Camaldolese Hermits of America Camaldol e Tidings New Camaldoli Hermitage Big Sur, California Volume 14 Spring 2008 Our life is dedicated to the love and praise of God in the bond of fraternal charity. We offer a guest ministry and seek in charity to support our guests in their prayer. Thus Camaldolese life is simply our response to our Lord s threefold commandment of love, of God, neighbor, and true self.
2 ~ Camaldol e Tidings Prior Knowledge Father Raniero Dear Friends and Oblates, May the mystery, the wonder and the awe that bursts forth from the Resurrection be upon you and within your heart where the Risen Jesus lives already and always! And may these blessings and graces draw you ever more deeply into God AND OPEN YOU TO God s marvelous desire for you. Recently in my annual solitude retreat I was subtly awakened to the reality of how much God desires us each one of us! So often we enter into the spiritual journey, the inner journey, with all of our resolve, our efforts, our practices, which are well and good and important. BUT! Even more amazing is God s desire to choose us, to want us, to love us, and to live with us and in union with us. And the Easter Mystery is all about God s desire for us which led God into and through the dark human experience of death FOR US! Now, I ask, how much does God desire us? In other words, we need to do our part, but God waits for us to let God do God s part and what God is waiting for is for us to stop, to open and surrender our hearts, to receive the gracious presence and love that God will reveal to us and pour into us. Together, let s open our hearts especially in this Easter Season, voicing our desire to know more clearly God s desire for each Father Raniero... one of us. Then with our consciousness stretched, let s give ourselves to God so that God can bring us, even now, to a fullness of life that is beyond our imagining. Alleluia! Secondly, I want to welcome you to a new format, in the publication of our Community Newsletter expressed with Please remember us when making or revising your will. Our official name is: Camaldolese Hermits of America Our federal ID # is: 94-6050278 the vibrant colors of spring. In this edition, you will find a personal self-introduction of Robert Allen known by all of us monks as Bob. Last December, we hired Bob as the Community s Development Consultant. Bob s work with us is reflected in this new presentation of your newsletter. Bob will also be helping us to establish a Development Office, an Annual Giving Program and a Planned Giving Program. These kinds of infrastructure are present and have been present in many monasteries and monastic institutions for years. We have never had them here at New Camaldoli and we realize that we need them both for our present existence and for our future. These functions will bring a certain sense of security to our ongoing operational expenses, to the income and expenses dimension of our budget, and to the future care of the Hermitage s physical structures. These are some of the day-today issues that we need to be attentive to in the midst of our communal and personal prayer in order that we can also be available to the many people who come to share life with us through our hospitality ministry. So we have embarked on a new venture with a hope that it will bear fruit in our lives, in your life and ultimately for the honor and glory of our Loving God! Easter Blessings to you all!
Rev. Robert Hale, O.S.B., Cam Christmas and Easter represent the two peak moments of our Christian spirituality and worship. And so in our liturgical year, both Christmas and Easter have their careful preparation periods. For Christmas there is Advent, for Easter the much longer period of Lent. And each is followed by its own season: Christmastide, culminating a couple of weeks later in Epiphany, and Eastertime culminating many more weeks later in Pentecost. These two central seasons are so important for us Christians because they represent the key, decisive moments of Scripture, of God s self revelation to us. And thus our Christian spirituality is shaped by these two great revelations: that God has drawn near, even become flesh with us in Jesus. And Jesus, suffering and dying for all of us, has now been raised up into eternal life, opening the way for all of us to live in the fullness of joy forever, and even enjoy a foretaste of that joy every prayerful minute. The Unique Grace of Easter We tend to find Christmas easier to understand than Easter. Who has not held a little baby, remained astonished by its amazing smallness and frailty, felt immediate affection and care for it. That Jesus came to us, in this most needy form, fills us with wonder and joy. And Prayer Schedule Weekdays: 5:30 am Vigils 7:00 am Lauds 11:30 am Eucharist 6:00 pm Vespers Camaldol e Tidings ~ 3 then to help us there is the marvelous Christmas season, with its carols and gifts and cards, the tree and the lights. And of course commercialism has latched onto the season as a major opportunity to boost the market! But what can we make of Easter? No emphatic tradition of gift giving. No trees, hardly any decorations. All the popular culture has come up with is Easter bunnies and Easter eggs. And in terms of personal experience, who of us has encountered someone coming back from the dead? And yet, we know that ultimately of the two key seasons Easter far surpasses even Christmas. Gospel means good news, and Biblical scholars tell us that the astonishing good news for the apostles was that the Lord has truly risen! With all the implications of that. And we do have some intuitions of the awesome significance of Easter in every authentic moment of love, in every deeper moment of prayerful, deep union with God. We intuit that in the risen Christ these moments are destined to perdure forever and ever and ever. Amen! Sundays and Solemnities: 5:30 am Vigils 7:00 am Lauds 11:00 am Eucharist 5:00 pm Vespers You are welcome to join us in prayer.
