Beach Music

Am in Florida at the beach with family. Really nice, peaceful, and
restful. People are having a turtle watch. I believe it is a cult of
"turtle people" who came out last night as the orange moon ascended over
the ocean. Do turtles only come out on a beach during a full moon?

Abbey of Gethsemani - An Invitation

Jonathan Montaldo operates as the director of the Bethany Spring Retreat Center. On December 10, 2004, he wrote a poem describing the call of the Abbey of Gethsemani to those on a pilgrmage. December 10, 1968, was when Thomas Merton passed away. Thus it is a tribute to him.

Abbey of Gethsemani

This is a good introduction to the Abbey of Gethsemani. It features Bro. Rayfield Pendergrass. Bro. Rayfield passed away a year ago. One of the first things I did when I got at the Abbey this week was to go out to his gravesite. He was the first monk I ever met there. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan and was disappointed when KMOX quit broadcasting the games, making it difficult for him to follow the Cardinals.

Bethany Spring - Near Abbey of Gethsemani

Bethany Spring is the Merton Retreat Center near the Abbey of Gethsemani. It is located about 1 mile away and is an excellent facility. I stayed there for 2 nights this week and enjoyed the facilities. If you can not get into the Abbey this is a good place to stay. Jonathan Montaldo is the Director of the facility and the following is a short video of him describing the facility.