SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2016

Dear Friends,

We hope that you are having a joyful summer with perhaps a visit to our National Parks for the 100th Anniversary Celebrations. We enjoy taking guests to Navajo Lake (13 miles from the monastery) and Aztec Ruins (47 miles from the monastery). We’d love to share these national treasures with you during your stay at our guesthouse!For the 26^th Anniversary of our founding, February 2, 2016, a dear friend of the monastery gifted us with a Bulto of Our Lady of the Rosary, to add to our collection.  Bultos are wooden carvings of Santos (saints). This primitive form of art is part of our state’s history, brought to New Mexico by the early Spanish Conquistador settlers. We put all our confidence in you, oh Lady of the Rosary, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant our prayers.  Sweet Heart of Mary, pray for us.

In November 2015, we applied for a $5,400, grant through the Bishops Annual Appeal, Gallup Diocese, to refurbish our St. Joseph Center, especially the flooring, which due to peeling tile, is a growing safety hazard.  We received a check from Bishop James Wall in the amount of $2,000.00, for the renovation.  We use the Center for various lay groups, hospitality, spiritual renewal, evangelization, ongoing education and large groups for Sunday Mass. Could you please consider helping us to complete the total project which includes chairs, tables and a new heating and cooling unit, with a gift of $25.00?

The sisters are all doing fine.  Rosario Rosario R., from Mexico spent three months with us as an Observer  She was a a delight and has returned back home to discern her next step.

Our Postulant, Dailesi, loves gardening.  She and Sister Mary attended a Prescribed Burn for Private Land Owners. Through this workshop State Forestry will advise us regarding restoration of our land to its original natural habitat and grasses.

Mother Julianne continues to inspire us with her wisdom and always manages a smile!

Sister Hilda and Sister Guadalupe continue to lead the liturgy and are doing a great job.  Sister Agnes Le tends beautiful vegetable and flower gardens.  For three months, Sister Agnes Le took care of Rosco, our Chaplain, Father Thomas Benedict’s dog while he was away helping at St. Benedict’s Abbey near Polokwane, South Africa. He assisted with formation classes and generally filled in.  This gave, Father Jeffrey, our Chaplain, a time of respite from his duties as Prior of St. Benedict’s Abbey and his first visit to the USA.  Welcome back to Father Thomas-Benedict! Sister Kateri spent two weeks with her parents as they need continued assistance.  She also enjoyed a short visit with  her 7-year-old grandson, Andrew Thomas.  On my birthday I landed up in the hospital for two days with a blood clot in my leg. Not to worry all is well with modern treatment. This experience gave me a greater appreciation for 63 years of good health and a deeper understanding of St Benedict Rule to keep death always before us.

Our 6^th Annual Ice Cream Social in June was a fun event with over 400 people, sharing a meal, auction, raffle, door prizes, entertainment and the special Bingo organized by the Knights of Columbus.  Thank you to all who participated and especially those who volunteered.  The grand prize of a Pilgrimage to Rome for two (donated by an anonymous donor) went to Madeleine M., from Farmington. $22,322, was raised for the joint fundraiser with St. Rose of Lima Parish, half of the proceeds went to support the building of a new parish hall for St Rose in thanksgiving for the 1½ years we lived at St Rose Of Lima Church as we set up the monastery in Gobernador, 2007-2009.

Know that we continue to pray for you and your loved ones. God bless you with peace and joy! Mother Benedicta Serna, OSB, Prioress

June 4, 2016 – We were delighted to see so many of our friends at the 6th Annual Ice Cream Social, June 4, 2016, at the St. Mary’s Parish Hall, Bloomfield, NM. A big thank you to all those who participated in having a fun time.  There were eleven Raffles, eleven Bingos, eleven door prizes and lots of delicious tacos, fresh rice, beans, home made salsa with chips, silent auction and entertainment. The winner of the GRAND PRIZE, A JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY with Father James Walker & Deacon Roger Garcia: Departure U. S. October 12 Return to U. S. October 21 2016, went to someone from Farmington, NM. Congratulations to all the winners!  God bless you and know that we pray that you have a safe summer.  From Mother Benedicta

Alleluia, Christ is Risen; He is truly Risen, Alleluia!

March 27, 2016

Dear Friends,

May your celebration of Our Lord’s Resurrection be a sacred time and be filled with joy! We appreciate all your correspondence to us, your support and friendship.

Our dear benefactor and friend, Jose M. Florez, gave his gentle and kind soul to the Lord Jesus on Saturday, February 20, 2016. He will be missed by his wife, Florence, his children and of course the many friends who loved him.  He lived in the footsteps of St. Joseph and leaves a legacy of humility and love. Jose was born on March 19, 1922, the Feast of St. Joseph. After his Funeral Mass and burial at the Gobernador Santo Nino Cemetery, there was a reception that followed at the monastery, St. Joseph Center. Nine years ago, on July 11, 2007, the Feast of St. Benedict, marked a milestone in the history of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Desert. Jose and Florence Florez, donated 40 acres of their beloved land in Gobernador, New Mexico, to build the monastery in honor of voicing his wish that care for the sisters be continued for generations to come.

Our annual Novena to St. Joseph begins on March 10^th.  You and your families are included in our prayers.  May St. Joseph who is an example of mercy, intercede for all your needs. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, we raise our hearts to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death.

