Warm weather and spring

First of all I just want to show you two or three pictures I took while out walking a couple days ago. It's a beautiful time of the year with trees and flowers blooming. Nice days to go out for a walk.A beautiful crabapple tree blooming between

the monastery and infirmary.

Tulips blooming on the south side of monastery.

Trees and bushes blooming in the courtyard of the monastery.

We have had some warm temperatures this past week as it got up into the lower 80's a day or two. Farmers have been out working hard trying to get crops in for the growing season.

We are getting ready to renovate our infirmary building. So that means we have to provide temporary living quarters for the monks who live in the infirmary. We are fixing some rooms on the first floor of the monastery for this purpose. Fortunately at the present time we only have four residents in the infirmary. They will completely gut the inside of the infirmary and then re-do all the rooms, making the rooms larger and putting complete bathrooms in each of the rooms. They will also install central air-conditioning. The present infirmary building was built in the early 1960's. I have had to move my oblate office, which was located on the first floor of the monastery, so they could use that room for a computer room.

The constuction company thinks it will take them about six month to complete the infirmary work but we'll see once they get into the work. Hopefully we can be back over there by Christmas.

This is a busy time of the year for weddings, graduations etc. I will be going to Brunswick on May 23, to preside at the wedding of my grandniece Jamie to John Case. Then the first Sunday of June I'll be there again to celebrate my own golden jubilee of ordination to the priesthood.

Easter Octave

Blessing of the Easter fire in front of basilica
at beginning of Easter Vigil

Now that we have completed the eight days of celebrating Easter with the conclusion of the Octave days of the feast, we begin the Easter season which will last up until Pentecost. So the Church does not want us to just stop celebrating this important feast but to continue reflecting and rejoicing in it for these fifty days.

During the Easter Octave we had a different schedule on Monday and Tuesday. Monday we did not begin our morning Vigils until 7:00 AM and then Morning Prayer at 8:15 AM. On Monday evening about 25-30 Sisters from Clyde came over to join us for vespers and then for dinner. It is always a joy to have them join us. They invite us over for vespers and dinner on the feast of St. Scholastica, February 10, and we invite them over usually for vespers and dinner on Easter Monday.

On Tuesday we had our regular morning schedule but did not have reading at meals.

Everyday during the Easter Octave the community had a social gathering at 3:00 PM in the afternoon with refreshments being served. On Monday afternoon we saw the final edition of the documentary film done on Conception Abbey by Jay Kanzler from St. Louis. He is an Episcopal priest but does documentary films as a hobby. It is very well done and will soon be available for others who may want to purchase a copy.

This past weekend we had just about a full house in our guest and retreat facilities. The largest group was for an oblate retreat given by Father Daniel Petsche, O.S.B. There were fifty one oblates present for the retreat. This is, I believe, the largest group of oblates we have had for these retreats which are held twice a year. There were also three other smaller groups here. For some pictures of the oblate retreat go to: http://kennethosb.smugmug.com/gallery/7948933_ewR3N#516005119_5fU5C

The students returned on Sunday evening to begin the last four weeks of the school year. Soon it will be May and time for school graduations and other events.

BLESSED AND HAPPY EASTER

CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA

And the angel said to her (Mary Magdalene): "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he had told her. (John 20)

LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD ON THIS EASTER DAY.

BLESSED AND HAPPY EASTER!

Father Kenneth