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Archives An Advent Letter to My Wonderful Oblates Dear Oblates, Peace to you all as we enter into the first week of Advent. This is a time of preparation for us all, as we await the joyous celebration of Christmas with our family and friends. When I first arrived in America, at LAX in Los Angeles on October 10th 1979, it was just a few weeks from Thanksgiving Day. I drove up to Big Bear in the mountains north of Los Angeles with some friends for the holiday. As I remember I had a good time, and called my family in Wales to let them know what I was doing. (They probably didn’t understand!) Upon my return to the city I was then aware of how Thanksgiving Day was the “start” of the “Holiday Season.” It was a time of “preparation”, but in a secular way. There were parties to go to, and shopping Malls to go to…I had never been in a shopping Mall in my life, and really did not know what a “Mall” was. Anyway, I soon caught on to the fact that it was a time to have fun and spend money. This was my first Christmas away from Wales, in sunny Southern California. It was somewhat strange for me. Some friends invited me to Christmas Day dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Blvd in Beverly Hills. The Hotel Manager was a friend of a friend, so we were able to get in and mix with the “rich and famous”. I don’t remember much about the dinner, but what I do remember thinking…”what is all this about, what am I missing?” Well, as you can imagine I was missing my family. But, I was also missing the lack of recognition for what Christmas is all about. And of course, it is about the birthday of Jesus. Yes, I went to parties (I was only 26), and yes I went to the Malls with friends, and yes I watched the Hollywood Christmas Parade on TV. But, on Christmas Day I went to Mass, and that was my Christmas. That was my celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. And I felt fulfilled. So, let us take this time of Advent to prepare ourselves for what is to come. It is good to share with family and friends (and to shop a little), and to help those who have less than we do. But, let us not forget what we are going to celebrate when we go to Mass four weeks from now on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; the birth of Jesus. I pray that you will be blessed abundantly by our loving God. May He be present in your every moment, and may the joys of this beautiful season linger with you into the New Year. Thank you for being an Oblate of this monastery, and for your generous support and love. Your Brother in Christ, Brother Aidan OSB oliv
Oblate Autumn Letter October 7, 2007, Dear Oblates, Peace to you all as we enter into the season of autumn, or fall as we say in the United States. I write this after returning to the monastery late last night. My trip to the UK overall was good, and returning to the monastery I become aware of how I have missed the daily monastic rhythm. I was away for three weeks and a few days, but it seemed more like three months and a few days! I arrived in the UK on Thursday September 12th and drove to Caernarfon in North Wales. I stayed with friends who have a B&B in this historic town which has one of the best preserved Castles in the UK. The following Monday I flew to Marseilles in France and was met at the airport by our Sr Gertude and her son who lives there, and with whom she was visiting. I stayed there till the following Friday. Her son lives in a small fishing village on the Mediterranean coast. It was wonderful to be there and experience the slow daily life of the locals. On Friday I flew back to the UK and for the duration of my visit was in Wales with family and friends. It was good to be in the welsh countryside and to hear the Welsh language. I hiked the hills and tried to capture the moments of tranquility with nothing around me but sheep and some local farmers going about their business. The weekend of September 28th-30th I was at the College in Birmingham for the first residential weekend. It was a good experience being there along with the other students embarking on the degree program. The College is old, the professors very British and proper, which one would expect. I made some new friends and have come away feeling very privileged to be a part of the College student body. It will be challenging for me now to get into my studies….the first paper being due on November 11th, and each month thereafter. So please pray for me. My last days of the trip were back in Caernarfon and the weather was dry and sunny. I drove to the coast and enjoyed the ocean breezes and seagulls. I gazed out onto the Irish Sea and thought of the magnificence of God, and how He created the earth for us. How blessed we are, and how blessed I was on my trip. I will take this week to integrate back into my life here, and prepare for the Oblate retreat the weekend after next. It seems we have a full house with a waiting list so that is quite encouraging. Suddenly I see the Oblate program is coming to life, almost beyond anything I am doing. I am just trying to keep up with God who I know is instrumental in all that is happening. And I am most thankful. And I am also thankful to all of you who have supported me in my efforts to do what I am doing. Many of you have visited the monastery in this past year and have pinned me down to talk with me. I thank you all. This morning I went for a walk with Sam (the farm manager) to catch up on things and to look at the lavender filed. It is looking so good and the plants all seem to be very healthy. The garlic bulbs we ordered should be arriving soon so we can get those planted and start our garlic field. In conversation with Sam we talked of the possibility of planting grape vines, another idea to add to our farming project. I also hope to be able to order two hundred more lavender plants for next spring. Our farm is growing! I pray that your autumn will be blessed with many beautiful colors and experiences of God in nature. Let us all remember that God created the world for us to live in, enjoy, and respect. Know that I will be praying for you all. In Christ, Br Aidan OSB oilv
