gather: Ss. Simon & Jude

Dirge cakes & mission

One joyful hymn of praise must greet
Apostles whom we always find
Together in the Gospel’s page,
By faithful love and zeal combined.

One Joyful Hymn of Praise Must Greet, from the Breviary, The Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK

For the past few years, I’ve hosted a Liturgical Life group. We’re a diverse gathering - of all ages, from a variety of denominations, learning alongside each other and working to graft the traditions of the liturgical calendar into our own varied circumstances.

The last week of October is always a bit of a whirlwind here - our pumpkin patch is open through Halloween, we’re hosting school tours, harvesting for our CSA, and getting ready for Hallowtide and birthday celebrations.

Extending that influence of Hallowtide a bit earlier - gathering to celebrate the feast of Saints Simon and Jude in community - has somehow helped to make the end of October feel a bit calmer here on the farm. Rather than feeling like ‘just one more thing’ added to an already-busy time, this gathering helped us to relax into a bit of a gentler approach to Hallowtide.

So, a group of wonderful friends braved the stormy weather to share dinner, celebrate Saints Simon & Jude, ponder missions, and grind some wheat for our feast-day Dirge Cakes (more on this cousin of soul cakes is below - as well as a tour of our Austrian grain mill!)

Here are a few glimpses from our evening…