Mère Emmanuelle and Souer Diane, from the Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of Boulaur in France, enjoy the Texas hospitality. The nuns visited Our Lady of Dallas for a week to develop the relationship between the two monasteries and to speak at the Abbot’s Circle Dinner on April 26, 2023. During their stay they toured Fort Worth and Dallas, and shared much about the history of their monastery, its renewal and exciting life today, as well as about one of their saintly inspirations, Servant of God Claire de Castelbajac.

This weekend we were blessed to celebrate the ordination and first mass of our very own Fr. Christopher Kalan, the “handy monk” of the monastery. Many thanks to Bishop Burns for his presence and homily (and for giving us Fr. Christopher’s new nickname – “spiritual gunslinger”).

Enjoy the photos, especially the one with Fr. Christopher’s mother. There is a beautiful tradition in which the newly ordained priest gives his mother the purificator used to wipe his hands after they’ve been consecrated during the rite with oil. When she passes away, she is buried with the purificator in her hands, testifying to her role in bringing into this world someone to share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for vocations to our monastery and to the Church everywhere.

With thanksgiving to Almighty God, The Most Rev. Edward J. Burns Bishop of Dallas will ordain to the priesthood Br. Christopher Kalan, O.Cist. during the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Abbey Church

Saturday, February 11, 2023

10:30 a.m.

With joy to Almighty God, the Monks of Our Lady of Dallas cordially invite you to attend the first Mass of Fr. Christopher Kalan, O.Cist., in the Abbey Church

Sunday, February 12, 2023

9:00 a.m.

Receptions to follow both Masses in the Abbey Courtyard.

On February 10th (8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.), there will be Eucharistic Adoration in the Abbey Church in thanksgiving for Fr. Christopher’s vocation and for future vocations to the abbey. All are invited to come.

Architect Gary Cunningham received the prestigious Texas Architect 25 Year Honor Award for the Abbey Church. The article is available here.

Photo by Jim Reisch

You are cordially invited to an exhibit of the art work of Fr. Ignatius, Fr. Raphael, and Fr. Lawrence which will take place on:

Friday, December 2,  2:30 – 4:30 pm
Saturday, December 3, 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Sunday, December 4, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sunday, December 4, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Cistercian (guest house)
3500 Cistercian Road
Irving, Texas

Images of the artwork of Fr. Ignatius: https://www.instagram.com/ignatiuspeacher/

On Sunday, August 28, 2022, Br. Barnabas Robertson made his first temporary profession, committing himself to discerning his vocation within the monastery for the next three years. In the first picture, you can see him signing his vows on the altar.

Br. Barnabas was born in Texas, but he comes from a devout missionary family, and thus spent many years growing up outside of the country, including in Azerbaijan. He went to Wheaton College as an undergraduate, and then to Texas A&M for graduate studies in physics. He is one of five Aggies in the monastery. This year he will begin studying philosophy and theology at the University of Dallas, and teach Latin to Form I at Cistercian Preparatory School.

Please pray for Br. Barnabas! May God bless Cistercian with more monastic vocations, and may the monks strive always to search for God and to serve his people well!

Br. Matthew Hegemann and Br. Christopher Kalan were ordained to the priesthood and diaconate, respectively, on Saturday, August 13, 2022. The following day, Fr. Matthew celebrated his first mass, with Br. Christopher serving as deacon and Fr. Thomas preaching the homily. It was a joy for the monks to welcome the Hegemann and Kalan families into the monastery this weekend, and to celebrate with these milestones in the lives of their sons! Please pray for both young men, that they might draw ever closer to Christ the Good Shepherd and faithfully serve his people.

Enjoy the pictures!

1. In the first picture, Fr. Matthew elevates the Eucharist at his first mass. Conformed to Christ the High Priest, he is now able to bring us into sacramental contact with Jesus offering his body “for you” (Luke 22:19).
2. Abbot Peter and Bishop Burns flank the newly ordained Fr. Matthew and Br. Christopher. May God send many more vocations to Cistercian and to the Diocese of Dallas!
3. At every ordination, the candidates lie prostrate as the Church asks for the intercession of all the angels and saints, so that these “chosen men” might fulfill the mission with which they have been entrusted.
4. The rite of ordination involves “the laying on of hands” – that is, the ordaining bishop places his hands on the head of the one being ordained. This gesture has been repeated since apostolic times (cf. 2 Timothy 1:6). All validly ordained priests stand in this real and historical connection to Jesus through the Apostles. In this photo, Bishop Burns lays his hands on Br. Matthew to ordain him.
5. The rite also involves the clothing of the newly ordained in the vestments of his ministry. Here Br. Christopher receives a strong embrace from Bishop Burns after he had been clothed with the dalmatic of a deacon.
6. The rite also involves a moment where the vessels proper to the ministry are given to the newly ordained. In this photo, Fr. Matthew receives the paten on which the Eucharist is to be consecrated. As the Bishop entrusts him with the vessels, he charges the new priest with the following words: “Receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God. Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”

Amen!

On Friday, August 12, Br. Christopher made his solemn vows!!! Thanks be to God!!! In these pictures you can see many key parts of the ritual:

1. Br. Christopher lies prostrate to ask for “the mercy of God and that of the Order” – and then he is invited by the Abbot to stand. We approach God in humility, trusting in his mercy. And we are invited by the Church to be confident in His love.
2. Br. Christopher makes his promise of obedience in the hands of the Abbot. In monastic life we seek, as every baptized person, to conform ourselves to Jesus and his love for the Father. As Jesus said before going to the Garden of Gethsemane to embrace his Passion, “The world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go” (John 14:31).
3. Br. Christopher signs his vows on the altar after reading them aloud. Monastic vows are an expression of our desire to offer our life to God in union with the self-offering of Jesus Christ – and thus we sign them on the same altar where we celebrate the Eucharist.
4. Br. Christopher receives his cuculla, which is the garment worn by all the solemnly professed members of the monastery during the liturgy. It is a sign of simplicity of life, of the purifying gift of grace, and of a life consecrated to worship.
5. Br. Christopher’s family brings forward the gifts at the offertory. Families are one of the most important means through which God gives his graces and prepares young men and women to offer themselves in their vocations, whether to priesthood, religious life, marriage or consecrated celibacy.
6. Br. Barnabas brings in the cross at the beginning of mass – everything we do is, we pray, a participation in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Come join us at 9:00 on Sunday, August 28, when Br. Barnabas will finish his novitiate and make his temporary vows to the monastery for three years!