Dom Bernard's Funeral

Abbot Brendan Thomas • September 11, 2020


Br Bernard’s Requiem will take place privately at 11am on Friday, 25th September, and will be live streamed on our website so that his family, our oblates and his many friends can join in spiritually with the community.


The Burial will follow at 12 noon.


At a later date, once restrictions are lifted, there will be a public Requiem and reception.

A large number of people have written to express their condolences with recollections from all different periods of Br Bernard's life. It is no surprise that there is such a response because he always had time for people and was willing to stop and have a chat. Someone sent this photo of him taken recently in church. It goes well with the following comments made by some other regular guests.

"We met him a few of times but he was always so cheerful, in a true northern sense, and left us feeling happy. The first time I met him, was on our first visit to Belmont shortly after the BBC broadcast about the monastic life. After an initial greeting he asked if we had met before, I told him no this was our first visit, but that I had seen him only a couple of days beforehand on the television.  With a face as straight as a die he said “Would you like my autograph?” 


As you can imagine for a moment I was completely floored and didn’t know what to say – I mean, was he being serious?  Was he joking?  For a moment I was completely panicked.  I don’t remember how I got out of it, but each time I think of him I am brought back to that moment but only with laughter and joy – no panic.  


"We will certainly miss him, for us he was a great character, very welcoming and very much a part of Belmont.  We always looked for him at prayer time, just waiting for him to appear and take his place, nothing more.  But there was a kind of reassurance that everything was normal when he came, rather like a child who when visiting family checks that everyone is there and finding it so, then relaxes, everything is normal and how it should be, nothing to worry about! And he was always around after Holy Mass ready for a chat. It was a great blessing to have met him and enjoy his company, I’m glad he was a part of our life albeit a fleeting one."  

That email, sums up for how we now feel at his passing from this life.

All that laughter, cheer and joy that he brought to the monastery.


But now, sadly, we look up, and he is not there. The empty chair. It is not normal. He is no longer there for a chat.  We feel his loss as so many do, as a loved one passes away.


We pray that he is on his way to God, and as St Thomas More puts it "we meet merrily in heaven."


Fr Brendan

By Abbot Brendan Thomas May 17, 2025
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB Bishop Mark died peacefully on 9th May. Reception of Body and Mass of Remembrance Friday 30th May, 11am, St Joseph’s Co-Cathedral, Swansea Requiem Mass & Burial Thursday 5th June, 12 noon, Belmont Abbey John Peter Jabale was born on 16th October 1933 in Alexandria, Egypt of mainly European heritage. His father was Lebanese/French, and his mother British/Greek/French. He attended the Lycée Français in Alexandria until 1948, when he was sent to England, having expressed a desire to join the Navy. He enrolled at Belmont Abbey School and, upon leaving school, joined the Abbey, taking the religious name Mark. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 July 1958. He was then sent to the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he obtained a Licentiate in French Literature, writing his thesis on Joseph de Maistre, the French counter-revolutionary. He later completed a Diploma in Education at St Mary’s, Strawberry Hill, where he also played rugby for the University. From 1964, he taught sport and served as a housemaster at the school. In 1969, he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School in Derbyshire, though he held that post for only half a term before being recalled to Belmont to serve as Headmaster there, a role he held—apart from a sabbatical—until 1983. From 1964 he was teaching sport and then was a housemaster in the School. In 1969 he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School, Derbyshire, but filled that post for only half a term. He was called back to Belmont to be Headmaster where he served, apart from a sabbatical, until 1983. Fr Mark was a rowing coach of considerable repute. During his sabbatical in 1979, he assisted Dan Topolski in coaching the Oxford crew for the Boat Race. His greatest coaching triumph came when he led a lightweight coxless four to a gold medal at the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Yugoslavia — the only gold medal won by Great Britain that year. The following year, he was invited to coach for the Olympics, but he declined in order to remain committed to Belmont. He was a steward of Henley Royal Regatta and was responsible for setting up and programming its first computerised systems. He was ahead of may in seeing the potential of new technology. In 1983, he was sent to Peru to purchase land and build a new monastery, which included raising funds in the UK. The new monastery was blessed, and the first Mass was celebrated there by the Archbishop of Piura, Oscar Cantuarias Pastor, in June 1986 together with Abbot Jerome, Fr Paul, Fr Luke, Fr David as well as Fr Mark. Dom Mark returned to Belmont as Prior and was elected the 10th Abbot of Belmont in 1993. He later wrote: “My first and most painful task proved to be the overseeing of the closure of the school.” Together with the bursar, John Hubert, he negotiated with the local NHS for the 4 houses to be leased to them. In 2000, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Menevia by Pope John Paul II and was ordained bishop in St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea, on 7 December 2000. He succeeded Bishop Daniel Mullins as the 10th Bishop of Menevia on 12 June 2001. During his episcopate, he held several important offices: Chairman of the Department for Christian Life and Worship, Trustee and Visitator of the three foreign seminaries — the Venerable English College (Rome), the Beda College (Rome), and the Royal English College (Valladolid). He was also Bishop-in-Charge of on-going formation for diocesan priests. Upon reaching the age of 75, Bishop Jabale submitted his resignation to the Holy Father on 16 October 2008 and was succeeded by Bishop Tom Burns. He then moved to Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and was inducted as Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in March 2009, a post he held until 2014. At the age of 81, he retired to Hendon in London, where he celebrated daily Mass at a local convent, assisted in various parishes, and continued to help with confirmations in the diocese. In October 2019, he moved to Archbishop’s House, Westminster, for nine months. Finally, he returned to Belmont in 2020 as a much-cherished member of the community. He described himself as “very happy.” He remained there until his death in Hereford County Hospital on 9 May 2025, aged 91. He had been a monk of Belmont for 73 years, a priest for 67 years and a bishop for 24 years. Please pray for the eternal happiness of Rt. Rev. Dom Mark Jabalé 10th Bishop of Menevia 10th Abbot of Belmont who died 9th May 2025 in the 92nd year of his age, the 73rd year of his monastic life and the 67th year of his priesthood. May he rest in peace
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