Abbey News
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Indian Summer
This past week has been one of those lovely 'Indian Summer' weeks that one wishes would last a lot longer than they do. Weather Historian, Bill Deedler writes:
An early American writer described Indian Summer well when he wrote, "The air is perfectly quiescent and all is stillness, as if Nature, after her exertions during the Summer, were now at rest."
Our forest is becoming more vibrant each day as it dons its fall foliage; days are warm, nights cool, air clear, large flocks of geese migrate southward. Truly delicious! No wonder many of the brethren are out and about these days. Retreat houses are full too and retreatants are walking the paths in the fields as this is a favorite time for making a quiet, monastic retreat. We've been having two or three tour buses stop at the Abbey weekly as part of their tour of the Genesee Valley, especially Letchworth State Park a few miles down river from us.
There's an informative article entitled: A Close Look At Indian Summer for those who are interested in a bit of rural folklore about the origin of the term.
Where We Are
From time to time we're asked if there are any other Trappist/Cistercian houses in the U.S. and, if so, where they are. There is a handy map posted on the Order's web site that shows the locations of the monasteries of nuns and monks in this country. Each location has a link to information about the monastery. You'll find it at O.C.S.O. map.
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