Arriving

I arrived at the Abbey after everyone had gone to bed for the night. My afternoon had been a stressful one full of cancelled flights, phone calls, and rebookings of airplanes, shuttles, and car services. And there was also a lot of waiting. When I was finally deposited in downtown Santa Fe, it was dark and deserted. There was an old car at the curb and a man in his sixties wearing a buffaloe buckle on his belt stepped out of it with a wave and a smile and quickly transferred my luggage to his trunk.

As he peppered our conversation with wisecracks and jokes, I learned through it all that Rich was a volunteer at the Abbey who was visiting from Wyoming. His jobs ranged from shuttling guests, to washing dishes, to providing Spiritual Direction. He was warm and welcoming, navigating his car along the dark, winding roads of the hill country and occassionally crossing the center line until we arrived safely at the monastery gates.

After a knock on the housemother's door, I was shown to my cell...a spare but comfortable room with a twin bed, private bathroom, and a desk under the window looking out onto the marsh below.

At an altitude of 7,000 feet, it is hard to breathe. After a few days of taking shallow breaths and feeling light-headed, my body adjusted and I was able to have more energy and become more outgoing. As I perked up, my new surroundings became more three dimensional and I began to meet the people who are inhabiting this mysterious place for a few weeks or for the rest of their lives.

In addition to vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, Benedictines take vows of stability. This means that they become attached to a particular community or place and cannot easily be moved. This helps them form a family and fulfil their last vow, conversion of their ways.

As Brother Jim the Vice-Superior of Pecos Benedictine Monastery so eloquently said in his letter of welcome to us, "What makes this school unique is that ... we form a community of caring, loving, and worshipping people. In a loving and praying community you can feel safe to be who you really are and to reveal to others the deeper parts of your soul so that God's love and healing can flow in."

So be it.

Location:Pecos, NM