Leaving The Monastery

[cmaD2006]

OM Gosh. Will pray.

[MissScripture]

Prayers for you!

[JenDeMaria]

And more prayers (you can never have too many)

[TradMom]

+Praised be Jesus Christ!

You are going to a lovely, stable, respected Monastery. You will excel there and may your pain in leaving one home for another be swift!

God's blessings to you, and know you will be in my prayers!

Pax,

TradMom

Edited September 6, 2011 by TradMom

[stlmom]

I'm so very sorry, Staretz. Are you being allowed to stay until you can transfer to Petersham?
As a long time Phatmasser, I hope you will continue to post and keep us updated.

[MithLuin]

I am sorry that the situation ended like this. I can't imagine how painful it must be....well, okay, kinda like getting dumped in a serious relationship, when it feels like your heart is literally broken....so, yes, devastatingly painful.

But you have a new beginning now. I hope that this fresh start will be a new springtime for you, even if it is fall in New England. I hope you will have the opportunity to mourn your loss, and begin again in a way that leads towards healing.

I imagine it is the most difficult lesson in life to learn that we can really only count on God to always be there for us and always love us.

(((HUGS)))

[Starets]

I thank you for all your expressions of support and offers of prayers. I am being allowed to stay here until I find a new monastic home. i was also told that if i wanted to go back to "the world" they could give me $USD1,000 and a 1-way plane ticket wherever I want to go. but there is nothing for me in the "real world" anymore. I have also contacted St. Vincent's in LaTrobe but nothing has come of that so far.

The ironic thing, for me at least, is that my public observance and private prayer life over the last two months has never been better. I use an excel spreadsheet to keep track of whether or not I have said the prayers and devotions and read the readings that I want to have read each day. It is a good way to keep track of my progress. In the last two months, I have done quite well.

I visited there back in 2002 as a vocational prospect. I was blind at the time and they said that they didnt think they could adapt to having a blind person around. The Vocation Director suggested contacting my current community and that is how I ended up here at Christ in the Desert.

I wonder if part of the reason for my being here was as a sort of "detoxification": between the counselling, the wilderness hikes and the gardening I am a much stronger person as well as a much stronger monk than I was when I came here 3 and a half years ago.

I will certainly keep people posted

[i<3franciscans]

I can't imagine how hard it must be for you my Brother. When everything seems wonderful I believe that God blesses us trials to see just how strong we truly are. I once heard Our Holy Father say, "The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we weren't made for comfort, we were made for greatness." May Jesus bring you peace at heart during this hard time. You are in my constant prayers! *hugs*

i<3f.

[krissylou]

If I toodle out to Petersham to visit, can I have some of your cookies?

(everyone else is being lovely and serious I had to lighten things up a little.)

[Starets]

Krissy, you are adorable.
Certainly you may. Just make a donation in kind of a bag of flour, a pound of butter and a carton of eggs

[vee]

Im donating chocolate chips!!!

[EJames2]

keeping you in Prayer ..Petersham! (or even Pluscarden), very good choice.
PAX

[MissyP89]

Thinking of you, Brother.

[Starets]

Thank you for continued prayers and thoughts. Pluscarden is out as they do not accept candidates from outside the EC, apparently. Probably because of the paperwork involved with immigration! I had contacted Westminster in BC but have not heard a peep fromj them. O well.

[InPersonaChriste]

Wesminister in BC is really busy this time of year. I have two brothers who attended minor seminary there. The abbot is good and Fr. Peter is the most hardcore, happy, amazing monk I have ever met.

[Starets]

Well, I received a letter from my grandmother Yesterday. she was very upset about the leaving too. I hate making 95 year olds cry. So please pray for the peace of mind of my grandmother! She remembered how happy I was when I came up for her birthday party last summer. I will have to explain to her about the PTSD and how it causes me to overreact to stressful situations and such like. I will also tell her how it has also given me the strength and compassion to be a friend to some veryu damaged people over the years. she doesn't know about that.

I am fine. Still waiting for news of who the new superior of Petersham will be. That should be decided in about a week and a half.

[Blessed&Grateful]

Have Faith. God has great plans for you!

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='Staretz' timestamp='1316026114' post='2304656']
Well, I received a letter from my grandmother Yesterday. she was very upset about the leaving too. I hate making 95 year olds cry. So please pray for the peace of mind of my grandmother! She remembered how happy I was when I came up for her birthday party last summer. I will have to explain to her about the PTSD and how it causes me to overreact to stressful situations and such like. I will also tell her how it has also given me the strength and compassion to be a friend to some veryu damaged people over the years. she doesn't know about that.

I am fine. Still waiting for news of who the new superior of Petersham will be. That should be decided in about a week and a half.
[/quote]


Telling family and friends [i]is[/i] painful, but don't beat yourself up over it, try to remember that this is all part of your journey.

The wait must be very strange and I cannot imagine how that feels. When I was sent away I left in 20hrs and was not allowed to say goodbye to most of the sisters, so its a very different situation. What I would say, though, is routine can be extremely beneficial to stop yourself going mad, so as you are still in the monastery at present, try to carry on as normal as far as you can, even if its only going through the motions.

You remain in my prayers xx

[TheresaThoma]

[quote name='Staretz' timestamp='1316026114' post='2304656']
Well, I received a letter from my grandmother Yesterday. she was very upset about the leaving too. I hate making 95 year olds cry. So please pray for the peace of mind of my grandmother! She remembered how happy I was when I came up for her birthday party last summer. I will have to explain to her about the PTSD and how it causes me to overreact to stressful situations and such like. I will also tell her how it has also given me the strength and compassion to be a friend to some veryu damaged people over the years. she doesn't know about that.

I am fine. Still waiting for news of who the new superior of Petersham will be. That should be decided in about a week and a half.
[/quote]
I will definitely be praying for your grandmother. Also prayers for them finding a new superior of Petersham. Hopefully things will work themselves out here soon.

[Starets]

St. Mary's in Petersham has a new superior now. It is Fr. Gregory, their only "homegrown" priest. I sent off an email to him yesterday. Today through wednesday is their community retreat so I will not hear anything for another week. But at least I am moving forward. I still have another year left on my R1 Visa. My current abbot is trying to move me onto an immigrant visa but there have been a couple snags. There have been some changes in the relevant laws since my arrival and that is complicating things. If they can be resolved before the visa expires then I can probably get permanent residency very easily. so by this time next week I should have a clearer idea of what my next step will be. I am continuing on with my prayers and intercessions, and I am grateful for your prayers in this awkward transition.