Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 12th November 2023
Abbot Paul • November 11, 2023
Today, Remembrance Sunday, we celebrate the memory of those who have fallen in war, especially the sacrifice of those who lost their lives in the two world wars. There is no one left who was present to witness the horrors of Marne, the Somme, Gallipoli, or Ypres, and only a few now remain who could tell us of the Battles of El Alamein, or the Bulge, or Brody, or Britain. Today we give thanks for the sacrifice and suffering of all those who have died in war: to express our undying gratitude to those who gave their todays for our tomorrows. We owe them a debt that we can never repay, but one which we should never forget either. Nor do we forget innocent civilians, especially children and old people. There are lessons to be learned and not forgotten, and Remembrance Sunday is a way of remembering that peace is a precious gift, as is justice. True peace can only exist when there is true justice. The sacrifices of the past make moral demands of the present: it makes peace makers of us all, but not at any cost, because evil should never be appeased, but fought. It makes us vigilant, because we must never be deceived into thinking that that which happened once could never happen again. Witness Ukraine, Gaza and Israel. Today we don’t just look back. Those who have died in war will always be present to us: a constant example of service, sacrifice, duty, and courage; and of pain, fear, and suffering, too.
In November our thoughts always turn to the souls of the faithful departed; not only those whom we love and see no longer, but those who have no one on earth left to pray for them. We celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for them. Today we do so specifically for those who have fallen in war. They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.
​You can tell that we’re coming to the end of the Liturgical Year, as our readings, including today’s Gospel from Matthew (Mt 25: 1-13), already look towards Advent and Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. To illustrate the need for vigilance and readiness, Jesus shares with his disciples the Parable of the Ten Virgins or Bridesmaids, a parable we all know well. It begins with Jesus setting the scene, “The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps.” It’s hard for most of us in the UK today to imagine what it must be like to live without electricity and other mod cons. For 16 of my 20 years in Peru, I lived without electricity and the last few years with a precarious and unreliable supply. I feel for those bridesmaids, all of them! The story continues, “The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.’” Chaos ensues. It’s not easy getting things done in the dark. The inevitable happens: “At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.’ But they replied, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.’” Now the sensible ones could have been more charitable, they could have shared their oil, but then all ten would have run out before daybreak. Disaster strikes: “They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed.” We can see what’s going to happen next and it does, but the result is grim, horrific to tell the truth. “The other bridesmaids arrived later. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said ‘open the door for us.’ But he replied, ‘I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.’” The bridegroom’s words, “I do not know you,” are the most nightmarish words in Scripture. That Jesus should say to his disciples for whom he died on the cross and rose from the dead, “I do not know you,” is the worst possible outcome and a real experience of hell. But this is a parable, not a true story. Jesus ends with the punch line, a warning: “So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.” Vigilance and readiness: am I prepared for Jesus to return and call me to his marriage banquet, the kingdom of heaven? Am I foolish or sensible? What would I like to hear Jesus say when the time comes, “Enter into the kingdom,” or “I tell you, I do not know you”? Ultimately, the choice is ours.
Our brethren in Peru were delighted with the election of Pope Leo.
