I drove back to Weston Priory, taking a left off the main road and up a long steep driveway.
As I crested the hill a cross greeted me to my right with several small buildings in the background. I parked my car and tried to figure out where to go to meet someone. 
There were a couple of people sitting around a pond on plastic chairs, soaking in the surroundings. They didn’t seem like people who would have the answers to my questions, nor did I want to disturb them.
I walked to a small courtyard that said Visitor’s Centre and Gallery shop. The Visitor’s Centre was deserted. The Gallery shop had business hours on it, so I presumed someone was inside. There was. A kind lady behind a counter greeted me and called up a brother to let him know I had arrived. She directed me to a place to meet him.
I was greeted by brother Alvaro and given a key to Romero House, the place I would call home for the next 3 days. This brother seemed to think I had been to Weston Priory before, but I hadn’t. Supposedly I have a twin somewhere, because this is NOT the first time this has happened. I just wish I knew who and where he was : ).
Settling In:
I was shown the dining room and told of some procedural stuff and then departed from this brother and drove a ½ mile down a dirt road to Romero house. I gathered my few belongings and entered.
A musty smell greeted me mixed with a sweet smell. I walked the hallway, and then down a couple of steps to another doorway,
I opened this doorway, only to discover another one down another flight of steps.
which I opened with a key. This was Romero House. I proceeded to figure out which of the five rooms would make my resting place, eventually picking one on the end.
I walked through the door and down yet another set of steps (we are on hills you know) to my small, plain, single bed room. Simple would be the best way to describe it. No pictures on the walls and just one desk with a single lamp and some reading material for me. There was also one chest of drawers and a small night table with a tall lamp beside it. In the corner was a single bed.
I opened the large curtained window and there before me was a wonderful scene of a mountain and small meadow.
I unpacked, and began to feel the overwhelming sense of quiet that was now upon me. I took a moment to walk down the small hallway where the other rooms were located. A total of 5 bedrooms are in Romero House for men to come and spend time at Weston Priory. There are three bathrooms complete with showers. Down another flight of stairs there is a full kitchen, which I presume the guests can use, as well as a living room area.
Around the room are bookshelves with various books for reading; and that was pretty much it. The key here is quiet, and in the quiet, much can be heard, like the floors creaking a great deal in my room. The sound is unnerving in the quiet.
Soon two other men arrived, and in the quiet, they could be heard quite a lot. : )
Exploring:
Once I settled in and read some preliminary information about prayer times, eating times, etc., I walked back to the Priory to investigate. This Priory is open to guests, and prayer times are open to the public, which is somewhat unusual for a Priory from what I’ve read so far. The public is only allowed to be in the Stone Chapel, where prayer happens, the Visitor’s Centre, Gallery Shop, Barn Chapel and Pond Area. The dining room is only open to the brothers and those guests staying at the Weston Priory.
(The Chapel to the left and behind it is the dining room and the monastery where the brothers live).
(Visitor's Centre. It consists of a small, cold room with some couches and tables. Cozy for talking, and one of the few places you are allowed to talk.)
(The Gallery Shop where lots of stuff is for sale)
I bought a CD, a book about the history of the Priory for later reading, and some Vermont Maple Syrup made by the brothers. The lady at the cash register was very kind, so I talked with her for a while (sorry folks, but the quiet times are only at certain times, not straight through : ) ).
