Sabbatical Part 1: Silent Retreat at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York.

The home of a group of Benedictine Monks overlooking the Hudson River.

The days were spent observing the Horarium (Latin for “the Hours” of prayer) with the monks and fellow retreatants. It just so happened that my time at Holy Cross Monastery was during their “Contemplative Days” when silence was observed continuously.

The schedule for the week looked like this:
6:30 – 8:15am (ongoing) breakfast
7am – Matins
11:45am: Holy Eucharist
12:30pm – dinner
5pm – Vespers
5:30pm – supper

In the in-between times of prayer and delicious meals, I read and reflected, wandered the beautiful grounds, and created art in my room (once a monk’s cell). This is the third silent retreat I’ve experienced, and I find that once the silence descends it is easy to embrace. One can’t help but realize how loud daily life can be!

Monastic life itself is an alternative to our culture of rushing, consuming, and focusing on our own power and status. Communities like Holy Cross open their doors to guests in the tradition of St. Benedict and the Rule of St. Benedict. It’s truly remarkable to experience Benedictine hospitality. As St. Benedict taught, “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say, ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.'”

Welcoming the stranger.
Perhaps that is a counter-cultural idea these days as well.
The stranger who doesn’t think like us or look like us.
Jesus said, “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”

A beautiful beginning on this Sabbatical journey. A beautiful place to pray.

Photos by Rev. Lauren Ostrout.