Our Calendars Arrived Yesterday!

When the mail came yesterday, we discovered Our Calendars from the monastery had arrived!
Great photos of the monastery!
Check it out/order some at www.papastronsay.blogspot.com
We bought enough to give away as Christmas presents.
Another package arrived from Dave with some cards for family and a few friends. I guess he packed it all in one package to save postage. We turned them around and sent them on their way.

Dave has arrived safely

The above photos were taken by David during a retreat visit he made to Papa Stronsay Island in March 2009. Papa Stronsay is one of the Orkney Islands just off the north coast of Scotland. Check it out on Google Maps.

Here is an excerpt from our first email from Dave:

Things are going quite well here. I just finished my afternoon meditation, and will shortly be going to our perpetual novena to our Mother of Perpetual Succour, something we do every Saturday. It's truly a wonderful thing: we read the various prayer intentions to be offered to our Mother, and then pray a novena of Ave's to her. Then we have exposed adoration, singing hymns to our Lord and our Lady. (In case you hadn't noticed on the blog, there was an entry about this recently...and there is also a button that you can click to submit a prayer intention to our Mother of Perpetual Succour).

(Bob Note: the blog he refers to is: http://papastronsay.blogspot.com/index.html)

I've settled into the cell assigned for my use, which is dedicated to Blessed Peter Donders. You'll also be happy to know that the Crucifix in my "Ave Maria" is a cross of San Damiano...just like the one in your Parish's Chapel, only smaller.

(Bob Note: Our Parish is Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi. The San Damiano cross is the cross before which St Francis heard God's call to "repair my church, which as you can see is in disarray." The original hangs in the chapel in the Basillica of St Clare in Assisi, Italy. Our chapel has a large replica of this magnificent cross in our chapel. The Ave Maria is a small niche in the cell where the brothers may pray as when they desire.)

A couple of things I'll mention in case you're interested:
We've apparently just finished a wall calendar for next year.
I haven't seen it yet...maybe there's information on the blog if you're interested in ordering a copy/copies.

(Bob Note: The Calendar is indeed available on the PapaStronsay.blogspot.com as is subscriptions to their periodical "The Catholic")

Please give my best to everyone, and assure them of my prayers.

Love,

David <>< (Bob Note: I will post notes from time to time to relate anything we learn from David that seems to be of interest. Check back from time to time. Feel free to leave comments, which I will forward to Dave. I'm not sure if he will be able to access this blog.)