4 ~ Camaldol e Tidings Sojourn to the Land Down Under Australian and New Zealand Oblates Meet By Fr Daniel Manger, OSB Cam, Australian Oblate Chaplain Watching the sunset from the air terminal in the autumn sky of Los Angeles International Airport I observed the sense of excitement that I was on my way to breathe air on another area of our planet, see stars in the sky I had not seen before and walk among ancient forest and streams that Aborigines have held sacred for thousands of years. Like a rare species of flower, a presence of our Camaldolese spirit had emerged within this environment. I used the long journey through the night sky to ponder God s intentions expressed among the many Oblate vocations there. I landed down under in New Zealand before sunrise, and Michael Dougherty was there to greet me. I stayed at his home, Shantigria, with he and his wife Elizabeth in the countryside outside Auckland. Michael was received as a Camaldolese Oblate while I spent a week with them and enjoyed the warm hospitality that characterizes our charism. There is much developing there. Michael was influenced deeply by Fr. Bede Griffiths after visiting him in India some years ago. Michael is an organic farmer, and he and Elizabeth labor to make in Father Daniel Manger, OSB Cam with Michael Dougherty, Camaldolese Oblate, in New Zealand. their own life and that of many others a conscious celebration of our gift of Earth and its wonder with God in many aspects of day-to-day living and meditation. Michael has quite an outreach in catechesis about the mystical theology and sapiential aspects of faith with different meditation groups in the region. Elizabeth is a well-established artist and also provides body therapy for people. Organic farming and green technologies make their little farm a positive witness of stewardship of God s gifts. I was able to see some of the oldest living trees in the country as well as a number of the wonderful beaches. Colored by a variety of beautiful birds, the scenery was enchanting. From New Zealand I flew to Melbourne, Australia. As we were landing, the first rains in years commenced and our plane flew right under a huge rainbow, which was visible from my window seat. Father Michael Mifsud who is the Chaplain of the Oblate community in both New Zealand and Australia, awaited me with excitement, for he also saw the rainbow and the plane flying underneath as we landed, and there was a sense in the airport of jubilant greeting of the rains. The rains continued throughout the next six weeks of my stay there, breaking the drought Outside Melbourne, Father Michael drove me to his little hermitage where we stayed for three days near the Yarro River in the village of Warburton. Everyone in the village seemed to know him on sight. We went to a California Redwood forest that been planted almost 90 years ago and walked among them. We visited a Thai Buddhist community in the valley, had lunch with and toured their new temple and hermitage. There was a visit to the Trappist Monastery as well, and I was able to chat with Father Daniel Manger, OSB Cam Father Michael Casey, the noted writer, and see their completed library. I was able to give a presentation about Camaldolese monasticism to the monks there. This Irish community displayed a special warmth. Following three days of touring, the retreat for Oblates from across the continent began at the Pallotine Center in Warburton. It was here many years ago that Fr. Bede Griffiths himself had come and given presentations. The Oblates gathered from all parts of the eastern seaboard of Australia, a distance comparable to coming from Maine, St. Paul Minnesota and Miami Florida to Colorado for a onetime retreat. The oblate community does this every two years! It displays their profound commitment to the Camaldolese way. The diversity of gifts among them and the impact of their witness from Tasmania to Queensland is evident, as expressed by the support of the Australian Bishop. They especially appreciate the oblates contemplative presence. The community is also very ecumenical in its membership and attitude, reflecting the highly secular and diverse cultural matrix they live in. God is blessing the immense efforts of Father Michael and Drasko Dizdar, the new coordinator, and so many of our sisters and brothers of our charism, to further open others to contemplative prayer and meditation.
