Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 20th June
Abbot Paul • June 19, 2022
Yesterday we were blessed to celebrate First Holy Communions at Belmont, seven delightful youngsters, who had faithfully completed the course. It was a joy to welcome them into the fellowship of communicants, where they join their parents, families and friends. The church was filled to overflowing with thirty guests coming from Poland alone. Afterwards there was a party for the first communicants in the parish centre. I’m deeply grateful to our catechists and to those who helped in any way.
Also yesterday the monastic community travelled down to Cardiff to sing Vespers at the Cathedral to welcome Archbishop Mark O’Toole to the Archdiocese and to bid farewell to Archbishop George Stack. Vespers was sung in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and ended with Benediction. You can watch the service on the cathedral website. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there because of the first communions and then travelling down to South Wales to visit my mother, who today returns home from respite care. I will be accompanying her. Archbishop Mark is being enthroned today. Do keep him in your prayers as he is also being installed as Bishop of Menevia on Thursday.
Today in England we keep the feast of our first saint and martyr, St Alban, to whom in Wales we add Saints Julius and Aaron, also martyrs. May we, like them, bear witness to Christ by valiantly living our faith in a spirit of martyrdom. Our Gospel passage for today follows our reading of Mathew’s Sermon on the Mount, (Mt 7: 1-5), where Jesus asks his disciples not to judge others. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” And why? Because we often exaggerate others’ faults, yet do not recognise our own. We can be quite hypocritical when it comes to judging or criticising others. Jesus says, “Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own?” Lord, may we take your words to heart and stop looking too closely at others’ faults. Surely our own faults are enough to cope with!
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.
