Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 8th May
Abbot Paul • May 7, 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 8th May 2022
To say that yesterday was a busy day would be an understatement, but it was an immensely enjoyable and rewarding day. It began with a good night’s sleep and a lie in, for I woke up around 4.30 BST but didn’t get up until 5 o’clock. I celebrated Mass for the nuns and preached, no short cuts here. The Covid rules are still much stricter in Spain, the celebrant and his assistants having to wear masks from the offertory until after communion. Sadly there are still many cases of Covid throughout the country. In the morning I met with the present abbess and mother general and the former abbess to discuss the situation in Peru concerning our community there and the future of the monastery in which they live, which was built by and is still owned by the Cistercian nuns. It was tiring, but went well. Then in the afternoon, a long meeting with the community, followed by a long tour of the part of the monastery where the nuns live and work. Most of the historic buildings are the patrimony of humanity, belong to the Spanish state and are open to the public. They are of immense cultural and religious interest and I spent a day visiting them on my first visit in 1997. However, the highlight of the day for me was seeing the storks who build their nests on the pinnacles and tower of the church. Sadly, one nest fell, but this evening the firemen arrived to help the couple rebuild their nest, attaching a steel frame base to support the nest. I was both moved and impressed, and the storks truly grateful.
Today is now known as Good Shepherd Sunday because of the Gospel passages from the tenth chapter of John that are read at Mass. In Year C we read verses 27 to 30, a short passage of great importance. Jesus begins by saying, “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” He has already called himself the good shepherd, as well as the door by which the sheep enter the sheepfold. Little wonder the sheep listen to his voice and follow him, just as you and I do. We trust in him and know that what he teaches us is the truth. Jesus goes on to say, “I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.” We can never forget that Jesus gives us eternal life. He has come to give us life and not to take it from us. We can never get lost, no matter how hard we might try at times, because Jesus is with us and we belong to him. Jesus reminds us why this is. “The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.” In Jesus we belong to God the Father and no one can steal us from the Father, not even the greatest of evils can steal us from our Father’s arms. The short sentence that ends our reading is the most important concerning the relationship of Jesus with the Father that we find in the New Testament. “The Father and l are one.” In Christ we, too, become one with the Father, hard though it might be to believe. We might be asking ourselves, why would the Father want to be one with me? He made us and he loves us and sent Jesus his Son among us to remind us of this eternal truth, that he wants us for himself and wants to give us all that is good for all eternity. So, let us give thanks today that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we, the sheep of his flock.
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.