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Monastery Chronicles
Brothers first Lambing Season On May 1st, under the patronage of St. Joseph’s feast, the lambing season opened with bright beautiful sunshine for the brothers’ initiation. All the lambing was done outdoors. This required vigilance during all the daylight hours. The first brothers set off about the sheep at 5am picking up hypothermic lambs before they became the prey of black backed gulls. The brothers were happy to beat the gulls every day; although three weeks into the lambing the gulls got two older lambs which had died of pneumonia in the fields. Although the month was warm there were still a number of lambs that died of the cold. Normally every morning the lambs were picked up on a trailer and brought into shelter for their first 24 hours of life. Those that were orphans were put onto adoptive mothers whose lambs had died or who could handle two lambs. This was done in close quarters because there was many an unwilling adoptive mother. Lambs with hypothermia were brought into the monastery kitchen and placed in the warming box of the oven from any length of time between 12 hours and two days. They needed to be bottle fed. The kitchen was the image of the warm stable of Bethlehem. Our 300 ewes produced 410 healthy living lambs.
Ordinations in England On Ember Saturday, 23 September, His Lordship Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St Pius X, conferred Holy Orders on three candidates during a Pontifical High Mass at the Redemptorist Monastery of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. Two deacons - Brother Nicholas Mary, C.SS.R., of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Brother Alphonsus Maria, C.SS.R., of Pleasanton, California, USA - were ordained to the Holy Priesthood, and Brother Louis-Marie, O.P., from the Dominican Convent at Avrillé in France was ordained a subdeacon. The beautiful ceremony, which began at 10.30 in the morning, lasted some four hours. According to the traditional ritual of the Catholic Church, which has probably not been seen in this country for at least a quarter of a century, the ordinands, after having prostrated themselves at the feet of the bishop while praying for the intercession of the saints, receive the sacerdotal character from him and are invested by him with the priestly vestments of the stole and chasuble. Their hands are anointed with Holy Oil, after which the bishop bestows upon them the power to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. From the Offertory until the end of the Mass, the newly ordained priests concelebrate with the ordaining prelate. After Holy Communion, the bishop bestows on them the power to forgive sins. At the end of the ceremony, the new priests gave their first priestly blessings to all the faithful, who all stayed for a festive luncheon. Benediction and Rosary completed the day. The ordination was held in a marquee on the lawn of Warden Manor, next to the Monastery. Twenty-four priests, thirteen male religious and eleven sisters were present at this joyous occasion, as well as more than four hundred of the faithful who had travelled from all over the world. The countries represented included England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lebanon, United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mauritius! The following day, Sunday, 24 September, the new priests offered Holy Mass for the first time. Father Nicholas Mary said Mass at the Monastery on Sheppey, and Father Alphonsus Maria sang a Solemn High Mass at the Church of Saints Joseph and Padarn in London. The Redemptorist community would like to thank all who, whether they were able to be present or not, supported the newly-ordained by their prayers, thoughtful assistance and kind gifts. The first Masses of both Fathers were offered in thanksgiving to God, as well as for the intentions of all of the community’s benefactors.
