Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 8th September 2023
Abbot Paul • September 7, 2023
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary. In ancient times, many of the churches dedicated to Our Lady were, in fact, dedicated to her Birth. Near Belmont, the magnificent medieval church at Madley was dedicated to her Nativity, as were the Cistercian abbeys at Tintern and Abbey Dore. This coming Sunday at 3pm, Vespers will be sung at Tintern by the choir of Newport Cathedral in honour of Our Lady’s Nativity. Lockdown years apart, for twenty years or more, Belmont monks have been taking part in this ecumenical service in honour of Our Lady of Tintern. Everyone is welcome to join us again this Sunday.
The Gospel chosen for the feast comes from Matthew, (Mt 1: 18-23), and recounts how Jesus, her Divine Son, came to be born. Yet, the Incarnation must surely begin with the Immaculate Conception and Nativity of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and end with her glorious Assumption and Coronation as Queen of Heaven.
“This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’”
Today we ask our Blessed Mother to pray for and protect all our loved ones, our families and parishes, the faithful departed and all who need her prayers. May she also pray for world peace, especially for a lasting and just peace in Ukraine.
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.
