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.
On the Commemoration of All Souls, Abbot Brendan reflects on the experience of death within a monastic community, the meaning of Purgatory, and St Benedict’s invitation never to lose hope in the mercy of God.
The Belmont community visit Dowlais, and remember the Benedictine Mission to South Wales as the country remembers the Aberfan disaster.
We welcomed the Knights and Dames from the Midlands and South Wales and thanked God for their mission and service.
A double celebration on the feast of St Michael and All Angels
A School of Love by the Wye: Abbot Brendan on the Cistercians on the Feast of the Holy Cross.
The Blessing of new Icons for the Churches in Stratford-upon-Avon, with inspiring talks by the Abbot Primate and Dr Rowan Williams.
“O Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory abides.”
