Dear Friends,
|
| Holy Cross Monastery |
The month of February found me in the United States, in Chicago to
be precise for the annual retreat of
the Monastery of the Holy Cross
(left). This is a little community
with an interesting history. A group
of three priests from a missionary
order began to feel more and more
drawn toward the contemplative
life. Their feeling was that they
should be monks but in the city.
Living among, sharing something of the life of, and praying for the
poor. The only things clear to them about this call was that they should
not be Benedictines and that they should not be in Chicago.
Eventually they approached the Jerusalem Community in Paris,
with a view to forming an American branch of the Monastic Fraternity
of Jerusalem. The Brothers and sisters of Jerusalem are well-known in
France. They have a beautiful church just behind the town hall in Paris,
where they celebrate their liturgy with a packed Sunday Congregation.
Madame Chirac, wife of the president of the Republic, is often to be
found in the ranks of the faithful. The monks and nuns are known
for the Byzantine character of their liturgy and music. After a year in
Paris, the American brothers returned to the United States and broke
their first promise by accepting a redundant church and presbytery in
Chicago. Here they established a life and liturgy much-influenced by
the active/contemplative life of the Jerusalem tradition. The monks and
nuns of Jerusalem have normal simple jobs during the day, and return
to their community in the evening. Their liturgical prayer is structured
so as to keep the middle of the day as free as possible. After a year or
two of this, however, the Chicago brothers felt drawn to abandon their
second promise and asked to be accepted into the Benedictine Order.
They believed this to be the natural conclusion of their search, drawn
as they were by the strength and weight of our monastic tradition and
the power of the daily round of the Benedictine Office.
The monks completed a long probation and were accepted into the
Chapter of the Abbey of Christ in the Desert in New Mexico. They
adopted our habit and Constitutions and are now established as a
foundation of Christ in the Desert.
Already they have attracted novices and a junior monk has made
his first profession. Chicago and Farnborough could hardly be more
different, and yet I felt very much at home there.
For the retreat I gave them an introduction to the writing and
monastic wisdom of the Fathers of the Church and used the writings
of Cardinal Newman and of Dom Guéranger to further illustrate points
about our monastic life and community living.
Although preparing and giving two conferences a day and
speaking to monks individually is exacting work, I returned home
much rested and edified by our brothers in the city. Their website is at
www.chicagomonk.org
One of the marvels of the computer laptop is the ease with which
one can take one’s work around the world. During the retreat I was able
to complete the editing of one of the Abbey press titles to be published
this summer, an updated version of the history of the Foundress of
the nuns of Tyburn. We will send you details of these and our other
publications as soon as they are printed.
Sincerely in the Lord,
rchived 
ews