Camaldol e Tidings ~ 5 Calendar Our beautiful 5 year liturgical Calendar is now available. To order, mail a check for $35 (includes U.S. mailing) and made out to New Camaldoli and include your full mailing address, plus e-mail (should we have questions) to: The best way to get the calendar to you is: 1) Pay by check The Collector s Edition of the calendar, which includes a commemorative certificate and seal, sells for $50 + $5 shipping. Once your check is received the calendar will be sent by return mail. (Postage fees are for the US only). Calendar is sent via USPS MEDIA MAIL. Make check payable to: Camaldolese Hermits of America Send check to: ATT: Calendar New Camaldoli Hermitage 62475 Hwy 1 Big Sur, CA 93920 2) Pay by credit card Payment by CHECK is preferred. If for some reason you can t pay by check you may order by credit card by calling the bookstore at 831-667-2456. Camaldolese Tidings is published by the Camaldolese Hermits of America for our friends, oblates, and sponsors. If you have questions or comments about this publication, please address them to: New Camaldoli Hermitage 62475 Coast Highway 1 Big Sur, CA 93920 (831) 667-2456 Fax: (831) 667-0209 E-mail: monks@contemplation.com or visit us on the web at: www.contemplation.com OVERSEAS ORDERS Overseas orders MUST be paid by credit card. Your card will be charged the actual cost of shipping/handling only. Please let the person taking your order if you have a preferred level of service for the overseas mailing. The person taking your order will NOT know the cost of shipping. Your card will be billed AFTER we mail the calendar(s). If you have questions, just e-mail: info@hermitagebigsur.com Raniero will be attending the International Congress of Abbots and Priors this fall in Rome. He will be at that meeting from September 18-27. Right after that meeting he travels to our Motherhouse in Tuscany for our Congregational meeting called the Consulta. He will be joined there by Andrew Colnaghi, Robert Hale and Daniel Manger, all elected as our delegates for the meeting. Joseph Wong, who has been residing at the Motherhouse since being elected to the General Meetings in Italy Council, completes the contingent from New Camaldoli. The first week of the gathering (September 30 to October 3) is open, and will include presentations and discussions of interest to the larger Camaldolese community. The remaining days (October 6 to 17) are held in closed session, with the General and his Council, along with the elected delegates, discussing the issues facing the Congregation as a whole and each house in particular.
6 ~ Camaldol e Tidings By Robert J. Allen Often Stewardship is used as being synonymous with Fund Raising as though the only way we show our commitment to the Church is by making a financial contribution. In fact, stewardship is basically about advancing our relationship with God. To be good stewards, we must first acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God who has chosen us as the stewards of these temporary Poverty of Spirit We must be skilled stewards of our gifts, because they all come from God, but it is in how we share these gifts that is also a concern of God. possessions. Saint Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica when addressing the Act of Charity says: People advance in the way to God, not merely by actual increase of charity, but also by being disposed to the act. The principle Act of Charity is Love. We must be skilled stewards of our gifts, because they all come from God, but it is in how we share these gifts that is also a concern of God. Another way to consider our earthly gifts is demonstrated by Saint Alphonsus Liguouri. Saint Alphonsus referred to Gospel poverty as Poverty of Spirit which demands detachment of the heart from material possessions and worldly power. We need to seek God s part of our human nature, to see God in all that we think, say, and do. In over forty-five years of speaking and asking people to support the Church or private charities, there has never been a concern for the amount but always for the person. We need only to ask two questions to understand who we are: What do I own? What owns me? We need to pray over these questions for the grace to love God and your neighbor; so that what you own never owns you. HELP A MONK DONATE A VEHICLE Don t trade that used car or truck before you consider donating it to the Hermitage. With a garage and mechanic, we can make your donated vehicle work for us. Just call (831) 667-2141, and we will work out the details with you. (All donations are tax deductible to the extent the law allows) On February 15, 2008, we had a FIRE LOSS and damage to our property and loss of a vehicle. One of our cars caught on fire and caused a major grass fire (left insert). The car (above) is obviously a complete loss.
