Community of the Holy Spirit
in this newsletter . . .
Holy Week and Easter at CHS
Progress on the New "Green" Convent
Spring Has Sprung at Melrose/Bluestone Farm!
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Dear friends,


A blessed Eastertide to you all!  We hope this month's newsletter finds you well, and we hope you are enjoying spring, the awakening of colorful plants, and the returning of songbirds.  

Peace,

The Sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit
www.chssisters.org

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Holy Week and Easter at CHS

Easter altarThe Community observed Holy Week in many ways: in the city, we attended services at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for Maundy Thursday, and observed Good Friday and Easter at St. Michael's. 

At Melrose, we sang Lamentations (First Nocturn) at Tenebrae, joined in foot-washing on Maundy Thursday, learned about and listened to the St. Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach, and observed the Easter Vigil, which began before dawn. 

Although apart on Easter Day, we were together in spirit, as we rejoiced "Alleluia, Christ is risen indeed!" Holy Week and Eastertide are an intense passage, and we are grateful that our monastic life allows us to mark each day, to anticipate and to dwell, and, at last, to let our voices and hearts soar.

Onward and Upward!

Sr Faith Margaret looks down from the fourth floor
Work continues apace at our new convent in the city.  In this picture, Sister Faith Margaret is looking down from the fourth floor onto the chapel roof.  Our dreams are becoming a reality, brick by brick, floor by floor.  For more pictures of the new building, please visit our website's "Photo Galleries" section.

We ask you to please keep all the construction workers and their safety in your prayers as they go into the latter stages of this project.


Spring Has Sprung

Peas climbing pea fences
At Melrose/Bluestone Farm, we planted peas on March 17th--and now they are rising up, singing!  We are growing shell peas and snap peas for fresh eating and freezing, and soup peas for drying. 

Pictured here is one of the gardens dedicated to growing a variety called "Amplissimo Viktoria," which is a Ukranian dry soup pea that is high in protein and stores well, making it a perfect staple crop. We call them "Vik Amps" for short!  After the peas sprout up out of the ground, we install pea fences to give them a little trellis to climb. Soon these fences will be covered in green.

Meanwhile, we're planting kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and other members of the cold-tolerant Brassica family. These are all under lightweight cloth "row covers" to protect them from the elements, but we'll be able to share pictures soon enough!