What can I say? It's been several weeks since New Year's and yet my experience at the monastery remains with me. What I was hoping would be a camping trip turned into a retreat.
We left Tucson around sunrise in order to get to the 10:30 mass. My wife didn't know what to think of the place when we arrived. Kind of dry and scruffy and barren of people. In the absence of any soul with any kind of authority we threw caution to the wind and parked our trailer in the mostly empty RV park.
A resident drove by and said hi. He told us mass wasn't said at the monastery anymore, we had to drive to a nearby community if we wanted to go. Undeterred, we headed out to the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
We arrived just before 10:15. The chapel was intimate and tiny, but has everything a good Catholic church should have including beautiful rosaries tucked into place under the chairs where the missals should go. The chapel was fairly well occupied, a phenomena give our remote location and we had no priest.
At 10:15 am a bell rang and the oblates began their midday prayers. We weren't sure what to do, we just hung on for the ride.
Mass was celebrated. An elderly priest from up north came to be with us. He reminded me of my own pastor. He preached about families and it all came from his heart and is was all very Catholic and very sweet.
After mass, although there was an opportunity to gather for fellowship, the locals pretty much kept to themselves, which was fine. My wife tracked down someone so we could pay for our space, and then we headed out for other adventures in southern Arizona.
New Year's morning I awoke to the sounds of White-winged Doves (I've lost control!) and the rising sun shining upon the enormous cross that rises above the monastery. Naturally I spent the morning traversing the grounds contemplating the birds I encountered.
We met the RV park host and her friend that morning. They had arrived late in the night from Iowa. She was an oblate and her friend was a third order Franciscan. He had a lot of history with the Diocese of Tucson. It was really interesting talking to him.
That was the thing about being at the monastery. While being quiet and prayerful is expected (I was even starting to take offence at my wife's prattling as she followed along behind me on my bird walks) you're also in community, and what I found is like minded souls that can speak openly about their Catholic faith. The oblates and retired religious who have found a home there have also found a refuge for their Catholic faith. I liked it. It reminded me of my pilgrimage to Lourdes. You're surrounded by so many elements and reminders of the faith but most especially the faithful, the pilgrims from all over the world that are responding to the same call as you are.
And, as if this couldn't get any better, the monastery lies along the banks of the San Pedro river.
Behold! The St. Peter river!
