Art Exhibit at Cistercian
Featuring works by Fr. Ignatius & Fr. Raphael
Friday, December 6, 1:00pm-5:00pm
Saturday, December 7, 1:00pm-5:00pm
Sunday, December 8, 10:00am-12:00noon
At the Guesthouse (adjacent to the abbey)
All Souls’ Day Mass
A Mass for All Souls will be celebrated on Monday, November 4th, at 7:30pm.
The program has been printed, but names may be submitted via the link on the homepage to be included in the intentions for the All Souls Day Mass (submissions end the morning of November 4th).
Welcome to new novices
Please join us in giving thanks to God, as this year we welcome seven novices! They come from all over the country. Here are their names in order of their appearance in the photo (working from Br. Michael on the left to Br. Charbel on the right).
1. Br. Michael (CPS ’20) is named after St. Michael the Archangel. The archangel has been given many titles and yet the meaning of his name (i.e., “Who is like God?”) reveals his most important quality – humility.
2. Br. Gideon is named after St. Gideon in Scripture (cf. Judges 6 – 8). The story of Gideon tells how he faced the Midianites with an ever smaller army and ever greater reliance on God. He inspires us always to trust in God’s power.
3. Br. Elijah is named after the prophet Elijah. His name means “God is my god,” the god “whom I cannot control and whom I cannot understand.” Against all idolatry, the prophet follows the living voice of God leading us deeper into his loving design.
4. Br. Jerome is named after St. Jerome, a master of languages with a deep love for Scripture. St. Jerome once wrote, “I beg of you … to live among the Scriptures, to meditate upon them, to know nothing else…. Does not such a life seem to you a foretaste of heaven?”
5. Br. Anselm is named after St. Anselm of Canterbury. This name recalls the first abbot of Our Lady of Dallas, in addition to the saint, whose theology Br. Anselm has already enjoyed exploring in his work as a youth minister.
6. Br. Gerard is named after Bl. Gerard. He was a knight who followed his brother – St. Bernard – into the monastery after struggling with God. He was a courageous, practical and honest man, someone dearly beloved by St. Bernard.
7. Br. Charbel (CPS ’20) is named after St. Charbel, who never moved far from the Lebanese village where he was born. After his death in 1898 has been credited with over 25,000 miracles. Br. Charbel, who also comes from a Lebanese family, remembers visiting the saint’s tomb when he was five years old, as well as entrusting his vocation to him later in life.
Please pray for these young men! May the Lord “send laborers into his harvest!” (Luke 10:2)
Temporary Profession
On August 18, 2024, Br. Kolbe and Br. Nathaniel made their temporary profession (three years) to the monastic life at Our Lady of Dallas. We are so blessed to have these brothers continue among us! In addition to continuing their formation for the priesthood, they will begin teaching part time at the school.
In addition, Br. Nivard, a Cistercian from Zirc, our motherhouse in Hungary, also renewed his temporary profession in the presence of Abbot Peter. Br. Nivard will live with us for at least a year or two and continue his own formation through classes at the University of Dallas. Despite his youth, Br. Nivard is an incredible historian and knows so much about the Cistercian Congregation of Zirc – even Abbot Denis used to defer to his judgment on such topics! His knowledge and friendship will be a great gift to our community.
Please pray for all our junior brothers, including Br. Barnabas, as they continue to discern God’s will for their lives. May they – and the rest of us – always be docile to the Holy Spirit and persevering in every virtue needed to fulfill the Father’s will for our lives!
Dedication of the Stations Trail
Palm Sunday, March 24, Abbot Peter blessed the newly renovated Stations of the Cross Trail. In his remarks before the blessing, Fr. Paul compared the path walked by Christ in Jerusalem to that walked by the founders of our Abbey and invited us all to join our lives to the redemptive path of Jesus.
Holy Week Liturgies
Palm Sunday, March 24th, 9:00am. Followed by Dedication of Stations of the Cross Trail.
Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, March 28th, 5:30 PM
Good Friday Veneration of the Cross, March 29th, 5:30 PM
Easter Vigil Mass, March 30th, 11:00 PM
Easter Sunday Mass, March 31st, 9:00 AM
Christmas Masses
Mass for the 4th Sunday of Advent will be Sunday, December 24th, at 9:00am.
Christmas Eve Mass will be Sunday, December 24th, at midnight. It is preceded by the Office of Readings at 11:30pm.
Christmas Day Mass will be Monday, December 25th, at 9:00am.
Art Exhibit at Cistercian
All are welcome to an exhibit featuring works by Fr. Raphael, Fr. Lawrence, & Fr. Ignatius at the Abbey Guesthouse, 3500 Cistercian Road.
Friday, Dec. 1, 1:00-5:00pm
Saturday, Dec. 2, 1:00-5:00pm
Sunday, Dec. 3, 10am-12pm, 1:00-4:00pm
All Souls Day
In the month of November, the faithful are reminded in a special way to pray for the dead. The bonds of charity do not end when passing from this life to the next, and just as the blessed in heaven delight in praying for those of us still on earth, so we should delight in praying for those undergoing their final purification in purgatory. Prayer for the dead has a particular place in the Cistercian Order, and an All Souls Day Mass will be offered on November 2nd at 7:30pm.
The program has been printed, but names may be submitted via the link on the homepage to be included in the intentions for the All Souls Day Mass (submissions end November 2nd).
Course for Cistercian Superiors
September 21-26, Abbot Peter joined Cistercian abbots and abbesses from around the world, at the Cistercian General House in Rome for ongoing formation. In addition to sharing prayer and meals, superiors heard and discussed presentations by Br. John Mark Falkenhain OSB of St. Meinrad’s Archabbey and Professor Marianne Schlosser of the University of Vienna. Both Br. John Mark and Professor Schlosser presented on the topic of Obedience and Authority, Br. John Mark from a more psychological perspective and Dr. Schlosser from the perspective of the Catholic tradition. Sunday the superiors took an all-day pilgrimage, an outing to Subiaco, where St. Benedict lived as a hermit before establishing his monastic communities.
Both Br. John Mark and Professor Schlosser emphasized the need for superiors to be deeply obedient themselves before asking obedience of others, the need to remember that all true authority is based on virtue, and that the exercise of obedience should lead us to conversion.
