2014 The Twenty-Fifth Day

            I awoke bright and early in the abbey but I still missed chapel by 20 minutes.  My plan is to head south today making Jeanlouis on Thursday and Niort on Friday.  The distances are relatively short.  The contrast between distances by car and distances by bike is amazing.  I do in a day that is an hour by car.  Back in Vendrome David and Aidee talked about visiting the monastery in Solesmes.  The trip would mean two days for me and two hours for them.

            It has taken a day for me to settle into the rhythm of the abbey.  I showed up all in a bustle wondering why I was stopping and why was I not hurrying on.  This morning I am wondering why I am leaving.

            The “petite dejeuner” means exactly that, bread, butter, jam, and coffee.  I wandered over shortly after 6:30 and Clais was already there.  He wore a long white shirt that fell below his waist giving a Gandhi like appearance.  His long yellow hair flowed over his collar.

A wonderful machine dispenses all possible choices including Isabelle’s beloved chocolate.  I had two full bowls of cappuccino, one half-bowl chocolate, and one half-bowl of freshly ground coffee.  Heaven must be nearby.  Three others soon join us.  Two clerics in their white robes with large rosaries draped from their tightly cinched brown belts.  The last was an elderly gentleman dressed in dark slacks, a white polo shirt, and brown vest.  He walked awkwardly as if he was struggling with a bad back or bad hip.

            I was waiting near the cemetery outside the chapel for Laudes when an elderly monk came to visit the cemetery.  He too was hunched over and wore a heavy black cape over the usual robes and the cowl over his head.  He said prayers at three graves before hurrying into chapel.  There were four to six buried at each cross.

            A long ringing of the bells gives a ten-minute warning for the monks to gather in the chapel.  The monk in the gift shop turns the sign and locks the door, the cook puts down his ladle, the gardener puts away his hoe, the librarian puts down his book, the secretary puts down his pen, and the Abbot stops his correspondence.  All make their way to the chapel to gather in community prayer, six times each day. (Vigiles, Laudes, Messe, Sexte, Vepres, and Complies.)

            The community here is contemplative which means that they spend their entire within the monastery walls working and praying.  Other Benedictine communities allow work outside the abbey but they cannot be commanded to do so.  This is called the vow of stability.  This is in addition to their vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity.  They must consent to work away from their abbey.  Inside the abbey, monks must strictly obey any direction by the abbot.  For instance, the monks that established St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota were volunteers from a German abbey.  These monks came to provide service for the growing German population in the St. Cloud area.  Even after establishing the abbey at St. John’s many monks would continue to volunteer their services at the local parishes, some many miles away.  The community at St. John’s grew and grew until at one time there were over 200 monks affiliated with the abbey.  Now, of course, that number has withered to a handful.  Today, young men come in ones and twos when there used to be dozens.  I was very surprised at the number of young aspirants at Abbey St. Pierre.

            I took a seat in the last pew relying on Christ’s promise that the last shall be first.  The atmosphere for Laudes was electric.  The music was wonderful.  The rituals date back over 1500 years to when St. Benedict founded the first Benedictine community at Monte Cassino in Italy.  The tableaus on both sides were well executed especially the Pieta on the right side. 

As the service began an elderly nun shuffled down the aisle.  A heavy, brown overcoat draped her black skirt; her head cover with a black scarf.  Six others from town were in attendance.

I must be leaving.  I want to with my dear friends in Niort.  I cannot express how dear of friends are Isabelle and Marie Line and their families.

I left the Abbey fulfilled and famished.  I did not come close to replenishing the calories used yesterday.  Feeling light headed I barely made the climb out of Solesmes.  Fortunately, there was Leader Price with all the goodies I desired, consuming some now and saving some for later.  The ride went really well and I made Gennes on the Loire River, a wonderful campground with cold beer.

I did hesitate at a B&B where I stayed travelling north last year.  A retired couple from England ran the B&B.  They were redoing an old barn into a en suite for a longer stays.  Sadly, they were not there but I left a note.

One often thinks of the road not taken.  Twice today I made mistakes and saw very interesting sights.  What experiences does one miss by taking the other road?

The e-mail problem persists.  I was hoping one of the Saint Chris’s could fix the problem.  I should make Saint Generoux tomorrow.