New Skete Monasteries News

By David Bushhouse I spent this summer (Pentecost—Transfiguration) volunteering at New Skete as part of the Resident Experience Program. I lived at the monastery in one of the guest rooms, eating, praying, and working with the monks. The past couple of months have given me the opportunity to reflect on the experience, and I can report that my time at New Skete was truly transformative. I would do it all over again if I had the chance.                    I graduated from college in May of this year with a bachelor’s degree in Biology, and I am currently beginning doctoral studies in Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University. This summer presented a unique opportunity to take some time away from school and the lab and dedicate myself to rest, silence, and prayer. Also, I wanted the chance to work with my hands and learn humility while taking a break from the intellectually demanding work I normally do. In both of those areas my summer was more rewarding than I antici

By Brother Thomas Recently, during a few days of silent retreat about an hour north of the monastery, I was having breakfast alone, lost in my thoughts, somewhat entranced by the snow that had begun to fall earlier that morning. A young couple, with their two-year-old son in tow, entered from the far end of the room and after preparing their food, found a seat at a nearby table. After we exchanged the usual pleasantries we often do with complete strangers, the child toddled up, tapped my leg, and offered a children’s book that I didn’t remember he’d had when he entered. The mother quickly interjected, “You don’t mind kids, do you?” “Not at all,” I responded, welcoming the opportunity, knowing deep within that it’s often easier for me to connect with children than it is with adults. I took the book, a story about Noah and the Flood, and began to read aloud the words of a tale that has become familiar to anyone who’s ventured just a few pages into Genesis. I accented the story wi