Living the Rule 
Stories and examples of how monastics and oblates live out the Rule in their daily lives.
A Mocking Bird’s lonely song
What is considered early in the morning will vary from person to person and place to place. Since we have our Vigil’s at 4 AM, after being here for a few years, that time seems like 6 AM. I am lucky I love the morning hours so when I sometimes wake up at 1:30 and… Read More ›
What Eddies learned from his life review
Eddie thought he was a loser. He more or less inherited his job from his dad who was troubled and abusive towards his family. When reviewing his life, in order to learn the secret of heaven, five people have waited for him to help him understand his life and its meaning. There are of course… Read More ›
A man serving three life sentences
Years ago my friend Marco asked me to accompany him to Federal Prison to talk to prisoners. I was nervous about it not knowing what to expect, but I found out that I felt very much at home with the men I talked to. Not sure what that says about me, but the men who… Read More ›
Deeper needs arising
Years ago I was talking to a friend of mine. Her name was Judy F. She is now gone, she died about 10 years ago. She was a little older than me and she would come out to see me about once a month. As a person goes she was very complex with lots of… Read More ›
A man who broke through
(About the 5th step) Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs 5th step We are having a 12th step group this weekend. It is called the ‘Serenity Retreat’ and the group has been coming since 1973. There are few old timers still around. As time went… Read More ›
A day with Victor
(written June 2008) Four days ago Victor took a turn for the worse. He became very weak at breakfast and during the meal he threw up some bile. So we took him to his room and put him to bed. He is DNR, (do not resuscitate) but we always talk to them anyway, in case… Read More ›
Morning coffee, weather and the interior life
After our first morning office (prayer service), I got a cup of coffee and went outside our retreat house. Nice cold morning, I guess about 40 degrees, which for me is a very nice temperature. It was raining, very softly. I was standing there, sipping my java and enjoying the soothing sound of the rain… Read More ›
One man’s struggle
I have a friend who has a lot to carry. He is bi-polar and has others ‘issues’ that could cause his life to be very chaotic. I met him 20 years ago when he started his journey of healing and was impressed by his courage and his ability to express himself. Over the years he… Read More ›
Stories
(Written 10/30/14) Callistus is a very gifted man. He loves people and they love him back. He is very good with groups and he has enriched the community by his presence here and his creative approach to how we relate to the community around us. Yesterday he called me while here in the retreat house… Read More ›
A Quiet Day Out
A memory from my time in the Infirmary (Br. William died 1/25/13) This was written in January of 2007 I came into work this afternoon and the first person I saw was William, who had that look. It was the look that communicated to me, that perhaps he needed to get out and about for a… Read More ›