Work has begun on Retreat Center
Francis Kline Chapel
Work has begun on the St. Francis Retreat Center and the Father Francis Kline Memorial Chapel which will be located on the site of the former St. Anthony Guest House. A blessing of the construction site will be held on June 3, 2012 at 3 p.m. and the building should be completed by the end of this year.
The new Retreat Center, which will replace all of the existing guest houses, will have sixteen private rooms with private baths (two being handicapped accessible with an adjoining room in each case for a care giver), a library, offices for the Guestmaster and Spiritual Director, and a room for counseling/confessions. The Father Francis Kline Memorial Chapel will be a free-standing meditation chapel dedicated in memory of our beloved Abbot Francis Kline who died August 27, 2006.
W.G. Clark and his partner Josh Stanstny of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, are our architects and Hightower Construction Company, Inc. is our general contractor.
Dr. John Palms (former President of the University of South Carolina) and his wife Norma head the fund-raising efforts and participated in building committee meetings. Almost all of the funds to build this project have been raised. A significant portion of this amount came in as memorials for Father Francis Kline at the time of his death.
Commons
The building committee for this project has been meeting regularly over the past three plus years to design the new Retreat. Serving on the committee are Brother John and Brother Paul (Brother Stephen served for the first two years until health problems caused his resignation); Dottie Roddy, a friend of Mepkin’s and a Knoxville, TN. native who has spent her life in development and property management; and Bob Macdonald of Mount Pleasant, another friend of Mepkin’s who has served as the director of top museums in New York, New Orleans and other cities. Ted Fiddie, a Mepkin employee, who has had extensive experience as a contractor, is our Owner’s Representative and attends the meetings. Abbot Stanislaus is a frequent visitor at the meetings, and officers of the Palmetto Craftsmen company of Charleston, who have assisted our architect in costing the project, also have participated.
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Easter 2012
1st rdg Acts 10 34a;37-43 commissioned us to preach & testify
psalm Ps 118 this is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice
2nd rdg Col 3:1-4 seek what is above/life hidden with Christ in God
Gospel Jn 20:1-9 look - see - believe - understand
May God’s measureless love envelope us today as we celebrate Our Lord’s resurrection!
Whereas the saying ‘seeing is believing’ may be an apt adage for other occasions, this morning ‘not seeing is believing’ might be the better phrase. For it was in not seeing Jesus’ body in the tomb that the disciples’ belief grew, with the understanding that his body wasn’t there because He had risen. I am often drawn to reflect that we go looking for Jesus in the wrong places. He is not in the place of the dead – the cemetery – the grave – in lackluster faith or in the pretense of religious practice. Jesus is known in the midst of believers! Jesus’ ministry was marked by attending to folks who were not the stellar church goers, but they got down to believing on a very intimate level and their faith often had to do with the fact that they had wandered from the path of relationship with God or had grown indifferent to God and they were upended by the One who ultimately died a shameful death so that we all would wake up and smell the coffee.
Read More »Potato, Leek, Gruyere, Oyster Mushroom Gratin
Serves 10
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
- 1 pound oyster mushrooms, halved if large
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 4 large)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 ¾ cups canned low-salt chicken broth
- 1 ¾ cups whipping cream
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 ¾ pounds russet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds (about 8 cups)
- 2 ½ cups grated Gruyère cheese (about 10 ounces) Guoda works well too.
Mushroom and Rice Soup
Serves: 6
- ½ cup rice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¾ lb Oyster Mushrooms
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Columbarium Dedication June 17
Mepkin Abbey will dedicate its Columbarium site on June 17, 2012, at 5 p.m. More information to follow.
