The nuns realized that storage space
had been reduced when a break room for the employees was set up in 2003. One of
the rooms in the nuns’ bedroom area was used, but we knew we would eventually
need a better solution. So, in 2018 plans were drawn up to use the space
between the bakery and the building next to it. A space 20 feet by 14 feet would
be gained. Weather and COVID delayed progress, but gradually things were in
order and a start was made. “Pictures are worth a thousand words,” so
these will help tell the story.
The line on the wall is the angle for the new roof.
After removal of the plants,
flowers, and bushes, the dirt was leveled in preparation for the cement
sub-floor.
The cement truck finally arrived. Some tree branches had to be removed so the backhoe could get close enough.
See the pouring that took place in the above video.
Mik Klaus working on the roof connection.
Now
the siding was removed carefully so the boards could be used on the outside
bakery wall. A bakery window was carefully taken out to make room for a doorway
into the new room. There was just enough space to leave the sink in place.
The roof and outer
wall were then added on top of the cement foundation. A temporary doorway was
left where the window would be placed after the doorway was cut out of the wall
in the bakery for entrance into the new room.
Shellie and
Mik working on the interior work space before adding walls and wiring of all
sorts.
Entrance to the new room from the bakery.
The small office with a view!
The
needed storage space–not full now, but soon it will be.
The
bakery addition blends in as if it had always been here.
by Brother Christopher It is not often that monks get to travel, given that our focus is on living the monastic life in this particular community. However, occasionally situations come up when travel is warranted, and one such opportunity presented itself recently for Brothers Christopher and Theophan. The Institute for the Study of Eastern Christianity at Catholic University of America was hosting a conference titled “Ascetic Practices and the Mind: Mental Healing in Eastern Christianity” on March 1-2. We found out about the conference when Robin Darling Young, one of the theology professors at Catholic U and an organizer of the conference, paid a brief visit to New Skete last fall. During the course of her visit she learned that Brother Theo had a background in neuroscience, and she mentioned to us how the conference planners were looking for an Orthodox participant(s) whose interests were in both spirituality and neuroscience. She took advantage of the synchronicity...
By Sister Cecelia Seeking to do God’s will in all things is what monasticism is all about. It encompasses all the nitty-gritty happenings in all our lives. At the Nuns’ monastery, after 30-plus years the door and door frame opening to a second-floor deck had succumbed to all the snows and rainfalls and was rotting along the bottom. It took 3 months for a replacement door to arrive and another few months for it to be installed. Further investigation of the deck itself revealed extensive rotting that needed attention. Through many years of repairs to the wooden deck itself, it appeared to be a lost cause. How long would the wood last, since so many coats of stain and preservative had been applied and the wood floor and railing were still cracked with so much snow and rain on it? How long would a repair last before someone leaned against the railing and went tumbling down? Or a floorboard gave when stepped on? We do trust in God, but we also know that God expects us to use our hea...
By Br Brennan Just over a year ago I was planning an early retirement with an eye to monastic life. While I can’t say that I had one of those great careers and was at the top of my game, I had come to know some really amazing people over my years in the last job. Among those, I always enjoyed truly close relationships marked by great mutual respect. However, I was also one of those artists with a day job, and as a dancer/instructor/choreographer I had come to notice in recent years a certain status of “esteemed eldership” of sorts (at least in my particular genre, that of East European ethnic dance), however awkward I felt about it. After numerous visits to New Skete over the years, I knew the transition to postulancy and novitiate would involve quite a shake-up in my sense of self. And I was correct. First, I was not going to jump in and wow anyone with any diligence, knowledge, or finesse, as I might try to do in a new job. All I could do was pay attention, and learn what t...
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