Summer/Fall Oblate Update Dear Brother and Sister Oblates, Peace to you all. Well, here we are drawing close to the end of summer and ushering in autumn. As I write this we are having our first feel of autumn air in the Pecos valley. Some of the trees are beginning to turn just a little, and the nights are becoming comfortable for sleeping once more! The swallows have all flown away to warmer climates, and all that remains of their wonderful presence are their empty nests attached to various parts of the monastery walls. This morning I was awoken at 5:00am by an owl just outside of my window…and once in a while the sound of coyote cries echo through the valley. How wonderful it is to live in the country and to share the land with nature. This past week has been busy for me. I had two Oblates here doing volunteer work in preparation for the Oblate Retreat, and also working on some changes I am making in the program. I will be speaking more about this at the retreat. So, let me take this opportunity to thank JoAnn and Lolly for all of their help. I am also trying to get some things in place before my trip to the UK. I leave on September 12th and fly back October 6th. During this time I will be making my first residential at the Maryvale College in Birmingham. As many of you know, we have chosen this College for my Theology studies…it is a four year program so please keep me in prayer for perseverance. While in the UK I will visit family in Wales, and play tourist. In September the hills of Wales are covered with heather…it is quite spectacular. Perhaps those of you who have been to Wales have seen the purple splendor of this native plant. Two year ago I drove to the island of Lindisfarne of the coast of Northumbria where St Aidan lived. On this next trip I hope to go to Iona, where Aidan had lived in a monastic community. It was from there that he was sent to Northumbria to help evangelize the people of the area, and subsequently lived on Lindisfarne. To update you on the Oblate admissions: we have nine candidates who have entered the Oblate program in recent months. So, I welcome into the program the following persons:- Postulants: Mark and Yolanda Duran Novice: Marie Myszkier Triennial: David Stickney We hold them in payer as they start their own journey into a deeper understanding of what it means to become and Oblate, as they strive to live by the Rule of St Benedict in the world. The recent activity in the program is and indication to me that we are moving in the right direction. It has been two years since I was named as the Oblate Director. Having taken some time to discern and pray about the direction the program should take, I feel that this time of preparation is being blessed. The persons we now have in formation are eager to become a part of our monastic family and offer their gifts and talents to us in service to God. May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you safe. And may we all persevere in our own conversion of life, and ultimately draw closer to God. Your Brother in Christ, Br Aidan
SUMMER UPDATE FOR OUR OBLATES: Dear brother and sister Oblates, Peace to you all. Well, summer is here and the heat is on. But thanks to all of the rain we have been having the valley is very green. The river is flowing and our Br Joseph entertains us all by riding the waves in his big inner tube! Usually he does this if he has an audience so we can all applaud his gallant efforts. The local farmers have come in to cut and bale the grass for the winter feeding of their ranch cattle, and Farmer Joe (yes that really is his name) came in to cut the alfala for his cattle. It was nice to have farming activity around here…indications of things to come perhaps! On a farming note, the lavender field is doing well. We have the 250 plants in, and the drip irrigation system seems to be working well. There will be a small amount of lavender to harvest this year, but next years crop should prove to be better. I also would like to expand the field by another 250 plants next year. Sam, our volunteer is kept busy out there braving the summer sun to tend the plants. This weekend he is going to a lavender festival up north to gain tips on harvesting and to make connections with other farmers. To all of you who have donated funds for this project, thank you so much. In Albuquerque there is a group of Oblates from other monasteries who meet once a month. They invited me down there to give a brief presentation of our program, and my vision for the future of the oblate program ( I will talk about this in more detail at the retreat in October) They made me very welcome and we will stay in touch. Reservations are coming in for the retreat, so if you have not decided to come yet, watch your mail boxes for my invitation which will be going out soon. One of our Oblate’s in training; JoAnn Turner, recently came to the monastery for a week to help me sort through all of the Oblate files. We now have them more organized and entered into the computer. What a relief! So JoAnn, if you read this….another big thank you from me to you. And I look forward to your next visit. This past month five people have started the process of formation by entering into the postulancy period. We pray for them as they start their discerning. That’s all for now. I will write again before I leave for the UK in September to be present for the first residential at the College of Theology. Please pray for us, as we continue to pray for you. In Christ, Br Aidan
Greetings to you in the peace of Christ, and a Happy Easter. We have moved through our Lenten observance reminding ourselves of our desire for repentance and love from Jesus Christ. Hopefully, during this time, we were able to do some charitable works for those less fortunate, carve out some time in our day for more spiritual reading and reflection, and looked into ourselves to see how we stand with God. Holy Week was our time to prepare for Easter reflecting on the passion and death of Our Lord. Lent was over, and now it was the time to really pray and think about what actually happened to Jesus after His entry into Jerusalem. To go through and follow in His footsteps, and experience life as He did. Feel the emotions Jesus felt. Easter comes and are we ready? Yes we are! We have done the best that we could to prepare. We can now celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, his ascension into heaven. And what is more, the Church has given us fifty days to celebrate. As I sit here in the Oblate office looking across the meadow towards the pond, the trees are slowly beginning to bud. For nature these past six weeks have also been a time of preparation, having lain dormant through the long winter period and being blanketed with snow. Now as spring time arrives, the earth once more comes to life. The trees, the grass and the flowers slowly transform themselves from their winter rest into the spring of new life. And so it is that as Christians we celebrate Easter and move through our own constant transformation as we strive to live the message of rebirth. I feel we are truly blessed as a community to live in the Pecos Valley. For us, this is a beautiful oasis in the desert. During the day we have the blue sky and warming sunshine. At night, the mystery of God is manifested as one gazes up into the night sky. The moon and the stars beckon us to take a moment of reflection and appreciate what we have here. I pray that we all can take a moment in our day to remind ourselves that what Jesus did for us, he did out of love for us. As we move through these fifty days of Easter let us carry the Risen Christ in our hearts. I pray the Lord will bless you abundantly during this Easter season. May He truly be risen in your hearts. Alleluia! Brother Aidan Gore, OSB oliv
A Message from the Oblate Office
Dear Brother and Sister Oblates, As we enter into the time of Lent, this most wonderful gift from mother church, I would like to share some thoughts. May God continue to bless you and keep you safe.
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