Message of Abbot Paul - Monday 31st July 2023
Abbot Paul • July 31, 2023
One of the main reasons for coming over to my cousin’s was to have a peaceful weekend, sleep, rest and relaxation. Add to that meeting up again with old friends and enjoying fantastic food, the weekend has been perfect. It was good to go to Mass in a Catholic country, all so straightforward and matter of fact. Italians are so natural when it comes to religion. It was great seeing old friends at Mass and being able to chat afterwards. Then I went with my cousin to her niece’s for lunch at her beautiful new villa near the lake. I’ve known Alessandra since she was a newborn baby and now she and her husband are the proud parents of a handsome, intelligent and self-disciplined son, Andrea, who speaks English better than he speaks Italian, better in fact than I do. At present, he’s working on his thesis. We had a wonderful al fresco lunch, course after course, all cold as it was rather hot today, other than in the shady spot where we sat around the family table. A perfect day!
This afternoon I will be returning to the U.K., flying with KLM from Milan Linate to Birmingham via Amsterdam. Then I’ll drive back to Belmont, just like the old days when I did that journey so often. Our Gospel passage today sees us continuing to read more Parables of the Kingdom from Matthew, (Mt 13: 31-35). We’ve read so many of these parables recently, that I feel sure that I’ve already commented on them several times in recent weeks. Each parable, for short and simple as it might be, is a work of art. The first is of the mustard seed, but a gardener or a farmer has to sow the seed in order for it to grow. It won’t grow if it remains in his shed or in his pocket. He has to prepare the soil and sow it, and then take care of it, as the plant grows into a shrub that will bear fruit. Likewise the yeast that a housewife or a baker adds to three measures of flour. If she leaves it on the shelf or forgets to add it, then the dough fails to leaven and bread can’t be made. Yes, God gives the increase and the raw materials, but we have to play our part, we can’t just sit back and do nothing, leaving it all to God or to others.
We are delighted that the acclaimed Cistercian writer, Fr Michael Casey will be with us in December.
We are pleased to announce 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.
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.