I learned that there are 12 brothers at this Priory at present. One just died in December, and the funeral for him will be held on May 30th. This place will be filled with 100’s of people on that weekend. I learned that these brothers have all made their full vows now, and are here for life. It seems to be about a 4 year process to get to that point. At times there are more brothers here, but not all have taken their full vows, and some only stay for several months or years, then move on to other things. While here, the brothers devote themselves to prayer, contemplation of the Scriptures, and other things like: Raising sheep, growing vegetables, managing a tree farm, making maple syrup when in season, musical composition, cloisonné enameling, silversmithing, weaving, and graphic arts. Familiarizing myself with Weston’s Philosophy of ministry: After my time in the Visitor’s centre, I walked back to my room where I read through a brief history of “The Benedictine Monks of Weston Priory.” I would be lying if I didn’t say that I have many questions about the monastic life. What purpose does it fulfill? How influential are the brothers in the outside world? What do they do (that one was already answered)? I figured a read through the history might help me understand more, and it did. The Weston Priory began in 1953 by Abbot Leo A. Rudloff, of the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem, Israel. It can trace its origins back to the sixth century rule of Benedict of Nursia. The purpose of this Priory is to “distill the values of the Gospel, the monastic tradition, and the lived experience of communities as a guide for present and future generations.” This Priory began as an abandoned farmhouse, and over the years has grown to several buildings and homes for guests. The brothers of the Weston Priory “seek to create and nurture a community of fraternal love and service; to be persons of prayer, celebrating faith in worship, silence, and reflection; to embrace Gospel hospitality by welcoming all who come as Christ, and by receiving the hospitality of others, especially those who are marginated. They seek to live by the work of their hands, sharing their gifts for the good of all; to be a sign of the Beatitudes through a life of non-violence, justice, and peace, and by responding to the voice of God in the cries of the poor.” The Weston Priory has matured over the years, not just being content to live life in isolation. They have “a greater openness to the contemporary world, and to deeper involvement with others. [They] expanded their hospitality facilities, provided for group dialogues with guests, and deepened the accessibility and inclusiveness of their prayer.” As a result, many have come “to experience the Priory as a safe and welcoming place.” As I read further, I began to see some parallels between this Priory and our own church, Calvin. Weston Priory began a “reverse mission” with friends in Mexico. They encountered the Latin American Church and soon “discovered themselves being evangelized by the poor.” We have a church in Peru that we are partnering with, and some of these results are happening at Calvin too. Cool! Through that experience they have become active in the causes of social justice. We at Calvin also have a strong sense of engaging in social justice issues. Weston Priory also discovered “a deepening awareness that the roots of the impoverishment of the Third World are to be found here in the First World…. through visiting shelters for the homeless, soup kitchens, half way houses, and prisons, the brothers encountered the suffering, pain and despair of the homeless, the abused, and the abandoned people in our neighboring towns and villages.” That has been more of a struggle for us at Calvin, but certainly we are aware that there are homeless in our city and marginalized people that we need to become more in touch with. The Priory decided to encourage “one another to develop those gifts which are both expressive of their persons as well as other-enriching.” At Calvin we encourage everyone to discover their unique gifts and use them for the Kingdom of God. There seems to be some similarities after all. I was encouraged by reading the History and have come away with a better understanding of this Priory’s methodology. I still have questions as to impact, but I’m trying not to judge.
Prayer Time: After taking a brief rest on my bed I set two alarm clocks for 4:30 and 4:40 am to ensure I get up for morning prayers. I then walked back to the chapel for 5:30 pm prayers. As I walked, I heard the wind rustling through the trees. It felt Holy for some reason, like the Holy Spirit was walking with me to the chapel. I saw one of the other male guests walking ahead of me, and was reminded that, as Christians, we are all on different journeys, but all going for the same destination.
Being a first timer, I hung back and watched and learned. As we entered the chapel, the guests sat in the back. There were about 20 or so. The brothers came in one at a time. Each was dressed in a dark gray robe with black over tunics. As they entered, they bowed to the cross at the front in the centre of a raised, polished wooden floor. On either side were wooden benches, with seats which fold down or angled up. A lone candle was lit at the left side of the chapel, and eventually all 12 brothers took their seats. Everything was silent.
Our chapel time took about 30 minutes. There was no speaking, except for a short reading by one of the brothers from the book of Romans. This reading intrigued me. It wasn’t the fact that it was from the book of Romans, but that it took on new meaning in the context of this setting. The silence seemed to allow the words to speak ever more clearly to me. There seemed little to be in the way of interference, though I must admit I think my mind is still moving much faster than it should be.
Everything else was done in song. It was noted in our information packet that all song was supposed to be harmonious, so no singing in parts was allowed unless noted by the brothers. No voice was to stand out from any other. Harmony of a different sort was how things worked here. As someone who loves to sing parts, this came as a bit of a hard thing to manage, but I’m here for the experience, so I went along.
Two guitars were the only instruments used, but often times the chants were acapella. One funny thing I noted (sorry, I do notice the absurd at times) was that many of the brothers were yawning during the prayer time. I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, knowing that they probably had good reason, what with having to wake up at 4:30 each morning for morning prayers…. I knew that I too would be yawning right along with them in the days to come. : )
(The entrance to the Chapel)
(Inside the Chapel. The brothers entered from either side of the cross in the centre, using the chairs on either side.)
