Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 2nd October 2023
Abbot Paul • October 2, 2023
Today, whilst the Universal Church celebrates the feast of the Guardian Angels, in Herefordshire we keep the feast of St Thomas of Hereford, Thomas Cantilupe. At Belmont a relic of his skull is venerated at the Memorial Altar. St Thomas Cantilupe, 45th Bishop of Hereford, Chancellor of Oxford University and Lord Chancellor of England, was canonised by Pope John XXII in 1320. Born at Hambleden, Bucks, in 1218, he died near Orvieto, in Italy, on 25th August 1282. He was returning to England from visiting the Pope who had revoked the decree of excommunication imposed on him by Archbishop John Peckham of Canterbury. The Roman Martyrology describes him as being “resplendent with learning, severe toward himself, to the poor however he showed himself a generous benefactor.”
Yesterday afternoon, the monastic community returned to Hereford Cathedral after the hiatus of Covid lockdowns, at the invitation of the Dean and Chapter, to sing Vespers in his honour. I find the cathedral particularly prayerful and it’s always a powerful experience to sing Vespers there or just to pop in when in town to say a short prayer. The restored tomb of St Thomas adds a certain spiritual edge to that house of prayer, the place where so many miracles took place at his shrine in the Middle Ages. I’ll attach a few photographs of the celebration. We were truly blessed to be present.
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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.
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