—'Let all guests be received as Christ.'
Rule of St. Benedict
In 1947, Trappist monks from an Abbey in Rhode Island bought the Valley Dude Ranch and formally established a monastery in on the property in 1948. The Trappists moved to Oregon in 1955 and sold the property to Benedictine monks from St. Benedict's Abbey in Wisconsin who ran the monastery until 1985. Today the Monastery is 1,200 acres that sits on the Pecos River and is now a Benedictine Olivetan Monastery.
I attended a Charismatic Catholic retreat at Pecos Monastery from September 18-21.
The monastery currently has almost a dozen community members - several monks, a nun, a few oblates in residency, minou the cat, and sophia the dog. Father Aiden is the current elected Prior. They are very gracious to their guests that stay for retreats. They provide 3 meals a day and they have individual rooms for guests. The center is open as a retreat center The Monastery, though Catholic, is open to all faiths and disciplines for retreat purposes. They have multiple services every day, the schedule varies depending on the day of the week. Most days, they have Lauds at 7am, Holy Mass at 7:30am, 12pm Midday Prayer, Rosary at 4:30pm, Vespers at 5pm. Some days there is Compline, Vigils, or Confession in the evening. Lauds, Vigils, Vespers, and Compline are different Catholic Prayer services.
This Monastery is governed by the Rule of Benedict (RB) which constitutes the basic guide of monastic life. Written in the sixth century the Rule was followed by thousands in monasteries in Europe during the early Middle Ages. "It is written for ordinary Christians who wish to immerse themselves in a pattern of living in which the life of Christ can be lived out with understanding and zeal. Monastic communities accept it as their basic inspiration even as they mitigate it, supplement it, or adapt it to the living conditions of today." ~ The Order of Saint Benedictine.
One of the Monks, Father Sam, is 90 years old and has been a monk since 1957. He has a True Cross artifact he blessed all of the items guests had. A True Cross Artifact that has a sliver of what is considered the be from the True Cross.
Normally in Catholic Churches, communion is reserved only for baptized Catholics. The monastery states in their information publication that what they require to receive Holy Communion is:
1. Be a baptized Christian
2. Share the Catholic understanding of the Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
3. Be properly disposed in Heart and Mind.
I really was not sure what #2 meant, so I just went up and received a blessing from the Prior.
The first mass I attended Father Aiden's sermon spoke of the loyal women followers of Jesus and how important a role they played in the early years of Christianity. The second Mass, Father Aiden shared his personal testimony of conversion. How his recent medical condition brought him even closer to God and renewed his faith again.
Thank You Pecos Monastery for graciously accepting me into the Community for the Weekend Retreat!
The Episcopal Church is a protestant Reform denomination that originated from the Church of England. The Church of England split from the Roman Catholic church in the 17th century, when the Pope refused to annul the marriage of the then King of England - Henry VIII. The church however still had to submit to papal authority until the Queen Elizabeth I era, when that decision was reversed. When Britain began colonization, the Church of England spread to all continents. As a successor to the Church of England, the movement in the American colonies became known as Episcopal/Anglican and was formalized in 1789 in Philadelphia. 
Episcopal faith is considered 'catholic' by ritual and liturgy and 'reformed' by application of theologies. Both men and women, including those who are married, are eligible to be ordained as deacons, priests, & bishops. Episcopalians do not forbid the sacraments to those who have been divorced. They use the Book of Common Prayer in services. 
The standard liturgy prayers were conducted and then there were readings, which was a group effort - different passages were read by members that were sitting throughout the congregation. Fr. Raney's sermon focused on Fathers. He talked about the relationship we have with our heavenly father and how it is often similar to the one we have set up with our Earthly father. If our father was loving, then it is a loving relationship. If our father was stern and distant than often so too is our relationship with God. He encouraged us to not let the shortcomings of our parents, dictate our perception of and relationship with God. 
The Methodist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination with an emphasis on practical Christianity. It has roots back to 1739 in England and is based on the teaching of John Wesley. In 1968, different factions of the Methodist movement joined together to form what is now The United Methodist Church. 
They'll know we are Christians by our Love
I also loved that they had a man in a cart after the service offering to transport people to their car if they needed assistance. 
