The Soroptimist Club invited Jerry Olenyn and Karla Johnston as its special guests to its February 22nd meeting at the Elks Lodge in Chico. 

 Mr. Olenyn, the director of development at the Abbey of New Clairvaux, updated the reconstruction of the medieval chapter house and shared the history of the abbey and monks.  The presentation was well-received by the approximately 60 women who were in attendance. Most of the women had been to the abbey, but hadn't visited recently.  They say they intend to take a formal tour of the grounds in the near future.

Civic organizations are encouraged to contact the Sacred Stones office if they'd like to have a presentation for one of their future meetings.  Call 530-839-9936 to arrange a date. 

Even though Master Stonemason Frank Helmholz is in Egypt working on The Luxor, construction on the chapter house at the Abbey of New Clairvaux continues.  Frank's crew is putting the finishing touches on the beautiful trans-vaulted ceilings.  Workers are putting insulation on the top of the ceiling and will soon put the electrical wiring through the floor.

News that the final stone was set into the chapter house has led some to believe that the project is finished.  But there is a long way to go before it will be open to the public and used for the spiritual needs of the monks.  "We still need to complete the atrium, landscaping, parking and restroom facilities," said Jerry Olenyn, the director of development at the Abbey of New Clairvaux. "Hopefully, we'll continue to receive the support of our generous donors to help us finish this project as quickly as possible."

The final stone in the reconstruction of the historic medieval chapter house at the Abbey of New
Clairvaux in Vina, California was put in place on Wednesday.  The stone was lifted onto the scaffolding where the stonemasons placed it inside the beautiful trans-vaulted ceiling.  

Work on the medieval Spanish monastery chapter house began in 2003 after the stones were rescued from
Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, where they had languished for nearly six decades.  The stones were originally carved out of the Guadalajara country side during the construction of the Santa Maria de Ovila monastery during the 12th century.  In 1931 the monastery was purchased by William Randolph Hearst, who planned to use the stones to rebuild his vacation villa near Mount Shasta, which had been destroyed by fire.

“It has been a long journey for these stones that began in 1994 when the stones arrived on pallets from Golden Gate Park," said Father Paul Mark Schwan, the abbot of the Abbey of New Clairvaux.  “To see the last of the stones being placed today is a very emotional moment for those of us who have watched and been involved in the reconstruction of the chapter house.  Every step of this journey has been one of faith,” he added.

More work remains before the chapter house will be open free of charge to the public, including the
flooring, atrium and landscaping.  Tours of the unfinished chapter house and monastery will continue.

Master Stonemason Frank Helmholz has finished his work for the spring on the Sacred Stones project at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina.  Frank, who spent nearly six months during his most recent stay in Vina, made great strides in completing the stone-by-stone reconstruction of a 12th century Spanish chapter house that uses original 800-year-old stones.                 

All of the arches are done.  “By the end of November we should have all of the ceiling stones finished,” said Frank,  who will leave that work to his 6-person crew.  Frank will return to Vina next spring to hopefully complete the entire chapter house.  Until then he will travel to Egypt to resume work on the Temple of Medinet Habu, dismantling,  restoring  and resurrecting one of the gates at The Luxor. 

The public is invited to visit and learn more about the stunning Sacred Stones project.  For a tour, please contact the Sacred Stones office at (530) 839-9936 or at sacredstones@newclairvaux.com. A $10 donation per person is requested to help complete the project.

ABC News out of San Francisco (KGO-TV) will air its special report on the Sacred Stones Project at the Abbey of New Clairvaux on Wednesday, September 14 during its 6 p.m. newscast.      

Word around the KGO newsroom is that it is one of ace reporter Wayne Freedman's best features.  If your'e not in the San Francisco viewing area, you can see it at abclocal.go.com/kgo.

ABC News out of San Francisco sent who Electronic Media calls "probably the premier local TV news feature reporter in the country" to Vina on special assignment to report on the Sacred Stones Project at the Abbey of New Clairvaux.  Wayne Freedman, who has won 51 Emmy awards and written the book It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at TV News Reporting spent two full days shooting and interviewing Father Paul Mark Schwan, Father Thomas X. Davis, Master Stonemason Frank Helmholz and others for an upcoming segment on KGO-7 news.  This report will mark the largest television audience that will see a story about the Sacred Stones, the Abbey of New Clairvaux and the 23 monks who live there.  The San Francisco television market includes Oakland, San Jose, Monterey and Salinas as well as other coastal regions.

The Sacred Stones Project has deep roots in San Francisco, where the stones languished for nearly 60 years before being sent to the Abbey of New Clairvaux for the reconstruction of the chapter house of the Spanish monastery Santa Maria de Ovila.  Freedman spent much of his time interviewing Father Thomas, who at 21 years old, first saw the stones in Golden Gate Park in 1953.  Father Thomas made it his mission to bring the stones to Vina, which he did after becoming the abbey's abbot.

Freedman says he's not sure the date of the segment's broadcast.  But as soon as we learn it, we'll let you know.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences nominated the PBS documentary Building the Great Cathedrals for two Emmy Awards. 

The documentary includes the architectural beauty and craftsmanship of the Sacred Stones project currently being constructed at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, California.

Building the Great Cathedrals was nominated for Outstanding Science and Technology Program and for Outstanding Cinematography.   “It’s a very engaging documentary,” said Abbot Paul Mark Schwan, OCSO, the Abbot at the Abbey of New Clairvaux. “It’s an honor to be a focal point of such an esteemed broadcast.”  The awards ceremony is September 26, 2011 at the Time Warner Center in New York City.        

The Abbey of New Clairvaux celebrates its 56th birthday on July 2nd. The Abbey was established in 1955 when monks from the Abbey of Gethsemani sought to begin a foundation in California. The monks live an austere contemplative life of penance and  prayer on behalf of the reparation of sins. Their order is called Cistercians of the Strict Observance.  The setting is extremely quiet and the monastery is completely hidden behind a wall that separates the guest and extern quarters and the monastic enclosure. There is very little interaction between the monks and retreatants; however, guests are welcome to join the monks in the chapel to chant the Divine Office seven times per day, beginning with Vigils at 3:30am and ending with Compline at 7:35pm.

Despite record-setting high temperatures, work has resumed on the Sacred Stones project at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina.  Temperatures reached 100 degrees in Vina during the third week of June, but Frank Helmholz and his crew continued work on the ravishing vaulted ceilings, which hopefully will be completed by early next year if not sooner. 

 

Work has resumed on the Sacred Stones project at the Abbey of New Clairvaux, as Master Stonemason Frank Helmholz returned to Vina in late May.  Frank spent the last few months in Egypt working on the temple of the Luxor.  His primary focus through November will point upward.  The arches, which are already ravishing in their partly-finished state, will take on greater beauty.  Besides the arches, Frank and his 6-man crew plans to set the springer stones.