Message of Abbot Paul - Monday - 29th April 2024
Abbot Paul • April 28, 2024
​Today we celebrate the feast of an extraordinary woman, St Catherine of Siena, who died on this day in the year 1380 aged just 33, exhausted by her vigorous fasting. Although always depicted in a Dominican habit, she wasn’t an enclosed nun but a lay associate of the Order. She was a mystic, a writer and a religious-cum-political activist, if that’s the right term. She was canonised on 29th June 1461 and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope St Paul VI in 1970. She is also a Patron of Europe. Catherine is one of the outstanding figures of medieval Catholicism, by the strong influence she had on the history of the papacy and her prolific writing. She was behind the return of the Pope from Avignon to Rome, and then carried out many missions entrusted to her by the Pope, something quite rare for a woman in the Middle Ages. Her Dialogue of Divine Providence, hundreds of letters, and dozens of prayers, also give her a prominent place in the history of spirituality as well as of Italian literature. She led a fascinating life from the moment of her birth until the Lord took her to himself. A good biography and immersion into her writings would be powerfully rewarding. She really is a most attractive figure.
​The short Gospel passage chosen for her feast comes from Matthew, (Mt 11: 25-30), those lovely words of Jesus addressed to his heavenly Father. “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Catherine was a mere child, just five years old, when she had her first mystical experience, a vision of Christ in glory. At the age of seven, she vowed to give her whole life to God. When in her teens, her parents wanted her to marry, but she refused, knowing that her vocation was to go beyond domestic duties and motherhood. Nor did she want to become a nun. She chose instead to live an active and prayerful life outside the convent walls following the model of the Dominicans. Just as the Father entrusted all things to Jesus, so she believed that God had entrusted her with an important mission, that of purifying and uniting the Church, and she wasn’t afraid to stand up and preach to the crowds or even to tell popes and princes what and what not to do.
​Jesus continues with words of encouragement and consolation, words that were the very basis of Catherine’s life of devotion and service. “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” Jesus invites us all, as he did his beloved servant Catherine, to come to him for rest and support. We all get tired and overburdened, but Jesus is always with us to support and carry us. Our lives can be fruitful in weakness as well as in strength, but we must learn from Jesus to be both gentle and humble, opening our hearts to him and offering him our lives. Catherine was an exceptional woman, but in many ways, she was also quite ordinary, like you and me. Let us never lose courage or hope and let us ask her to pray for us and our loved ones. Catherine shines brightly among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. She remains a greatly respected figure for her writings and political boldness to "speak truth to power," it being exceptional for a woman, at that time, to have had such influence in politics and on world history. We pray for such women today.
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.
Archbishop Mark O'Toole, of Cardiff-Menevia presided at the Requiem Mass for Bishop Mark, while Abbot Brendan conducted his burial. Cardinal Vincent Nichols preached a homily full of warmth and affection for Bishop Mark which is reproduced below.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB RIP Given at his funeral by Dom Alexander Kenyon Baby Jean Pierre (Mark) Jabale was born on October 16th, 1933, in Alexandria, Egypt. As he said, himself, his background could be considered “cosmopolitan”: his father was Lebanese / French and his Mother, British / Greek / French. He also reminded people that he wasn’t Egyptian. Through his mother, Arlette, he was related to St. Jean Vianney, so it was, perhaps, no surprise that he followed in his priestly footsteps. His father, Jean, was MD of Fiat and Simca cars Europe and, maybe surprisingly or not, he did love a car – not, however, Italian cars, but German; he loved his Audis. Perhaps we should begin today by remembering his mother and father, his brothers Christian and Paul and his nieces, here today, Aline and Nathalie and Isabelle and their families – they were so dear to him and he to them and I know they miss him enormously. Young Jean wanted to join the Navy and came to England, to Belmont Abbey school but the Lord had other ideas – he ended up joining the rather land locked monastery, our dear, late Fr. Raymund opining that he wouldn’t last a month. After a rather uninspiring course of priestly studies (his words, not mine) he studied for a Licentiate in French literature in Fribourg, then a Dip Ed at Strawberry Hill and played Rugby there – the Papist Witch Doctor as he was affectionately known. Teaching followed, at Belmont, Housemaster, acting Headmaster, then to Alderwasley, our prep school in Derbyshire as Headmaster, and then back to Belmont soon after as Headmaster. In 1983 he went to Peru to build our first monastery there only to realise there was little money. So, he returned to the UK to put in a stint of fundraising with his usual zeal and determination. With his mission accomplished he was asked by Abbot Alan to return to Belmont as his prior in 1986 – Peru remained close to his heart. In 1993 he was elected Abbot. In his time as Abbot, he had to preside over the closure of the school, necessary but no less painful for him. In 2000 he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Menevia and succeeded Bishop Mullins in 2001. He retired as Ordinary in 2008 and “retired” to Chipping Norton as parish priest, then Hendon, saying Mass for the nuns and helping with confirmations. After a spell at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, living with his great friend Cardinal Nichols, he came home to Belmont – it was as though he had never been away and he loved being back in the monastery, particularly praying the Office with the community. That’s the list, of sorts, but it doesn’t really say “who” he was. I haven’t mentioned his outstanding contribution to rowing – the 1979 coxless, lightweight four gold medal at the world championships in Bled, which almost didn’t happen as, at the last minute, he was told there was no money to send the crew. He begged, cajoled and got them there – the video footage of the final is compelling. He transformed Henley Royal Regatta, writing a computer programme for the race results – he was well ahead of his time. He coached the Oxford Boat, ran the Heads of the River Schools Regatta, and more. What an achievement from someone who had never sat in a boat but learned on the job, as he said, “from books, mainly”. It was his determination, his commitment, his love of people and his drive to share what he had that is, perhaps, one of the key things to celebrate about him. And it was underpinned by his rock-solid faith – nothing overly pious, nothing showy, but a faith and a love of the Lord built on granite. Even his occasional lack of patience (sorry Mark) extended to that faith; ‘why won’t God call me?”. At the risk of being irreverent my response was always “would you want you?”. But God did want him, and he knew it. God had a purpose for his Apostle during his life and he now rests with Him in eternity. His purpose was, simply, to bring the joy of the Lord into the lives of others, in many and varied ways. A few weeks before Mark died, Pope Francis died. When the late Pope was seriously ill the son of friends of mine who entertained Mark and I to lunch regularly, was distraught at overhearing mum and dad say the Pope may die. He couldn’t stop crying. “But darling”, they said, “you don’t know the Pope, why so very sad?”. “We do know him” came the reply, “it’s Mark”. “No, Mark isn’t the Pope”. “Oh, so when the Pope does die will Mark be Pope then?”. Mark loved that one. When Mark himself did die said son would only be pacified by picking flowers from the garden and bringing them to church for him. He wanted to show how much Mark meant to him and wanted to give a little something back. That is the real biography – a man loved, respected, a man who shared what he had, above all his faith, a man who touched so many lives and made them better.  Rest in peace our dear friend.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
