Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 21st November 2022
Abbot Paul • November 21, 2022
Today the Catholic and Orthodox Churches celebrate the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, the Mother of God, in the Temple. It is a feast based not so much upon the Scriptures as on the Protoevangelium of James, which scholars date before the year 200, and ancient Coptic Christian tradition. A very Eastern feast that spread into the West, it was celebrated in monasteries in southern Italy by the 9th century and gradually spread north and became popular in the Papal court at Avignon. It was introduced into the Roman Missal in 1472 and is undoubtedly one of the loveliest feasts of Our Lady that reflects the Presentation of her Divine Son.
Today, for us English Benedictines, it is the Dies Memorabilis, the special day on which, in the year 1607, the old English Benedictine Congregation, suppressed by Henry VIII, was restored through the person of Dom Sigbert Buckley, the last surviving monk of St Peter’s Abbey, Westminster. For us who live in Herefordshire, it’s interesting to note that the last abbot of Our Lady’s Monastery, Abbey Dore, became a Benedictine monk of Westminster at its restoration by Queen Mary Tudor in 1556.
The Gospel reading for the feast comes from Matthew, (Mt 12: 46-50).
“Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; they were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him. But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’”
Jesus does not criticise his mother in any way. Rather, he would wish that all his disciples could be as obedient as Mary to the word of God and his will expressed in that word. At the Incarnation, she uttered the words, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.” She is the first and the very model of one who, ”does the will of my Father in heaven.”
I attach a photograph of Adoration in the abbey church yesterday, feast of Christ the King.
Abbot Brendan Reflects on Pope Leo's words to the Benedictines worldwide
July and August 2026: 3 workshops let by Fr Alex Echeandia, Prior of the Monastery of Lurin
9th to 11th January 2026 A weekend for young men to experience the monastic life and join in the prayer and life of the community.
28th November at 6.45pm You are welcome to join an informal service for healing prayer on the last Friday of November. No need to book.
Sat 13th December, 10.00am-12.30am We are delighted that the acclaimed Cistercian writer, Fr Michael Casey will be with us in December.
Monday 1st to Thursday 4th December 2025. Our first Advent retreat in our newly opened guesthouse
Good Shepherd, Good Priest “I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.” Those words, spoken by the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel, describe the heart of God, the Good Shepherd — but they also describe the life and ministry of a good monk and priest. They could well be written of Fr Stephen’s years of service as a pastor in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford, and Weobley. In each of those places, he shared in the Shepherd’s work: seeking out the lost, binding up the wounded, strengthening the weary, and leading God’s people with quiet faithfulness. And like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came close to his people, Fr Stephen did not serve from a distance. He knew his people; he was among them. He shared their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments. He bore their burdens with prayer and patience he brought the joy of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments. His mission amongst us is complete. He has served God’s good purpose. So today we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to take Stephen on his sacred shoulders and carry him home to the house of the Father. Bind up his wounds, give him eternal rest and lead him at last to the green pastures and still waters of eternal life.
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.