Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 22nd August
Abbot Paul • August 21, 2022
Grave of St John Kemble
Message from Fr Paul for Monday, 22nd August 2022
Today the Universal Church keeps the feast of the Queenship of Our Lady, originally the Octave of the Assumption, but in Herefordshire, and so at Belmont, we keep the feast of our much-loved local martyr, St John Kemble, who was put to death on this day in 1679 at the age of eighty, after serving as a missionary priest in Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, where there were many recusant families. He was born at Sr Weonards and is buried at Welsh Newton. His cousin, St David Lewis, born at Abergavenny and a Jesuit, was put to death five days’ later and is buried at Usk. It is a tragic page in the history of our country that good, brave, holy and much-loved men should be put to death solely for being Catholic priests. We commend our nation and its peoples to their intercession today and pray for a portion of the faith that they shared and for which they were prepared to die.
In our Gospel passage today, we continue to read Matthew, (Mt 23: 13-22), where Jesus attacks the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He begins, “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to.”
There is nothing that Jesus hates more than hypocrisy. He says that the scribes and Pharisees are “blind guides,” for they encourage people to swear oaths that are neither necessary nor part of the Law. People should simply be encouraged to tell the truth and to say what they really think and know. Jesus wants nothing to do with cluttered and complicated religion, made up of a thousand minor laws and regulations. He calls us, rather, to follow him in obedience and love, keeping our hearts and minds focussed on God and his will for us. Everything else is superfluous and to no avail. Let us pray today for the gift of loving and serving God in purity of heart after the example of our great martyrs, Saints John Kemble and David Lewis. Early next week, in Herefordshire, we will also be celebrating Blessed Roger Cadwallador. Why not look up your own local saints and martyrs? There is so much to be learned from their lives. They have left us an indelible example of Christian faith.
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.
