Before any petition rises from our lips, it is fitting that we should first attune our hearts in a spirit of gratitude. For the fatherly service of Father Abbot Eugene, for the life of this abbey, for the gift of so many vocations, for the daily sacrifice of the canons, for the generosity of our friends and benefactors, and for graces known to God alone, we give humble thanks.

We can claim none of these blessings as our own achievement. Rather, we receive all of them from the beneficent and generous hand of Providence. God, in His goodness, has done more than we could have asked, deserved, or accomplished by our own strength.

To give thanks is to stand truthfully before the Lord. It is to remember that every good thing comes from Him, and that the future of this abbey, no less than its past, rests securely in His loving care.

As these days of prayer begin, I ask you to join us in blessing God for all that He has made possible, and in entrusting St. Michael’s Abbey once more to the maternal care of Our Lady, Queen of the Norbertine Order.

For related novena videos and information about the upcoming abbatial election, visit here.