My Dear Friends, Peaceful was the drive through rural Missouri, the black trees silhouetted against the browned fields and a gentle grey...

Dear Friends, August, 2021 On the drive to my August week at the monastery,...

July 2021 Dear Friends, As I drove toward the monastery, the summer’s flower derby was nearing an end -- with Queen Anne’s Lace...

Dear Friends, As I drove away from the Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center, I was achingly thankfully. The local United Methodist Church's...

Dear Friends, Last weekend was as glorious as one could ever hope -- bluest of sunny skies, temperature at 75, with a gentle coaxing...

Third Week of Easter Dear Friends, It seems that everything that grows competes each spring to present itself as the most beautiful...

Dear Friends, Sunday the temperatures plunged to 2 above, and the weather prophecy was for blizzard snow overnight and into Monday. Fr....

Dear Friends, January, 2021 It was a grey, brown, and wintry day as I drove south from the Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center for my...

Dear Friends, October, 2020 As I left the Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center, we were probably one third of the way through a strange...

Dear Friends, July 13-19. 2020 It is truly a “Lazy-Daisy Summer,” as we called it as children. But the “daisy” part, represented by the...

Dear Associates and Friends, The Lord be with you. The Solemnity of Pentecost, which closes the Paschal season by celebrating the coming...

Dear Friends, June, 2020 It has been 16 weeks since I was last at the monastery, missing four of the regularly scheduled weeks -- as the...

Dear Associates and Friends, A BLESSED & HAPPY EASTER SEASON! This Lent and Easter season turns out to be special this year for the whole...

Dear Friends, Ash Wednesday Week Our spring rains began early, washing the world all the way to the monastery. It was only a week since I...

Dear Friends, When I left the Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center there were patches of snow decorating the landscape. But as I went...

Dear Friends, The week before coming to the monastery was discouraging. My e-mail got sick -- unwilling to send or receive messages....

Dear Associates and Friends, The Lord be with you! Orchids turned out to be the sturdiest symbol of death and resurrection for us this...