Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Dallas

06/02/2026

Here is a recent Texas Catholic column by Fr. Thomas on the hinge of the Hail Mary prayer: the name of Jesus!

Jesus is the pivot point of the Hail Mary prayer. In the original Latin text, the prayer consists of two parts, each containing 15 syllables. The first part contains the biblical witness of the Annunciation and Visitation; the second features the doctrinal affirmation of Mary as the Mother of God wh

02/13/2026

This year, Fr. James Lehrberger will celebrate his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination! To commemorate this wonderful milestone, we will have a special golden jubilee Mass on Sunday, February 22nd at 9am. A reception in our courtyard will follow. Everyone is invited to join us for this joyful occasion!

Fr. James was born in San Francisco on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1943. He first attended his parish’s grammar school, and then he went to one of the city’s Catholic high Schools, before attending the University of San Francisco and graduating with a B.A. in philosophy. In high scho...

02/06/2026

Father Thomas has written a novel, and it is available now for pre-order on the Ignatius Press website and on Amazon! "Blue Miles" is the fictional memoir of an old monk. The chapters follow the daily schedule of the monastery in which Padre Samuel, the main character, lives. He weaves his life story, which includes an orphaned childhood, alcoholism, and much perseverance in the midst of difficulties, together with anecdotes about the demands and mercies of his community.

Ignatius Press, founded by Fr Joseph Fessio, SJ is a Catholic publishing company specializing in the translations of great theologians like Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac, Adrienne von Speyr and modern philosophers like Peter Kreeft along with gre...

01/29/2026

Here is Fr. Thomas' first column in a new series of reflections on the Hail Mary prayer!

St. Luke gives us the angel Gabriel’s annunciation greeting to Mary as “Chaire, kecharitōmenē” (Lk 1:28). There are thrilling grammatical and theological mysteries packed into these two Greek words.

01/21/2026

Fr. John's latest Texas Catholic column is up. He recently read a novel that is a favorite of multiple recent Popes, and he has some great musings about it!

I recently enjoyed a wonderful apocalyptic novel, “Lord of the World,” by the British author and priest, Robert Hugh Benson. I was excited to read this book because I learned that recent popes (such as Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV) have spoken about it as a prophetic reflection of our time

12/29/2025

Fr. Thomas has a reflection on the light of Christ in the winter darkness. Merry Christmas to all!

The days are darkest in late December. Our calendar year ends with the briefest appearances of sunlight. The wintry chill that covers so many lands, the leafless trees, and the absence of flowers and plants all provide a hint of death at work in the sleeping earth.

12/24/2025

Merry Christmas!
Midnight mass tonight begins with the Divine Office at 11:20 PM.