Holy Ground 2

The new addition is a recreation of The Chapel in the Woods, the Esopus version (pretty accurate) to the improvised chapel under a tree  where the fledgling brothers prayed and St. Marcellin celebrated Holy Mass on a dresser while the construction of the Hermitage was taking place.  This grove in Esopus was cleared by volunteers from various Marist Schools, Marist Alumni and  Brothers...  Being there was like going back in time and space to the banks of the Gier and experiencing "God in the raw":  in the falling colored leaves, the wet smell of Fall, the sunlight penetrating the morning fog and branches with swords of light. It helped our Encounterites experience the simplicity which is one of our Marist characteristics, as well as the power of God present in nature.  No doubt, it was one of the factors that drew these young, seekers from their imagined "atheism" or "agnosticism" into the Encounter with one another and ultimately, with Christ, the goal of the retreat.  Friendships grew from Thursday till Sunday, giving students assurance that they are indeed loveable and capable of loving others and that God can be part of their "social lives" as these relationships blossom.  Indeed, our chapel in the woods is a new and effective piece of "holy ground" where the feet of generations of holy ones have walked and new generations find their way.
Bro. Rene