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Rays of Light

February 8, 2020 | Community Service, Media

Cistercian Students, Fr. John Bayer, and Jason Joseph with Rays of Light Certificate
In February multiple students from Form III and Form V served at Rays of Light, and they were joined by teachers Fr. John and Mr. Joseph, who came with his family. They played with children, many of whom have special needs, and had a great time doing so! When the group from Cistercian showed up, Program Director Debbie Solomon presented them with a certificate for “outstanding community service” for the year. We’re honored by the certificate and grateful to be able to play with each other and with many new friends at Rays of Life. Serving with Rays of Light is a wonderful way to discover the simplicity and beauty of life. Students interested in joining the fun next time should check their MobileServe account.

Hawk Happenings

Serving in Costa Rica

Twelve of our rising seniors spent a week serving in Pejibaye, Costa Rica with the Diocese of Dallas. Accompanied by Fr. Augustine (their Form Master) and Fr. Raphael, our young men poured concrete, laid foundations, painted, and helped construct chapels alongside the...

Summer Programs 2025

Summer Programs have started at Cistercian! Sports Camps, Rec Camps, Academic Classes, and much more are designed to support the boys’ development as a whole person during the summer vacation.

Summer Programs at Cistercian

Summer Programs at Cistercian are more than books and sports; it’s also board games with monks. Fr. Philip joins the fun in “Board (not Bored) Games,” one of many classes offered June 9–27. Math, rec camp, and more still open for registration

Experience Cistercian

Publications

Continuum Spring 2025

Contents News & Notes The Impossible Dream Teaching God in Many Ways In Memoriam Sports Floating an Idea

Thy Kingdom Come

The more I reflect on the petitions of the Our Father, the more I’m convinced that I have no idea what I’m praying when I mumble those words multiple times every day.

The current object of my loving mystification is “Thy kingdom come.” In an effort to be slightly less intimidated by this vast and marvelous petition, I will arrange my musings as responses to the time-honored journalistic questions.

Lessons learned in a monastery

One of the most important rooms in a monastery, after the church, is the chapter room. This is the place where monks meet to do various things as a community: hear an exhortation from their abbot; listen to a spiritual reading (often a chapter from “The Rule of St. Benedict”); deliberate and vote on the important material and spiritual questions that arise in a monastery, such as who should be the abbot, whether to welcome a young monk as a permanent member of the community through solemn profession, and how best to structure their lives to promote God’s purpose.