On February 2, 2010,
we celebrated the feast of the
Presentation of the Lord and our 20th
year anniversary of our founding, 1990.
Hope you enjoy the
pictures. Thank you to all who were here for the Mass.
(Click on Winners of Anniversary Raffle)

For two days in January, we were without electricity and
water.
However, thanks to Frank Florez and his family
we have gas
heaters in the Refectory and in the 8-Cell modular. Dear Family and Friends,
The
words of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, January 1, 2010, “If you
want to cultivate peace,
protect creation.” are a challenge to us as we build the monastery
on our 40
acres of mesa property surrounded by a vast expanse of mesas, pinon and
juniper
trees, elk, rattle snakes (hibernating until summer!),
sage, the
list goes on. How can we a little monastery in northern New Mexico
protect
creation to cultivate peace?
Little known to them, the forest rangers
from the Chama Station are
helping us answer this challenge of Pope Benedict. The
forest
rangers paid us a visit a few weeks ago to help us plan our landscaping
which
will include pinon trees for natural beauty, poplars for wind barriers
and
lavender bushes along the edge of the upper level with natural grasses
for rain
runoff control… Sister Mary will have more on this
exciting
project come spring!
As
we begin this New Year Mother Nature is also offering us an opportunity
to
cultivate peace to protect creation. A blanket of pure white soft
snow
surrounds us along with a clear blue sky, mother nature inviting us to
join her
in this still silence and solitude to contemplate her beauty, the beauty
of
creation so lovingly given to us by the great creator, a sign of his
love for
us.
Wherever you are in our beautiful world
please join us in taking a
moment to experience the beauty of creation that surrounds us, however
modest or
majestic.
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
May the lord let his face shine upon you
and be gracious to
you!
May the Lord look upon you kindly and give
you
peace!
And,
while you contemplate the beauty around you, join us in praying this
blessing
from the Book of Numbers 6:22-27, for our world.
May
the peace of Christ reign in our hearts and in our world!
Mother Benedicta
Serna, OSB