I have the opportunity of a quiet morning. I have my notes for the conferences and there is time to explore the campus a little, under a perfect blue sky. There is plenty going on, even without the students in residence. As I walked around some of this 500 acre site this morning there were teams of maintenance staff and others preparing for the arrival of a summer school, which starts this evening.
Looking around the church and the grounds, I am quite taken by some of the art work. There are some beautiful stained glass windows in the refectory depicting the life of St Benedict, a mosaic in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, statues of St Anselm and St Benedict in the grounds. They are all the work of Sylvia Nicolas. The Abbot says that she lives locally and we can go to see her this afternoon. The journey is about twenty miles but it is through rural New Hampshire. The woodland is spectacular and there are some villages along the way with some beautiful houses, some very old (well, at least old for America!) and well restored. The road runs next to a rapidly flowing river for some miles.
Sylvia is 85 and originally from the Netherlands. She is the fourth generation of artists in her family, and she has a talented son following in her steps. She escorts us into her workshop, a large barn next to her house. What a feast of art work. There are shelves loaded with figurines, racks of paintings and mosaic and ceramic pieces standing on the floor. Dominating the first room is a life size figure of Our Lady, being modelled in clay but to be cast later in bronze. It is for a garden grotto at St Anselm's. It is a beautiful figure full of movement. There are examples of stained glass panels, too. We are invited into her house and more artwork stands on every surface and covers every wall. And what a delightful lady. She is working hard and has several projects in the making. It is a privilege to meet her. What energy and drive at 85 years of age.
All the monks are gathered for the introductory talk at 7.30pm. I only spoke for twenty minutes (the Abbot says that the community prefer short talks!) and I ask them to select their own purpose for the retreat - something that is relevant for their own lives. The emphasis is to see the retreat as an opportunity to reflect on their vocations and see how best they might nourish their faith journey. At this moment I am hoping that I have enough to say and that something will appeal to them and be helpful.
Tomorrow will have three conferences, so there is plenty to revise in my head. END OF DAY TWO.
