November 23rd, Last Day of the Year of Faith
Last year, at the beginning of the Year of Faith, I learned that many Bishops had designated pilgrimage sites within their Diocese. Those that visited during the Year could receive a plenary indulgence (if the other requirements were followed). Since I was not able to find any designated sites within the Diocese of Stockton, I looked at the Diocese of Sacramento's website and found a list of worthy sites. I had the pleasure of taking one of the options, a traditional, seven-parish pilgrimage in parishes in or close to downtown Sacramento (read about it by clicking here). One of the more intriguing options, was a Trappist monastery in a small town, Vina, just on the other side of Chico. The more I read about the monastery and things associated with it, the more interesting it became. I had tried more than once to arrange a trip there with others during the summer, but it never quite worked out. So, with the Year of Faith quickly coming to an end today, I had to put my foot down and decide to take the three-hour drive, with others or by myself, yesterday. But, I am getting ahead of myself. Instead of starting to explain about the wonderful day that I spent there in the company of two other dear friends, I need to explain what was intriguing about the abbey.
The abbey, Abbey New Clairvaux, was founded in 1955 by Trappist monks who had came across the US in search of a new site for a monastery. The site is located on the property which used to belong to Leland Stanford, who had built what was then (1880s) the world's largest winery (and we coming from the city of the current largest, Gallo). It is located outside of the very small town of Vina, which is 2o miles north of Chico. It seems an ideal location for a monastery, and the pastor of my parish, Father Mark, says that it was his favorite place for a retreat as a youth. The location, the set-up, especially with the newest additions, are perfect for a retreat, but more on that later.
It turns out that, in addition to being a great place for a retreat and a pilgrimage, the site is supported financially by Sierra Nevada Brewery, which is only 20 miles away. Wow! That seemed perfect! We could get a plenary indulgence from visiting the monastery and then go indulge at the brewery!
I had gotten a little down by not being able to go in the summer, but everything happens for a reason. The extra time allowed me to find out some more, very interesting things about the monastery.
As I read about the monastery at their website (click here to see it), I kept seeing Sacred Stones. Since I am a curious type, I wanted to know what it was all about, so I clicked on the link and found the story. It turns out that William Randolph Hearst, yes the one with the famous castle and founder of the San Francisco Chronicle, had purchased the stones of an abandoned 800-year-old, Cisterian monastery in Santa Maria Ovila, Spain, back in 1930. His intentions were to build another "castle" further north up by Mount Shasta, but the Great Depression and World War II got into the way, so they sat in a warehouse. He eventually donated them to the City of San Francisco to build a museum in Golden Gate Park. The stones were used for other purposes (you can see some in the Japanese Tea Garden, but for the most part continued in a warehouse for more than 40 years. They survived 5 separate fires and vandalism, until . . . . . . .
So, what connection do the stones from an ancient Cisterian monastery have to do with a Trappist monastery in Vina? Well, the Cisterians and the Trappist are the same order. So, when the abbot found out that there were stones from their order sitting in a warehouse, he started the process of getting them to come "home." After a lot of negotiation, he was able to convince city officials to donate the stones back to the monks.
After a lot of work and some help from generous donors, the stones were moved to Vina. Then the hard work of trying to rebuild an 800-year-old Chapter House. The monks brought in architects from Europe and used plans from the time of the original 11th century monastery. They ended up having to combine old stones with newly cut ones (because of the damage caused by the fires, vandalism, and just the years). Now, they have the shell of the Chapter House built with future plans of completing it with other construction. So, the pilgrimage was going to include a visit to now one of the 3 oldest buildings in all of the Americas (800-year-old stones). You can see a video about the story below. You can read more about the entire thing at the abbey's website or at their "Sacred Stones" website. Click on the word "website" to visit either one.
Click here to read the rest of my reflections about the actual pilgrimage.
It turns out that, in addition to being a great place for a retreat and a pilgrimage, the site is supported financially by Sierra Nevada Brewery, which is only 20 miles away. Wow! That seemed perfect! We could get a plenary indulgence from visiting the monastery and then go indulge at the brewery!
I had gotten a little down by not being able to go in the summer, but everything happens for a reason. The extra time allowed me to find out some more, very interesting things about the monastery.
As I read about the monastery at their website (click here to see it), I kept seeing Sacred Stones. Since I am a curious type, I wanted to know what it was all about, so I clicked on the link and found the story. It turns out that William Randolph Hearst, yes the one with the famous castle and founder of the San Francisco Chronicle, had purchased the stones of an abandoned 800-year-old, Cisterian monastery in Santa Maria Ovila, Spain, back in 1930. His intentions were to build another "castle" further north up by Mount Shasta, but the Great Depression and World War II got into the way, so they sat in a warehouse. He eventually donated them to the City of San Francisco to build a museum in Golden Gate Park. The stones were used for other purposes (you can see some in the Japanese Tea Garden, but for the most part continued in a warehouse for more than 40 years. They survived 5 separate fires and vandalism, until . . . . . . .
So, what connection do the stones from an ancient Cisterian monastery have to do with a Trappist monastery in Vina? Well, the Cisterians and the Trappist are the same order. So, when the abbot found out that there were stones from their order sitting in a warehouse, he started the process of getting them to come "home." After a lot of negotiation, he was able to convince city officials to donate the stones back to the monks.
After a lot of work and some help from generous donors, the stones were moved to Vina. Then the hard work of trying to rebuild an 800-year-old Chapter House. The monks brought in architects from Europe and used plans from the time of the original 11th century monastery. They ended up having to combine old stones with newly cut ones (because of the damage caused by the fires, vandalism, and just the years). Now, they have the shell of the Chapter House built with future plans of completing it with other construction. So, the pilgrimage was going to include a visit to now one of the 3 oldest buildings in all of the Americas (800-year-old stones). You can see a video about the story below. You can read more about the entire thing at the abbey's website or at their "Sacred Stones" website. Click on the word "website" to visit either one.
Click here to read the rest of my reflections about the actual pilgrimage.