Book Reviews The Future Of Wisdom by Fr. Bruno Barnhart, $36.95 Father Bruno Barnhart one of our Camaldolese monks at New Camaldoli Hermitage has set forth in his new book a rich and in depth perspective on the sapiential tradition within Christianity, that anticipates a new era of development in the present millennia. As Western Christianity develops within the larger global community and encounters the Eastern traditions he suggests a new threshold of unitive dynamism that will challenge us to engage the Christocentric paradigm within which each person will discover as a renewal of intentionality of critical thinking, creativity and freedom in the Holy Spirit of Wisdom. The Wisdom Of Wilderness: Experiencing the healing power of nature by Gerald G. May, $13.95 Gerald G. May who died in 2005 bequeathed to us out of the depth of his experience as spiritual director and teacher and psychology a rich synthesis of images and experiences in this of his last contributions. The synthesis is timely as was his earlier works in exploring the relationship between the spirit, psychology and religious awareness and the creation we share the great divine gift of life. For the person who goes into the wilderness of any geographic local the words of wisdom contained in this book will amply generate creative readiness toward mystery of God and of grace relating all in a tapestry of wonder and hope. By Fr. Daniel Manger, OSB, Cam. Camaldol e Tidings ~ 7 Sheer Grace by Drasko Dizdar, $24.95 Drasko Dizdar a Camaldolese Benedictine Oblate living in Tasmania explores with great reflective skill the labor of God present in the liturgical prayer of the Church. God s constant beckoning, to be created anew from any point of our life s journey, sustaining our hope and freshening our own spirit to live the kenosis of Christ in creative outreach greets our weaknesses, our sin and varied needs. The book evokes constructive meditation on our readiness to receive anew in one s own worship the living God. The Sage From Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus Genius by David Flusser with R. Steven Notley, $20.00 David Flusser (1917-2000) was a professor of early Christianity and Second Temple Judaism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. This book helps a great deal in reviewing one s hermanutics against the words of the Gospels their historical perspective and context in a refreshing way. David Flusser will not let anyone rest upon their world view projections into the texts and as any great scripture research will do, it challenges one s presumptions and calls for careful reflection and prayer over that which has been revealed within them. A great book for preachers of the Word. Books and candles on this page are available at our gift shop website: www.hermitagebigsur.com. The Cave Of The Heart: The Life of Swami Abhishiktananda by Shirley du Boulay, $22.00 Those who are reading and pondering the dialogue and talking points of Western and Eastern spirituality of religions will discover a heart filled challenge in this account by Shirley du Boulay on the life of this French Benedictine monk who entered deeply into the Hindu philosophical and spiritual tradition, even becoming recognized as a Snnyasi within his lifetime. Abhishiktananda would also inspire Father Bede Griffiths a Camaldolese Benedictine research and continue the dialogue and pondering of the great spiritual traditions that display the human heart s longing for the mystery of God within. This book is a fine contribution that will help challenge us continue to follow our ecumenical instincts in greater spiritual activity and sharing. Hand-made candles by Brother Issac. These are quite special. Each candle has unique colors and patterns and is signed by Issac. High quality wax, unscented, long-burning. Candles vary in price and size. Please visit our gift shop website at: www.hermitagebigsur.com
8 ~ Camaldol e Tidings St. Romuald s Brief Rule For Camaldolese Monks Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish, The path you must follow is in the Psalms never leave it. If you have just come to the monastery, and in spite of your good will you cannot accomplish what you want, take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart and to understand them with your mind. And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more. Realize above all that you are in God s presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor. Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him. Oblate News 2008 Pilgrimage Fr. Cyprian Consiglio together with Bishop Sylvester Ryan of Monterey are leading a Pilgrimage to Italy next June, with the theme Universal Call to Contemplation and the Arts. It will include a visit to Camaldoli, a longer stay at Assisi, Bologna, Florence, etc. The main group will be the splendid 62 member Monterey Diocesan Choir, which will sing Masses and concerts in basilica, cathedral and church settings in Italy. There is space for 20 more Pilgrims. Anyone interested please contact Sr. Barbara Ann Long, OP, Director of the Office of Divine Worship, Diocese of Monterey, at Bitmus@aol. com. Robert J. Allen Joins Camaldoli as Development Director Robert J. Allen I would like to introduce our Development Director, Robert J. Allen, who has worked for many years with Benedictine communities of both men and women. It was at the Benedictine Development Symposium that I attended in August 2007 where I met Bob and learned more about development. Bob began the Symposium in 1991 when he was the Development Director at Conception Abbey and Seminary College, Conception, MO. Brother Tobias Damert, OSB, recommended that we contact Bob for a development proposal. In mid-december, he visited the Hermitage, met with 14 of the monks individually and on the third day, met with the Council and outlined in some detail a plan for our development needs. We all agreed this was what and who we needed and entered into an agreement beginning January 1, 2008. His background and training allows him to understand who we are and there is an immediate bonding of how our life and development should work together. Bob attended Catholic Seminary for eight years, leaving after philosophy. He has been married to Dorothy for 47 years, and they have five children, 17 grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. In addition to his education in the Seminary, Bob has a Bachelor s Degree in Communications from the University of Wisconsin. He has been in development/ fundraising since 1962 and was been appointed by the President to serve on the President s Committee for the Handicapped, taught Grant Writing at the University of Wisconsin, began the first Comprehensive Center for the Mentally Retarded under FB 88-162, wrote Text for Task, now in its 8 th printing for Fund Development, helped form and was on the initial Board of Directors of the National Catholic Community Foundation as well as given talks at the NCDC, NCSC, NCEA and written dozens of published articles on various aspects of development. We look forward to your meeting Bob and for his experience and love for his faith to help him help you journey with us in our ministry and life at the Hermitage.