"Secret Harbour" blog

The Secret Harbour blog takes its title from some words of St Bruno:
Rejoice, because you have escaped the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world. Rejoice because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbor. Saint Bruno's letter to his sons the Carthusians
The sidebar gives the text in the original so here it is for all you Latin students:
Gaudete, quia evasistis fluctuantis mundi multimoda pericula et naufragia. Gaudete, quia quietam et tutam stationem portus secretioris obtinuistis. Ex Epistola sancti Brunonis ad filios suos Carthusienses
Jeffrey S.J. Allan, the blog author, writes from Bel Air, Maryland USA and posts on matters to do with prayer, contemplation and especially the Carthusians. There are some good Carthusian related pictures too.

I was at St Hugh's Charterhouse, Parkminster, today to give my theology class for the novices and simply professed. The numbers are down a little but for good reasons: two of my students are now engaged in more immediate preparation for their solemn profession and are excused the distractions of theology class. After class, I always join the community for Vespers at 3.45pm. At this time of year, it is almost dark by the time Vespers finishes at about 4.30pm so we sing the Carthusian version of the solemn Salve Regina in the dark. The custom is to sing the first words kneeling and then kiss the bookrest as a sign of penance.

Parkminster has its own website which has some good photos - including the one above.

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