Progress to God – Br. James Koester

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Ordination of Luke Ditewig SSJE to the priesthood
John 10:11-18

I want first to begin by acknowledging those of you who have joined us today online. We Brothers are delighted to share this important day in the life of our community with you. We are of course, sorry that you cannot be with us here in person. It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway because it is important, we long for the day when it will be possible for you to be here in this chapel with us. Please know that we pray for you often. Your physical absence from our life of worship is a tremendous loss for us. We pray that the day when we can once again open our chapel doors to you, will come soon.

There are two people whom I particularly want to say how sorry we are that you cannot be with us today, and on Tuesday when Luke presides at the Eucharist for the first time, and that’s Luke’s Mum and Dad, Sandy, and Bill. After having watched Luke come to this point in his life, not to be here with him, is I am sure a great sadness. I hope that being here, if only virtually, is some consolation.

I also want to extend our gratitude to you Bishop Alan, for the care you have taken to enable this ordination to take place. Those watching online will note that we are all taking care to keep our distance from one another. That is not an indication of our regard for you. Rather the opposite! Please know how grateful we are, for the steps you have taken this past week to assure our mutual safety. Read More

Holding Those on Our Hearts before God – Br. Geoffrey Tristram

Br. Geoffrey Tristram

1 Samuel 1:4-20

It’s a great joy for me to be back at the monastery, after my time of sabbatical.  I spent much of my time with my family – my mother and my brothers and sister and their families, my nieces and nephews.  I also stayed with friends in England, Ireland and France.  It was also a great time for reflection and for prayer.  I am so grateful for this time away, and I’m very grateful for your prayers for me.

I visited so many great churches and cathedrals, from York and Durham to Canterbury, and from Cork to Notre Dame in Paris.  Whenever I go into a great church, I love to find a place to light a candle, and kneel down, and remember those I love, those who are on my heart, those who I know in need, or have asked me to pray for them.  And I know many of you do this in the chapel – lighting a candle and offering up prayers. Read More