(The red chairs are where the guest sat as they observed and participated in prayer times. Guests were only allowed in the chaired area.) 
(A close-up of the chairs used. They fold up and on an angle so the brothers can lean against them.)
Dinner Time: When prayers were completed, the brothers left in silence and those of us who were guests staying at the Priory moved to a small room off to the left of the chapel to await the dinner bell. Here’s where things got rather social, which I wasn’t expecting. My vow was to stay silent for the time I was here, unless someone spoke to me. Well, someone did; another of the guests. I didn’t want to be rude, so I engaged in small talk for a bit and then went back to quiet. More guests came in, and then some of the brothers too. They all began talking with each other. Some of the guests had been to the Priory multiple times and were known by the brothers. Well, I figured I might as well get to know some of those staying here, so I chimed in too. I met a female Episcopal priest, a chaplain from a small college in Maine, a man who serves with Jesuit Priests and a woman who had just done her Masters Thesis on this Priory and was back to do her PHD dissertation on it. I also met two of the brothers. I discovered that a couple of the brothers are actually from Canada. One from Calgary, Alberta to be exact…imagine that!
Dinner was soon ready, and we all walked into the small dining room. Tables were arranged in horseshoe fashion. The brothers were all waiting for us. We ate buffet style, so we grabbed our plates and began taking our food. There was homemade vegetable soup, salad, cheese, bread, homemade peanut butter, and fruits. We were all told where to sit. I had my name on a napkin ring; how’s that for service : ). Table arrangements had the brothers at the head of the horseshoe, and the 5 female guests on one side, with we 3 male guests on the other. We took our food in silence, and sat in silence. One of the brothers opened with a prayer.
(The Brothers sat in this horseshoe portion)
(The women sat at the end, and our food was placed on this long table to the right.) 
( I sat in the middle on the opposite side, with two other male guests flanking me.) 
One of the brothers, who was seated in the corner at a table with books, read to us while we ate. He read an entry from Barack Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope which was written before he was President. It talked about his visit to Iraq and his thoughts of the war around 2005. Interesting to hear. About 20 minutes of reading passed before a small bell was rung by one of the brothers. We were then allowed to talk and things got social again. The brother who read was now allowed to eat, in silence.
Reflection Time:
Dishes were brought to the kitchen, and some of the guests helped with drying and washing. I decided to wait until tomorrow to offer my services and walked to the pond and listened to all the sounds of creation around me. The bullfrogs began to croak, the birds continued to sing, and the pesky bugs came out to harass me. I took a walk down the steep driveway to get away from the bugs. As I stood at the end of the laneway, with no traffic coming from either direction, I felt small in the vast world of God’s creation.
I walked back up the hill, and sat and read my Bible for a time. I’ve decided to read out of the Psalms while here. God spoke to me about resting in his love, not in the possessions or trappings of this world. 
I must have spent 15 minutes just staring at these sheep. They sensed me, and slowly made their way to the fence near me. Sheep! They took on new meaning for me in those 15 minutes. We are compared to sheep in the Bible. Sheep aren’t the smartest animals in the world you know, yah, you know! All we are like sheep, each going his / her own way…. these sheep were doing that too. No rhyme or reason to their wanderings. Lost little animals. Amazing to sit there and watch sheep! Evening Prayer Time: It was time for 8 pm evening prayers. We walked in once again, though our number only being 6 this time in the guest category. The chapel was dark, and very quiet. The bell was rung to announce prayer time, and this time the brothers came in together. They were not wearing their robes, just clothing like we would wear. The lone candle was lit in the centre of the floor close to us. A couple of chants were done with and without guitar, and the brothers didn’t sit, but leaned against the wall against their angled boards while we sat. The whole thing took about 10 minutes. It was a nice closing to the day. The brothers thanked God for the day, for the work that was done in the day, and prayed for the oppressed of the day. They exited in silence, and then quietly prepared for Morning Prayer time by setting things up. We exited, and went our different ways in quiet. Bed Time: That brought me back to my room, which is where I am right now. I’ve blogged enough. It’s 10:20 pm, and time for bed. I trust that these words have helped you experience what life is like here at the Weston Priory so far. Stay tuned for more. As I prepare for rest, these words come to mind: In the stillness of this night, I put my trust in you, oh God. I rest in your love, and may you grant me rest in my bed; a rest that is deep, peaceful, and renewing…
Go to "Silent Retreat - Day 3" for more ----- >
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