Dear Friends of Clear Creek,
On this ancient and glorious solemnity of the Assumption, I wanted to bring you up to date with respect to recent developments at our foundation in Oklahoma. We seem to have reached a critical point in the history of the American monastery, and I thought you would be interested in knowing a little bit about it all. It is, we believe, a special hour, a time for prayer and a time for action, a very special moment of the grace of God.
To tell the truth things continue to go very well for the monastery at Clear Creek: the community now counts twenty-five and we hope to admit two new Postulants in the near future. The community will thus have more than doubled in less than five years.
One fourth of our construction project has been completed already, to our great satisfaction. The first stone, blessed by Bishop Edward J. Slattery on November 21st of last year, is now enclosed in the finished crypt of the church. The architect’s plans are complete, as is most of the work of various engineering consultants. Our well has been dug, electricity has been led to the site, and a good road now leads to the future monastery over the stone bridge we all admire. We were obliged nevertheless to halt construction last Spring for lack of sufficient funds for the next stage of construction work. This came as no real surprise, as we more or less expected that at some point work would have to pause, at least for a few months.
As always, the history of the physical buildings follows closely upon that of the spiritual structure, the community of souls. While the monks of Clear Creek move out of what one might call the “golden age” of the infancy of their very first years in Oklahoma and into their “adolescence”, so too the buildings, well founded upon the first stone must go upwards like any living thing. The walls must rise and a roof must cover them. For the first five years we were putting our roots down in Oklahoma; now the tree must soar upward toward Heaven. “Justus ut palma florebit: sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabitur in domo Domini, The just shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Lebanon in the house ofthe Lord.” (Psalm 91)
I know we can count on your help in this important stage of our development. Enclosed with this letter is a flyer giving some interesting details about our capital campaign, which is being conducted by a wonderful team of friends who have volunteered to help, under the guidance of professionals. The flyer includes suggestions as to various ways in which you might help us. We need both contributions and pledges in order to complete construction of our church and residence building over the next two years. As ever, the foremost means of support is your faithful prayer for us.
May Our Lady of the Assumption, heavenly Patroness of Fontgombault Abbey, shelter all the friends of our American foundation, dedicated to that other beautiful mystery of her Annunciation, under her Immaculate and maternal mantle.
+ br. Antoine Forgeot
Abbot of Notre Dame de Fontgombault
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Dear Friends of Clear Creek,
On this ancient and glorious solemnity of the Assumption, I wanted to bring you up to date with respect to recent developments at our foundation in Oklahoma. We seem to have reached a critical point in the history of the American monastery, and I thought you would be interested in knowing a little bit about it all. It is, we believe, a special hour, a time for prayer and a time for action, a very special moment of the grace of God.
To tell the truth things continue to go very well for the monastery at Clear Creek: the community now counts twenty-five and we hope to admit two new Postulants in the near future. The community will thus have more than doubled in less than five years.
One fourth of our construction project has been completed already, to our great satisfaction. The first stone, blessed by Bishop Edward J. Slattery on November 21st of last year, is now enclosed in the finished crypt of the church. The architect’s plans are complete, as is most of the work of various engineering consultants. Our well has been dug, electricity has been led to the site, and a good road now leads to the future monastery over the stone bridge we all admire. We were obliged nevertheless to halt construction last Spring for lack of sufficient funds for the next stage of construction work. This came as no real surprise, as we more or less expected that at some point work would have to pause, at least for a few months.
As always, the history of the physical buildings follows closely upon that of the spiritual structure, the community of souls. While the monks of Clear Creek move out of what one might call the “golden age” of the infancy of their very first years in Oklahoma and into their “adolescence”, so too the buildings, well founded upon the first stone must go upwards like any living thing. The walls must rise and a roof must cover them. For the first five years we were putting our roots down in Oklahoma; now the tree must soar upward toward Heaven. “Justus ut palma florebit: sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabitur in domo Domini, The just shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Lebanon in the house ofthe Lord.” (Psalm 91)
I know we can count on your help in this important stage of our development. Enclosed with this letter is a flyer giving some interesting details about our capital campaign, which is being conducted by a wonderful team of friends who have volunteered to help, under the guidance of professionals. The flyer includes suggestions as to various ways in which you might help us. We need both contributions and pledges in order to complete construction of our church and residence building over the next two years. As ever, the foremost means of support is your faithful prayer for us.
May Our Lady of the Assumption, heavenly Patroness of Fontgombault Abbey, shelter all the friends of our American foundation, dedicated to that other beautiful mystery of her Annunciation, under her Immaculate and maternal mantle.
+ br. Antoine Forgeot
Abbot of Notre Dame de Fontgombault
