Mercy by the Sea retreat center has shared an excerpt from the introduction of Christine Valters Paintner’s forthcoming book Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature: Everything in creation becomes a catalyst for my deepened self-understanding. The forest asks me to embrace my truth once again. The hummingbird invites me to sip holy nectar, the egret to stretch out my wings, the sparrows to remember my flock. Each pine cone contains an epiphany; each smooth stone offers a revelation. I watch and witness as the sun slowly makes her long arc across the sky and

(From the Abbey Archives – by Christine Valters Paintner) The story of Epiphany is one of my favorite scripture stories as it offers us a series of powerful invitations. The last few lines of the gospel text, offer a template for an archetypal journey, that is, one we are all invited to make. We can find ourselves in the text if we have ever longed to follow an inkling into the long night knowing there were gifts awaiting us. 1. Follow the star to where it leads The story begins with the magi calling upon the grace of night vision. 

Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the plowshare of self-examination, but leave a little fallow corner in your heart ready for any seed the winds may bring, and reserve a nook of shadow for the passing bird; keep a place in your heart for the unexpected guests, an altar for an unknown God.  —Henri-Frederic Amiel   Dearest monks, artists, and pilgrims,   Who doesn’t love the promise of new beginning the New Year offers? St. Benedict described his Rule as a Rule for beginners, reminding us to always begin

From November 26 – December 5 if you buy two or more dancing monk prints by Marcy Hall of Rabbit Room Arts (also includes Marcy’s other artwork), you’ll get 20% off your order, plus free shipping anywhere in the US! Includes: Saints Benedict, Hildegard, Francis, Teresa, John of the Cross, Mary Mother of God, Amma Syncletica, Prophet Miriam, King David, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Celtic Saints: Brigid, Brendan, Kevin, Patrick, Columcille, Dearbhla, Sourney, Gobnait, Ita, Ciaran, Colman, and Enda! Order your prints here>>

Christine Valters Paintner’s poem “St. Gall and the Bear” has been published in the most recent issue of Crossways which can be read online at this link. This artwork to the right is by the wonderful UK artist David Hollington who we are commissioning to put several of Christine’s poems in a series about saints and animals into visual form. This painting accompanies the published poem above. Christine has also officially signed a contract with Paraclete Press for her next poetry collection titled The Wisdom of Wild Grace and it includes a section of about 35 of these saint and

During this sabbatical year I have several ancestral pilgrimages planned and we are traveling back now from the first one to Latvia. A few months ago I asked Olga Tomchin of Genealogy Yenta to help me with some research and she found an article online about an oak tree that was planted in 2017 for my great grandfather. It turns out that he was the first Chief Justice of the Latvian Supreme Court when the independent state was formed after World War I and for their centenary celebration they decided to honor his memory in this way. My father was born

Christine is interviewed by Jamie Marich (Abbey Wisdom Council member) about poetry and the expressive arts: Listen to the podcast version here>>