Weston monks tour Albany

The brothers spent time at St. Patrick's, St. Casimir's and Our Lady of Angels, as well as nearby homes and social service agencies.

Sponsored by the Worship and Spirituality Committee of the Center City Cluster and St. John's Lutheran Church, the visit coincided with the monks' annual June retreat, during which they spend a few weeks away from their priory to meet and minister to people in other areas, including New York City and Maine.

Soup and soul

From the soup kitchen, the brothers headed to St. Casimir's Church, where students from St. Casimir's Regional Catholic School sang songs for them -- and the brothers returned the favor.

With 17 albums already under their belts and an 18th on the way, the brothers rely upon their musical talents and other self-supporting activities, such as making items from wood and silver, to provide for themselves.

Brothers Timothy, Augustine and Michael provided the guitar accompaniment, and Brother Philip led his fellow monks in song, which the students absolutely loved. Brother Daniel offered a brief description of the Benedictine monks and the Weston Priory before fielding questions from the students.

Question time

"Do you have wives and children?" another student inquired. "No, but we have lots of brothers," Brother Daniel joked.

The questions and answers continued back at St. Casimir's School, where the brothers visited students in their classrooms. Sixth-graders were especially inquisitive, asking if the brothers have made a music video (they haven't), if they grow all of their food (they shop occasionally because they have so many visitors at the priory), and how tall Brother Daniel stands (6 feet, 4 inches).

From St. Casimir's, the brothers broke into groups and visited one of four nearby locations: Hospitality House, a therapeutic community for chemically dependent men and women; Next Step, a recovery facility for chemically dependent women; Equinox, which provides programs and outreach for at-risk youths and families; and the Albany United Methodist Society, a human service agency of the Methodist Church.

Listening session

The brothers then regrouped and split into different groups to visit parishioners in the Center City Cluster. Brother Elias joined Brother Robert and Muriel Sowek, a parishioner of St. Casimir's, and visited her fellow parishioner, Joe Anziano. Over pineapple upside-down cake and coffee, Mr. Anziano spoke of his devotion to St. Jude, whom he credits with answering his prayers many years ago when he needed a place to live; he eventually bought the house that he still calls home.

A statue of St. Jude graces his living room, and statues of other saints decorate his backyard, which he describes as his "garden of saints."

Ministry

Iced tea and cinnamon rolls were the refreshments as the sisters and brothers discussed such topics as the needs of students at St. Casimir's School, the problems facing the neighborhood and the clustering process that is underway in the Albany Diocese.

There was a mutual admiration and understanding among these men and women religious, and their commitment to ministry was quite evident.

Pot luck

Pastoral council and staff members from the Center City Cluster parishes, as well as Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, attended the event, which featured a smorgasbord of ziti, chicken, sausage and peppers, and macaroni and cheese.

Again, the brothers sang grace before the meal, and they offered a song of praise afterward.

Final moments

They lined up two by two at the back of the church and processed down the aisle, singing "Let There Be a Feast," and then took their seats in the sanctuary.

Brother Elias greeted the congregation and thanked the Center City Cluster parishes for hosting the brothers and enabling them to participate in the ministry performed in Albany.

"The way you have led us into realities of hope, difficulty, struggle and challenge has been beautiful. We bring that back to Vermont as a treasure," he said.

Singing and dancing

After singing "Let All the Earth Proclaim," "Light of Salvation," "Come, Creator Spirit" and "Hear the Song of Your People," the brothers performed their dance. With hands on each other's shoulders, they moved in a circle, converging at the center and spreading out throughout the song, which drew applause from the congregation.

Bishop Hubbard delivered a final prayer and closing remarks, and the brothers ended with a recessional toward the back of church. There, they spoke with people in attendance, many of whom hugged or kissed them to thank them for their visit.

Touching time

As they encountered parishioners of the Center City Cluster and neighbors in the area, they lived out the words of a song they had sung earlier in the day for St. Casimir's students:

"Life is a journey/We travel together/Walking hand in hand/With our sisters and brothers."

(06-25-98) [[In-content Ad]]