On the nights of the 4 and 5 October dramatic spectacles of the Aurora Borealis were seen from Papa Stronsay. The green and white shafts of light in the night sky shone brightly from the North moving gracefully about the heavens. For some members of the community it was the first time they had seen the “Northern Lights”. Others had seen them on New Year’s Night, January 1st 2000. Orkney is a paradise of sea and sky where the soul is so easily lifted up to the thought of eternal realities: Endless sunlight in the summer; glorious night skes in the winter; picturesque reflections in the still sea and violent storms and winter winds form the daily bread of our brothers. As the Psalmist says: “Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei – the Heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 18)
Four priests and four lay brothers from the Dominican convent of Haye-aux-Bonshommes in Avrille, France (Maine-et-Loire), visited our Monastery in England on the occasion of the ordination of one of their students on 23 September. For several of the Dominican Brothers, it was their first visit to England, “Mary’s Dowry”. Frere Louis-Marie, originally from Lille in the north of France, was ordained to the subdiaconate. Pere Innocent-Marie, the Father Prior of the Dominican convent, was deacon for the pontifical Mass, and Pere Pierre-Marie was assistant priest for one of the ordinands. The five other Fathers and Brothers formed the schola (or choir), and beautifully executed the Gregorian chant for the Mass of Ember Saturday. The following day, Pere Albert was subdeacon for the sung Mass in London. The ordinations were an opportunity to renew the strong ties which have bound our two communities together over the years. As Pere Innocent-Marie commented after the ceremony, although our two communities differ in certain ways, the Dominicans and Redemptorists have a strong common point: preaching the Word of God in order to save souls. The Order of Preachers (commonly called Dominicans) was founded in the thirteenth century by St Dominic Guzman for the purpose of opposing the Cathar heresy, and they have distinguished themselves through the ages as philosophers and theologians of the first rank. The Dominicans have always held a special place in the Holy Office, and with their aid many heresies were quickly put an end to. Many preachers from among their ranks have been canonised: St Albert the Great, St Thomas Aquinas, St Vincent Ferrer….(They have about twenty saints and several hundred beati and venerables!) The Dominican convent of the Haye-aux-Bonshommes was founded in the 1970’s with the aid and blessing of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Our Redemptorist community owes a great debt of gratitude to our Dominican confreres for all their devoted charity and fraternal helpfulness during the twelve years of our own existence. And in a special way we are grateful to them for the two years they have spent teaching theology to our students. The thomistic philosophy and theology which the Dominicans teach is truly an ark of salvation which keeps minds afloat in the deluge of false doctrine which threatens to engulf the modern world. We should also like to make mention of the wonderful spirit of penance and charity which animates our Dominican confreres – having come from such a distance for the ordinations, they nevertheless cheerfully accepted the frequently difficult life style which is lived at our monastery on Sheppey, and made themselves all things to all men by helping with the preparations for the ceremony. We would like to extend a hearty thank-you to all the Dominicans, congratulations to Frere Louis-Marie, and we hope that they will come back to visit our Monastery on Papa Stronsay soon! Those who are interested in the Dominican vocation should write to the Father Prior at the Dominican address below: Covent
de la Haye-aux-Bonshommes
Fathers Nicholas Mary and Alponsus Maria are ordained to the priesthood.
Papa Stronsay goes dairy! Since our arrival in Orkney last year, our Brothers have been kept very busy tending the more than seven hundred sheep which quietly grazed our fields. But now, between 19 and 26 October, 370 Papa Stronsay lambs and 200 yows (ewes) were sold and sent to Kirkwall. To make up for this, however, we have bought three dairy kye (cows). The three Jerseys (Daisy, Buttercup and Rosa) have already made themselves right at home with our Friesian dairy coo (cow) and six Highlanders. Daisy came with her calf, Marigold; and a peedie (little) heifer named Roma was born to Rosa on Papa Stronsay on Sunday, 22 October. The calving season is already off to a good start! One more calf is expected soon. As our herd of cattle grows, we plan to adapt ourselves to the work of dairy farming now - which includes the business of cheese-making!
New Monastery Bell in honour of Christ’s Birth
In honour of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Golgotha Monastery Island is acquiring a new bell, which will be rung for the first time on Christmas Night, 2000. The bell, which is being cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, will be made of copper and tin, 20 inches in diameter, and weigh approximately 13/4 hundredweight. Its inscription will read: “Et Verbum caro factum est – Bethlehem – Papa Stronsay – Anno Domini Nostri Nativitatis Jesu Christi MM” (And the Word was made flesh – In the year of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ 2000). There will be also one large star representing Our Lord and twelve small stars representing the Apostles. The framework for the bell is being produced by St Clair’s Emporium, Kirkwall. As our new Christmas bell rings out in honour of our Saviour’s birth, it will – like the song of the Angels on that first Christmas Night – be a call to all men to come to worship their new-born Lord and King Who comes to save sinners from sin and hell by teaching them to know, love and serve the God Who has loved us so much as to become man in order to die for us.
One sad note preceeded
the Missions. The week before they were to begin, Fr. Augustine Cummins,
our Redemptorist confrere in Perth who was the standard-bearer of
Tradition in Australia, suffered a stroke which has left his left
side paralysed. At present, he is doing well, and is recuperating
at a local hospital. To help out with the parish in Fr. Cummins’
absence, Fr. Richard Mary was sent from Orkney to Australia on 6 November.
He will remain in Perth for the remainder of Fr. Cummins’ convalescence.
Please be so kind as to remember Fr. Cummins in your prayers. |
