Message of Abbot Paul - Friday - 19th January 2024
Abbot Paul • January 18, 2024
Today in England we celebrate the feast of the great Bishop of Worcester, St Wulstan, deeply loved in his lifetime and ever since. How tragic it is that his shrine in Worcester Cathedral was destroyed at the Reformation, like so many others in England and Wales. He was born in Warwickshire in 1008 and died in Worcester, after serving as bishop since 1062, in 1095. His life spanned the eleventh century and he was the only English-born bishop to retain his see at the Norman Conquest, after which a programme of ethnic cleansing of all church and state leaders took place. A social reformer, Wulstan struggled to bridge the gap between the old and new regimes, and to alleviate the suffering of the poor. He was, of course, a Benedictine. He studied in the monasteries at Evesham and Peterborough before entering the monastery at Worcester Cathedral shortly after his ordination. We ask his prayers for the Church in England today, that we may have some share in his religious fervour and devotion, showing in practical ways that we are followers of Jesus.
​Today is the second day in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The more Christians allow themselves to be transformed by the Word, the closer they get to Christ and the closer they get to each other. Although it is my deepest desire to see the Churches of Christ come together in organic unity, I am also realistic enough to realise that it won’t happen in my lifetime nor in the lifetime of our children and grandchildren. Nevertheless, it’s true to say that we are closer today than ever we have been in the past and that this is the fruit of the ecumenical movement and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Jesus prayed for the unity of his Church, that all his disciples might be one as he and the Father are one. Let us make the prayer of Jesus our prayer too each day of our lives.
​Our Gospel passage today comes from Mark, (Mk 3: 13-19), and tells us of the appointment of the Twelve Apostles. This happened in some lonely place, where Jesus was alone with his disciples. “Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils.” It is from a larger group of disciples that Jesus chooses and appoints the Twelve and Mark tells us that they are to be his companions, those with whom he will share his bread, the symbol of life itself. Jesus will share his gift for preaching with his apostles and the power to work miracles, symbolised in the casting out of devils. It is with the Twelve that the Church comes into being. We are then given their names, the names of the Twelve Apostles: “And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.” We are told that to Simon he gave the name Peter (Cephas or Rock). To James and John, he also gives what we would call a nickname, but imagine being called Boanerges or Sons of Thunder. Whereas from now on Simon will be called Simon Peter or simply Peter by the others and by the evangelists and St Paul, we hear no more of that new name for James and John. As there is a second James, we are told the name of his father, Alphaeus, and of Judas Iscariot, the fact that he will betray Jesus. Hardly a group of readymade saints, this mixed crowd have already become that core group, those twelve pillars on which the Church of Christ will be built.
​Lord, we thank you for building your Church on the firm foundation of the Apostles’ faith. Give us that same faith and fidelity today, that we might share our faith with others and so bring all people to salvation.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB Bishop Mark died peacefully on 9th May. 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. Condolences came from Pope Leo XIV:
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
Pope Francis RIP Pope 2013-2025 Born 1936, Died 2025 We are deeply saddened at the passing of Pope Francis. As the successor of St Peter he has been a spiritual father and shepherd to the church in our day, challenging us, and calling as to reach out to those on the peripheries. He was the first Jesuit Pope, but took the name Francis after the Poor Man of Assisi who modelled for him a closeness to the poor, a concern for those on the margins of society and a care for all of creation In his preaching Pope Francis always spoke of the joy of the Gospel and encouraged us to reflect the joy of our faith in our lives. He showed the compassion of Jesus to everyone. He worked tirelessly for the unity of the church and travelled even to non-Christian countries promoting a message of peace. He has left a great legacy. With the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio with the community over Easter we were able to express our closeness to the Holy Father in his final suffering. There will be a special Mass at Belmont this Thursday 24th April at 11am to pray for Pope Francis as he makes his final journey to the house of the Father. On the day of his funeral, the Office of the Dead will be sung, and Mass that day will be a Requiem. May the angels lead him into paradise; may the martyrs receive him at his arrival and lead him to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive him and with Lazarus, the poor man grant him eternal rest." (The In Paradisum, words from the Funeral Liturgy)
We were were honoured and delighted to be joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to celebrate Easter. His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía is the representative of the Holy See in Great Britain, and therefore of the Holy Father. His presence on Easter Sunday morning brought us more consciously in communion with Pope Francis, the successor of St Peter, as we heard the Gospel story of Peter running to the tomb. His patron saint is St Michael, so afterwards, at a festive lunch we were able to present him with some Belmont cufflinks with the monastery coat of arms - very similar to his as Archbishop. We were able to pray for him and his work in this country.