The peak of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday, unfolding for us Christ’s Paschal Mystery.  The Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil, when the Paschal candle is lit for the Liturgical New Year. Father Thomas Benedict, OSB, our Chaplain, will be leaving once again during the Easter week, to assist in the formation program for 3 months at the St. Benedict’s Abbey near Polokwane, South Africa. Please keep him in your prayers.

The schedule for the Triduum with Father Thomas Benedict, Chaplain, presiding, includes:

Holy Thursday, March 24, 6:30 pm – Mass of the Lord’s Supper and Washing of the Feet with Adoration until 8:30 pm Good Friday, March 25, 2 pm Stations of the Cross and Liturgy Easter Sunday, March 26, 4 am – Easter Vigils with Mass, followed by a light breakfast.

Our Paschal candle painted by a nun of the Abbey of St. Walburga, Virginia Dale, Colorado, depicts the the image of the Women at the Tomb, and the Angel announcing the Good news.  From the Easter Sunday Vigil Mass, Year C, we read,

Why do you seek the living one among the dead?  He He is not here, but he has been raised.The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the the mother of James (Luke 24:1-12)

Mark your calendars for JUNE 4, 2016, for our upcoming Ice Cream Social. This year the proceeds from this event will be divided between the Monastery and the parish of St. Rose of Lima, Blanco, NM.  St. Rose of Lima was our home when we began building our monastery in Gobernador, NM. We wish to support St. Rose of Lima and Pastor, Father Jim Walker, in their final phase of fundraising for their parish hall.  The Monastery’s portion of the proceeds will be used to construct an all-weather walkway for the St. Walburga building connecting it with the other Monastery buildings. The day will be filled with entertainment; our famous Bingo, called out by the Knights of Columbus; raffles; and a delicious taco meal and ice cream.  The function will be held at the St. Mary’s Parish, Bloomfield, NM, from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm.  You can win a trip for two adults to Italy, a ruby ring and other great prizes. Come join the fun!

As we continue to make straight His ways, may you experience new life through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Easter Joy and Peace, Mother Benedicta Serna, OSB, Prioress

EASTER SUNDAY 2016- Vigil Fire was lit at 4:00 am, the Solemn Beginning of the Easter Vigil. Few guests assembled with us, Mother Benedicta carrying the Paschal candle. Father Thomas Benedict recited:  “On this most holy night, when Our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life, the Church invites her children, throughout the whole world to come together in vigil and prayer.”

Holy Saturday – There is no Mass on Holy Saturday.  From Romans 6:4:  “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.”  Today I think of life after our human death, at the same time trying to let go of the old or at least something that could be a positive change in my daily life. God give us the grace to know that good things are there to grasp! We pray for you. God bless you! 

GOOD FRIDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION – Isaiah 52:13-53:12 • Psalm 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25; Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42 – Here at Our Lady of the Desert, after we recited the Stations of The Cross, we had the Good Friday liturgy, which included the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John, the Veneration of the Cross as Father Thomas Benedict entoned, “This is the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world.” After the Veneration of the Cross, the Blessed Sacrament was brought in for the distribution of Holy Communion.  We had a few guests and with the silence and the sound of the wind blowing, one could be in tune with the remembrance of Our Lord’s Passion.  We remember that Jesus Christ is always with us during our passions, our struggles, our pains and illnesses because He suffered, He died and He rose. Know that we keep you in our prayers.

God bless you! SK

HOLY THURSDAY

“When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. Do you understand he said what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.”

Jose Merced Florez, 93, of Blanco, with his family by his side, gave his gentle and kind soul to the Lord Jesus on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. He knew no stranger and spent his entire life serving his family and his community. He was born March 19, 1922, in Gobernador, to Abel and Fidela Vasquez Florez. He served as a sergeant fourth class in the U.S. Army Air Force in the South Pacific Theater during World War II. His service included the liberation of the Philippines in 1945. In 1946, Jose married Florence Hancock, and they were blessed with 12 children. They made their home in Blanco and were to celebrate 70 years of marriage on Oct. 26, 2016. In 1979, after 30 years of service, he retired from the El Paso Natural Gas Company and continued his passion for ranching, building the BAR MF family ranch along the San Juan River. In 2007, Jos being an extremely faithful man, donated land in Gobernador to the Benedictine Sisters to establish Our Lady of the Desert Monastery. He encouraged his family to be stewards of the monastery, voicing his wish that care for the sisters be continued for generations to come.On July 11, 2007, on the Feast of St. Benedict, marked a milestone in the history of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Desert! Our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Jose and Florence Florez, officially signed over to the sisters 40 acres of land in Gobernador, New Mexico, near Chama. This event took place during a ceremony with some of the Florez family, guests and monks in Phase III at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert.  We were delighted to have the presence of Reverend James Walker, Vicar General for the Diocese of Gallup, here to represent Bishop Donald Pelotte, Bishop of Gallup. Louella B. Evans, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Florez, Notary Public, signed and sealed the documents in order for them to be recorded in the county of Tierra Amarilla, this same day.

Left to right: Louella B. Evans, Jose Florez, Florence Florez, Abbot Philip Lawrence, Mother Mary Benedicta Serna and Sister Mary Fisher