Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Balmy Desert House Senior Ministry Community!
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December 30, 2024Presently our community consists of Paul Coury, Gary Ziuraitis, Bill Adams and Dennis Lee.We were graced to have Fr. Cruzito Manding from the Philippines with us for four months. He contributed his youthfulness and carpentry skills to repair the Merton library patio lattice work and some of the Stations of the Cross that had become deteriorated by weather and termites. Cruz is now returning to the Philippines and we are anticipating new permanent residents from the Denver Province in the Spring to bring our community back to full capacity.
Last September during the Provincial Chapter we were able to hold a brief “Open House.” A couple of car and van loads of confreres took the opportunity to tour our facility. Other confreres who have visited us, spending various lengths of stay, include: Canadian Fr. David Loesch, Mike McAndrew, Aaron Meszaros, and Bronx student Sean Wu. Redemptorist alumni Dick and Jennifer Bek, as well as Pat and Annette McKian, also dropped in for an evening of dinner and fellowship. Now that it is winter, you might want to escape the North. We have a well- equipped “casita” for guests but the “no vacancy” sign is already out till Easter. Our four hermitages are managed by the Redemptorist Renewal Center (RRC), but let us know if you want to join us for a few days or longer and we will make every effort to reserve one of them for you.
The past year has seen a lot of practical improvements to the property. The Merton Library is back in order and provides quiet lounge space to read, listen to music, and view the collection of videos and DVDs. Numerous zero- landscaping projects have reclaimed and beautified our desert property and made it easier to get around to enjoy its peace, serenity and contemplation. In the spirit of Advent, which calls us to “straighten and make smooth the way…,” we are looking forward to the approved repair of our long driveway to make it at least smooth, if not straight! That will help us with maintaining our vehicles’ suspensions. We asked Fr. Huy Vu, pastor of Santa Catalina, one of the parishes we assist at as requested, if we could ask his parishioners if they had any used golf carts they might want to donate. The response was overwhelming. We quickly received four golf carts in excellent condition. We gifted two of them to the RRC, and are enjoying the other two to make runs to the mailbox, drop off trash at the dumpster and for other needed maintenance trips around the property.Recently we honored Desert House’s past with a 50th anniversary celebration of Desert House of Prayer. People involved in its ministry with Fr. John Kane, Sr. Louise Margaret (Peg) Williams, C.PP.S, and Sr. Dorothy Ann Lesher, C.S.J. came for a chapel Mass and a reception in our Bernard Haring common room/dining area.
We are also planning a farewell celebration for Sr. Dorothy, who will be moving to her community residence in California in January. Sr. Dorothy and many of the former devotees of Desert House of Prayer have expressed happiness that the facilities continue to be used for a good and noble purpose.Our Senior Ministry model and evolving PCL calls for each confrere to manage his apostolic work according to his interests and energy. All of us are involved in various ways with assisting the parishes and ministries of the diocese, programs at RRC, and online and print ministries of Liguori Publications – but at our own pace and discretion. There are no corporate commitments. We also participate in the lay associate activities of our local groups. Our evening meals are provided by the RRC kitchen, and a cleaning crew comes once a week from RRC.
We attend to our other daily needs ourselves. We support each other by performing the various daily tasks of community living such as shopping, keeping the pantry and refrigerators stocked, keeping the common areas in order, setting the table, dish washing, emptying the trash, picking up prescriptions, driving a confrere to the doctor if necessary, etc. Our Senior Ministry model and evolving PCL also calls us to a community prayer life that brings us together for daily Mass and wide inner space to explore the serenity and contemplative opportunities the environment surrounding us offers. Personal recreational and hobby activities are encouraged to holistically enhance our lives.So, that is the current snapshot of senior life and ministry at Desert House. We thank the provincial governments of the past and present for bringing this opportunity into reality. It very much brings to life the spirit of our Denver Province Senior Ministry Policy.(Photos by Gary Ziuraitis.)