Editor's Note

May 31, 2023

With the Easter Season in all its glory now complete, now minus some alleluias, life moves forward. But there is so much momentum still left. It may have been the recent feast of Augustine of Canterbury, combined with the dissipation of the pandemic, that led me back to a passage from Canterbury Tales: “Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende; The hooly blisful martir for to seke; That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.” I remember being surprised at how these verses deeply moved me – their plague, their many lost, their profound sufferings, all stated so simply: “whan that they were seeke.” I was similarly surprised and moved by this year’s student speakers, whom Br. Sixtus cites in this issue, who made sparse mention of the details of their pandemic experience, highlighting rather their gratitude, friendships, and personal growth. Their messages were intimate, simple, sincere. St. Augustine shepherded us into the Pentecost this year, which as Abbot Michael’s included homily notes, coincided with Commencement Day. I feel compelled to join our students in highlighting gratitude, as we turn the page on this academic chapter. After four years of navigating a complex crisis of health, to now breathe more deeply, with Graduation Day sighs that connect us to the very Spirit of God. And I marvel at how this extended monastic community was so successful, as our student speakers testified, in assisting them, “whan that they were seeke.” May God’s grace ever lead these pilgrims.

Peace,
Blake Billings