"Miracles Happened All Over the Place" When California Monastery Burned to Ground
"In the midst of all this destruction, miracles happened all over the place. This is a cleansing by fire. We are stripping away the outward symbols that eternally rest in our hearts."
(Los Angeles, CA)—Before the devastating "Tea Fire" that destroyed hundreds of homes in Southern California this week, Mount Calvary Monastery and Retreat House in Montecito had stood somberly on a ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Now it is gone; a ruined, smoking heap of memories. Even so, the seven Benedictine Anglican monks who called the monastery "home" are finding comfort in the simplest of mercies.
According to a report in the International Herald Tribune, a few items from the monastery escaped the flames: two small artists' studios near the main building, a painting, a cello, some laptops, a cashbox, a telescope, and changes of clothes.
"In the midst of all this destruction," said Brother Joseph Brown, "miracles happened all over the place. The feelings right now are difficult to describe. One of the hazards of monasticism throughout the centuries is we become attached to what we have or where we are. This is simply a reminder that what we are called to is not our stuff. This is a cleansing by fire. We are stripping away the outward symbols that eternally rest in our hearts."
The report noted that currently the monks are praying about whether to rebuild in the same location nor not, and if so, how to go about it.