Bishop Mark Jabalé OSB Bishop Mark died peacefully on 9th May. Requiem Mass & Burial Thursday 5th June, 12 noon, Belmont Abbey John Peter Jabale was born on 16th October 1933 in Alexandria, Egypt of mainly European heritage. His father was Lebanese/French, and his mother British/Greek/French. He attended the Lycée Français in Alexandria until 1948, when he was sent to England, having expressed a desire to join the Navy. He enrolled at Belmont Abbey School and, upon leaving school, joined the Abbey, taking the religious name Mark. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 July 1958. He was then sent to the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he obtained a Licentiate in French Literature, writing his thesis on Joseph de Maistre, the French counter-revolutionary. He later completed a Diploma in Education at St Mary’s, Strawberry Hill, where he also played rugby for the University. From 1964, he taught sport and served as a housemaster at the school. In 1969, he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School in Derbyshire, though he held that post for only half a term before being recalled to Belmont to serve as Headmaster there, a role he held—apart from a sabbatical—until 1983. From 1964 he was teaching sport and then was a housemaster in the School. In 1969 he was appointed Headmaster of Alderwasley School, Derbyshire, but filled that post for only half a term. He was called back to Belmont to be Headmaster where he served, apart from a sabbatical, until 1983. Fr Mark was a rowing coach of considerable repute. During his sabbatical in 1979, he assisted Dan Topolski in coaching the Oxford crew for the Boat Race. His greatest coaching triumph came when he led a lightweight coxless four to a gold medal at the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Yugoslavia — the only gold medal won by Great Britain that year. The following year, he was invited to coach for the Olympics, but he declined in order to remain committed to Belmont. He was a steward of Henley Royal Regatta and was responsible for setting up and programming its first computerised systems. He was ahead of may in seeing the potential of new technology. In 1983, he was sent to Peru to purchase land and build a new monastery, which included raising funds in the UK. The new monastery was blessed, and the first Mass was celebrated there by the Archbishop of Piura, Oscar Cantuarias Pastor, in June 1986 together with Abbot Jerome, Fr Paul, Fr Luke, Fr David as well as Fr Mark. Dom Mark returned to Belmont as Prior and was elected the 10th Abbot of Belmont in 1993. He later wrote: “My first and most painful task proved to be the overseeing of the closure of the school.” Together with the bursar, John Hubert, he negotiated with the local NHS for the 4 houses to be leased to them. In 2000, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Menevia by Pope John Paul II and was ordained bishop in St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea, on 7 December 2000. He succeeded Bishop Daniel Mullins as the 10th Bishop of Menevia on 12 June 2001. During his episcopate, he held several important offices: Chairman of the Department for Christian Life and Worship, Trustee and Visitator of the three foreign seminaries — the Venerable English College (Rome), the Beda College (Rome), and the Royal English College (Valladolid). He was also Bishop-in-Charge of on-going formation for diocesan priests. Upon reaching the age of 75, Bishop Jabale submitted his resignation to the Holy Father on 16 October 2008 and was succeeded by Bishop Tom Burns. He then moved to Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and was inducted as Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in March 2009, a post he held until 2014. At the age of 81, he retired to Hendon in London, where he celebrated daily Mass at a local convent, assisted in various parishes, and continued to help with confirmations in the diocese. In October 2019, he moved to Archbishop’s House, Westminster, for nine months. Finally, he returned to Belmont in 2020 as a much-cherished member of the community. He described himself as “very happy.” He remained there until his death in Hereford County Hospital on 9 May 2025, aged 91. He had been a monk of Belmont for 73 years, a priest for 67 years and a bishop for 24 years. Condolences came from Pope Leo XIV:
A homily by Abbot Brendan at a special Easter Mass for Pope Francis, attended by Catholics from across the Deanery.
Pope Francis RIP Pope 2013-2025 Born 1936, Died 2025 We are deeply saddened at the passing of Pope Francis. As the successor of St Peter he has been a spiritual father and shepherd to the church in our day, challenging us, and calling as to reach out to those on the peripheries. He was the first Jesuit Pope, but took the name Francis after the Poor Man of Assisi who modelled for him a closeness to the poor, a concern for those on the margins of society and a care for all of creation In his preaching Pope Francis always spoke of the joy of the Gospel and encouraged us to reflect the joy of our faith in our lives. He showed the compassion of Jesus to everyone. He worked tirelessly for the unity of the church and travelled even to non-Christian countries promoting a message of peace. He has left a great legacy. With the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio with the community over Easter we were able to express our closeness to the Holy Father in his final suffering. There will be a special Mass at Belmont this Thursday 24th April at 11am to pray for Pope Francis as he makes his final journey to the house of the Father. On the day of his funeral, the Office of the Dead will be sung, and Mass that day will be a Requiem. May the angels lead him into paradise; may the martyrs receive him at his arrival and lead him to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive him and with Lazarus, the poor man grant him eternal rest." (The In Paradisum, words from the Funeral Liturgy)
We were were honoured and delighted to be joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to celebrate Easter. His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía is the representative of the Holy See in Great Britain, and therefore of the Holy Father. His presence on Easter Sunday morning brought us more consciously in communion with Pope Francis, the successor of St Peter, as we heard the Gospel story of Peter running to the tomb. His patron saint is St Michael, so afterwards, at a festive lunch we were able to present him with some Belmont cufflinks with the monastery coat of arms - very similar to his as Archbishop. We were able to pray for him and his work in this country.