Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 30th September 2022
Abbot Paul • September 29, 2022
I’m on my way back to Belmont. I’ve survived the hair raising car trip to the airport, the somewhat chaotic check in, security and immigration hurdles and I’m now sitting in a relatively quiet area, waiting for the lounge to open after fumigation, so I can write this message and say Vespers before boarding the flight to Paris. Everyone is wearing masks, as in all public places in Peru, including churches and supermarkets. All things considered, it’s been dead easy so far and I enjoyed the drive close up to the Pacific Ocean. It’s a bright sunny day, only the second since Spring began on 23rd September. This was written yesterday afternoon about 4 o’clock Peruvian time.
Today we keep the feast of that great ascetic, scholar and translator of the Bible, St Jerome. We remember our own Abbot Jerome, founder of the monastery in Peru, a man of scholarship and prayer. Our Gospel reading comes from Luke, (Lk 10: 13-16), in which Jesus laments for two towns that would not open their hearts to his teaching, or even to his miracles. “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida!” Had such things been said and done in Tyre and Sidon, their inhabitants would have believed and been converted. The same goes for Capernaum, another town of unrepentant sinners! He says to his disciples, “Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.” We pray that we may never reject Jesus or his heavenly Father who sent him to us as our Lord and Saviour, Brother and Friend.
Br Meinrad and Br Gildas attend a special service with the Benedictine community of St Paul's Outside the Walls with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Honesty and Love Before God: Pharisee and Tax Collector; Pope and King - a homily by Abbot Brendan for the 30th Sunday of the Year.
We are sad to announce that Fr Stephen died on Monday 21st October 2055. He was 94. He died peacefully in hospital, having recently fractured his shoulder. He was a beloved member of the monastic community, who had settled back at Belmont after many years on Belmont parishes, including in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford and Weobley. He will be much missed. His Requiem Mass will be at Belmont on Wednesday, 5th November at 11.30am followed by burial in the monastic cemetery. The Reception of his Body into the Abbey Church will take place on Tuesday, 4th November, at 5.45pm.
With honoured guests we were delighted to open our doors again of our new guesthouse and conference centre: The Chapterhouse.
"A hymn to the human body." Abbot Brendan's Homily at the annual Mass celebrated at Rotherwas Chapel in Hereford that dates from the 1580s on the feast of the Assumption.
From Francis to Leo: A special event with Christopher Lamb of CNN in conversation with Austin Ivereigh who commentated for the BBC on the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo.
On 12th June an Ecumenical Service was held at Hereford Cathedral to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.
