Monastery News

Annual Golf Tournament - Monday, June 3rd

The 2013 Glastonbury Abbey Annual Golf Classic and Auction (our 14th!) will take place on Monday, June 3rd at the Hatherly Country Club in North Scituate. This event has become the biggest fund raiser for the Abbey - helping to support all the works of the Abbey.

Registration begins at 10:30 AM followed by lunch at 11:30 AM. Shotgun start at 12:15 PM. The Tournament field is limited to 144 golfers, accepted on a first-paid, first-served basis. A dinner with auction and awards begins at 5:30 PM. People are welcome to come just for the dinner - a fun evening with monks and friends (and these two categories are not mutually exclusive!). The registration deadline for the Golf Classic is May 18th.

We are currently accepting golfer/foursome registrations, donations of auction prizes, various sponsorships and straight donations.  For further information, please click here for a downloadable pdf brochure or contact Gillian on 781-749-2155 ext. 231.

Tickets for the dinner alone can be purchased through the Development Office. You can help by volunteering during the evening, joining our Golf Committee, donating an auction item, or being at tee or hole sponsor.

Once again, an amusing addition (perhaps not so much for the monks!) to the day is the Monk's Putting Contest, beginning at about 11:00 AM. You can place a bet on any of the monks. (Some monks are known to cheat, however.)

Special Lecture - Thursday, June 6th - Harvey Cox

The Glastonbury Abbey Institute (GAI) is happy to announce a special lecture by Harvey G. Cox, Jr., Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard University.

As a friend of the Abbey, Professor Cox has spent time with us on retreat and also has taken part in our Inter-faith Lecture Series. On Thursday, June 6th, he will speak on "The Monastery, the City, and the Human Future." The talk also represents the keynote address for a Harvard conference on Urbanism, Spirituality and Wellbeing.

In this lecture, Harvey plans to talk briefly at first about the vital role monasteries played in the history of Western Christendom, especially on our concept of what a community should be. then he will address the unexpected resurgence of interest and visits to traditional holy sites in our alledgedly post-Christian era. In this connection he will touch on the increasing popularity of pilgrimages (such as Compostela) as a fusion of spirituality, therapy, ecology, the history of church architecture and the mergence of a new and composite type of congregation.

The lecture will begin at 7:15 pm at the Abbey Conference Center (20 Hull Street, Hingham, MA). Admission is free and donations are appreciated. Do come an join us for a stimulating and insightful presentation.

Biennial Garden Tour - Saturday, June 22 - Gardens of Summer Delight

Glastonbury Abbey's second biennial Garden Tour, "Gardens of Summer Delight," will take place on Saturday, June 22nd, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This was a wonderful happening two years ago.

At the Abbey Center, you will find complimentary tea, coffee and snacks from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. A botanical art exhibition of acclaimed South Shore artists, including our own Ruth Ann Wetherby-Fratassio will be there too.

Then you can tour the Abbey grounds and its gardens -- the herb garden, the labyrinth in the woods, and the private Zen garden. Finally, you can tour five unique, private gardens at homes in Hingham and Cohasset. Tickets can be for $30.00 from May 18th to June 21st at the Abbey Bookstore. Tickets purchased on the day of the Tour are $35.00. A tour map is your ticket.

Election of New Abbot Forthcoming

The nearest instance that Saint Benedict comes to define a monk is when he says "...those who belong to a monastery, where they serve under a rule and an abbot" (RB 1.1).  The rule gives structure, tradition and a common vision.  The abbot gives a living guide and an interpretation to guide the monks in living the rule in this time and in this place.

In March, the Abbot President of the Swiss-American Benedictine Congregation gathered with the Glastonbury monks to discern whether we are ready to elect an abbot.  After four years with administrators, the monks are now ready to elect an abbot.

The election has now been set to take place on Saturday, June 29th, on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, when the Glastonbury monks will elect the third abbot in the Abbey's history.  Abbot President Vincent will return to preside at the election and confirm the elected into office.

Please pray for the monks in their time of decision and for the future of the monastery.  The Blessing of the New Abbot will take place on Sunday, August 11th, at a 10:00 a.m. Mass to be presided by Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM. Cap.