From the Monastery

Greetings from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert! This place is about as remote as any I've ever seen. And yet it is incredibly beautiful. Haunting.

The day began with a shuttle from an Albuquerque hotel to the Santa Fe campus of Ghost Ranch, one of the PC(USA)'s national conference centers. We passed a number of casinos (every tribe seems to have one), and I'm reminded of the risky nature of this week.

As I pull my bag out of the van, somebody says, "Hey Bill!" It's Rob Craig, director of Ghost Ranch. He gives me a quick tour of the Santa Fe site, kind of a retreat center that is a mere two blocks from the heart of the beautiful city. We swing by to pick up Sarah Cutler for lunch. A member of our Clarks Summit church, she has a great Indian restaurant in mind. It's great to see her. She is studying holistic health, and promises a massage if I'm passing through town again.

The Abiquiu campus of Ghost Ranch is stunning. A cowboy film with Val Kilmer is filming on the 20,000+ acre property, and it's no wonder why. It's almost an hour and a half north of Santa Fe, among some striking landscapes that famed artist Georgia O'Keefe once painted. After another good tour, Rob gives me the keys to his car and says, "See you in a week!"

The dirt road to the monastery begins about two miles away. It runs along the Ghost Ranch property for a while before descending into the Chama River valley. With a lot of recent rain, there's debris on the road. The one-lane road twists, turns, and bumps along for thirteen miles. It's a forty-five minute trip, mostly in second gear.

Just when I think I'll never get there, an austere sign suddenly appears. There is a muddy parking lot, and the guest house is right over the rise. My name is posted on the gate, and I'm assigned to Room 3. It's modest: small bed, desk and chair, wardrobe closet, and a crucifix. I hustle up to Vespers, joining up with two ladies who point me toward the church. One of them is here to see her father, who joined the community after his wife died.

The service consists of chanted psalms and a few prayers. It's simple, beautiful, and mostly in tune. At the completion, a small man in a black robe scurries up. This is Brother Andre, the Guestmaster. He welcomes me and points me toward the hall where dinner is served. It's a small feast.

Following the meal, which we eat silently to the backdrop of a string quartet recording, we return to the sanctuary for the Compline service. It begins the "great silence" which will last until the next service -- at 4:00 AM. I pick up a battery-powered lantern, read for a little bit, and settle down to sleep at 10:00, telling myself that it's really midnight back home.