Eastern Oklahoma Catholic July/August 2012 : Page 10
After years of celebrating Mass in what will eventually become a crypt in the basement, construction has progressed to the point that Mass is now celebrated in the abbatial church, albeit under a temporary roof. throughout this period of construction. Every day, the monks pray the Divine Of-fice, the official prayer of the Church, also known as the “hours,” and celebrate Mass in Latin and sung in Gregorian Chant. The monks also pray through their daily work. Offices of prayer are interspersed with the labor required to sustain them and make a living. In the approximately 1,000 acres at Clear Creek, the monks stay quite Monks tend to the vegetable garden that helps feed the 40 monks and occasional guests. busy. They ranch a few hundred head of sheep. They milk their own dairy cattle. They also own their own range cattle. These cattle are now pasturing in Montana be-cause of the drought conditions, but will return at some point. The monks have their own wood shop and metal shop. They take care of their electricity, plumbing, clothing and shoes. They have a vegetable garden, which gives them fresh produce. They make their own cheese. They have their own wood-burn-ing facility that provides a tremendous savings for them in heating bills. They also brew their own beer. They hope to make their own wine in the near future. The Abbot says they would like to be self-sufficient, but that is difficult in this culture. Still, they strive to do as much for themselves as possible. They are involved in a program of perma-culture, which is a branch of ecological engineering that teaches people how to take advantage of their own particular natural resourc-es. They learn how to manage water on 10 Eastern Oklahoma Catholic / July/August 2012 / www. dioceseoftulsa .org St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church Aug. 1 | St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop and
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