On 15 April, Luang Por Pasanno and a small contingent of monks and lay supporters went to visit our nearby neighbors, the community of monks at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery, also known simply as Mt. Tabor. Photos from the Mt. Tabor visit The group was warmly greeted by the Mt. Tabor Abbot, father Damian, who led us on a tour of the monastery including their beautiful church and outdoor precessional shrine. We were treated to an exposition and all-too-brief overview of the icons and iconography involved in the altar, dome, and walls of the church. Father Damian is a master iconographer and his lyrical explanation of the symbology unders...

I'm experiencing a very worldly delight in non-involvement, non-responsibility. It's very lovely to be visiting and not having to feel responsible for making all the threads come together. But, it's also important, and the thing I like to reflect on a lot, that the complications that are difficult are not the external ones, like the logistical nightmares of the work monk. It's more the logistical nightmares inside, that are the real troublemakers. It's always good to bring that to mind. It's not the external complications that really make the essential difference but the way we pick t...

In mid July of 2013 we began phase 1 of construction to the new Reception Hall. Ideally, starting construction work in April is preferred; starting in July was a bit risky as we feared early fall rains would cause delays and create a messy work environment. Our contractor assured us he could get the job done, so we proceeded. Little did we know rain was not going to be a problem. All of this work was completed on time, the work was well done and it all came in at, or under, budget. Here is a brief list of all the items we completed in phase 1. structural foundations retaining walls ...