraphore (a cross-bearer). One short phrase of the
Apophthegmata Patrum came to summarize, especially in the later Eastern
Christian tradition, the whole significance of the spiritual quest of the
monks: "Give your blood and receive the Spirit."
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