Monastery Chronicles

The following is a selection of events which have recently occurred on Papa Stronsay.

26 November
Our new Esse range was installed today by two plumbers who arrived from Kirkwall. The range, which will serve as the stove of the new monastery kitchen, will also heat the new refectory.

5 December
Fr Jacques Emily, district superior of the Society of St Pius X in Great Britain, arrived yesterday to pay a fraternal visit to our Monastery for a few days. Today Father was taken around Papa Stronsay on the motor boat Stella Maris. The weather was very calm and it was a beautiful trip, with impressive swells near the St Nicholas Chapel. Fr Michael Mary also took him for a walk around the island. Fr Emily also visited Mainland Orkney with Fr Nicholas Mary to see St Magnus Cathedral and the Italian Chapel. Father enjoyed his time amongst us, and we hope that he will be able to visit us again.

9 December
Fr Richard Mary and Br Marcel-Marie arrive back from Perth, Australia, where they had been visiting our confrère, Fr A.J. Cummins, during the past three weeks. Fortunately, they were able to report that Fr Cummins is doing very well. His recovery from his stroke last year has been very successful, and he can now get around with the aid of a walker. Br Alban is his greatest help and constant companion. Despite his sufferings, Fr Cummins is very cheerful. The confrères were with him for his 82nd birthday on 4 December.

17 December
The Monastery’s grand piano was moved from its temporary home in St Joseph’s on Stronsay across to its final home on Papa Stronsay today. The instrument (built in England in 1826) was held by four confreres while two others took off its legs. Placed on a sturdy table, the piano was then wrapped in blankets and secured. Mr Ingram Stout, our Stronsay neighbour, arrived at the door of St Joseph’s with his tractor. Planks were first laid across the arms of the tractor, and the piano was manhandled by the confreres onto the loader. Tractor, piano and confrères began a slow procession through the village of Whitehall to the fishermen’s pier, where the monastery barge St Brigid was waiting. Driving his tractor to the edge of the pier, Ingram lowered the instrument carefully onto the barge. The St Brigid made its way across Papay Sound and ten minutes later landed at the Bountifur bay. The monastery JCB tractor was waiting on the Papa Stronsay side. Confrères hauled up the piano from the barge and placed it on the JCB. Another slow procession brought it to the new monastery refectory. Carrying the piano inside, the confreres uncovered it, screwed the legs back on, gave it a good dust, and then it was ready to be played. Tu scende dalle Stelle, the charming Neopolitan Christmas hymn composed by our holy father St Alphonsus, was the first tune to be played on the instrument in its new home. Many thanks to Ingram Stout for his neighbourly help!

24 December

Christmas Eve, 2001. Fr Michael Mary (Master of Novices) and Fr Anthony Mary (Socius of Novices) are pictured with the five new novices: (left to right) Br Hohepa, Br Magdala, Br Paul, Br Jean and Br Dominic.

This morning, during the Mass of Christmas Eve, five postulants were clothed in the Redemptorist habit: Br Dominic (Ian Smith of Lower Hutt, New Zealand), Br Jean (Earl Lewis of Bombay, India), Br Paul (of Sydney, Australia), Br Magdala (Terence Silao of Sydney, Australia) and Br Hohepa (Lawrence Timoko of Wanganui, New Zealand). Br Hohepa’s aunt Carmel Tamati traveled all the way from New Zealand to be present for the occasion. Fr Michael Mary preached on the greatness of the religious vocation: leaving the world and coming into the chosen land. Another postulant will receive the habit soon, and five more postulants from various countries around the world are expected to arrive before summer. Our novitiate is rapidly growing!

25 December
Two Midnight Masses were celebrated tonight, one for the novices on Papa Stronsay and the other for our Stronsay neighbours in Whitehall. Christmas carols started in both chapels at 11 p.m. During Christmas Day, the weather was unfortunately too windy for our Stronsay confrères to come across to join us on Papa Stronsay. More Christmas carols, sung by the confrères, were broadcast over the CB radio during the day. During the day there was a light dusting of snow, which continued to fall for the next few days. Quite unusually for this time of year, there were ten days of calm.

April 2002

24 January 2002
Fr Anthony Mary and Br Gerard Maria return from Mumbai (Bombay), India, where they had been for the last two weeks. Their goal – which was successful – was to obtain British visas for four Indians to come to the monastery. While the confreres stayed with Mr and Mrs Lewis (Br Jean’s parents) in Mumbai, Father Anthony Mary preached a three-day mission to a congregation of 40 people: each day there was an evening Mass and a sermon. Before returning to Orkney, the confreres visited the miraculous statue of Our Lady of the Mount, as well as the relics of St Francis Xavier in Goa.

25 January 2002
Ivan Dzhur, of Lviv, Ukraine, receives the Redemptorist habit and is given the religious name Br Mark. Mrs Maria Galida, a friend from Ontario, Canada, made a transatlantic flight to be present for the ceremony. Due to gales, however, the clothing had to be put off until late evening, when everyone made a daring crossing across Papa Sound in the Stella Maris. Fr Michael Mary preached on St Mark the Evangelist and on the necessity of continual conversion.

30 January 2002
Papa Stronsay hits the media again as the Monastery appears on the British television program Landward. The beautiful photography of Kenneth Gow and the script by David Hartley (of Mainland Orkney) helped to emphasise the complementary aspects of contemplative prayer and action.

2 February 2002
Fr Michael Mary celebrates his thirtieth anniversary of religious profession as a Redemptorist. The same day, Sr Mary Charbel, SS.R., makes her final profession in the Chapel of the Nativity of Our Lady, in Whitehall on Stronsay.

4-13 February 2002
The barge Forth Boxer returns to Papa Stronsay. Over a period of ten days, the captain and crew deliver 60 pallets of concrete bricks and 60 tons of stone chips to be used in building the monastery. In addition, the old iron stanchions which used to support the landing stages in the herring fishing days until the 1920’s, were taken out of the water, and an old anchor – about six feet long – was brought ashore.

20 February 2002
Fr Michael Mary and Br Mark return from an apostolic trip to Ukraine, where they visited the Basilian sisters in Lviv. Two sisters received the habit from Fr Michael Mary on 15 February, the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary according to the Julian calendar.

25 February 2002
Two new postulants arrive on Golgotha Monastery Island: Stephen Dabara, of Singapore, and Anthony Berganza, of India. More postulants are expected to arrive before the beginning of summer.

June 2002

The community at Golgotha Monastery Island, Easter 2002.
Front row: Anthony (postulant), Br Hohepa, Br Mark, Br Jean, Br Magdala, Br dominic, Br Paul.
Middle row: Ajay (postulant), Fr Clement Mary, Fr Alphonsus Maria, Fr Michael Mary, Fr Anthony Mary,
Fr Richard Mary, Fr Nicholas Mary, Stephen (postulant). Back row: Br Louise, Br Columba,
Br Wolf Maria, Br Marcel-Marie, Br Gerard Maria, Br Nicodemus Mary, Br Yousef Marie, Br Gabriel Marie.

3 March
Five new Jersey kye arrive, bringing the herd of cattle up to 30.

6 March
Foundations for the new monastery are laid behind the new refectory. As work progresses in the trenches, the foundations are blessed and holy medals are placed in the concrete.

8 March
Two large crates arrive from an American benefactor, containing nearly 2000 books for the monastery library, as well as several exquisitely beautiful religious statues. Included among these is one of the Resurrection – well timed for Easter in a few days.

19 March
Sister Mary Joseph makes her final religious profession in the Chapel of the Nativity of Our Lady on Stronsay. All the confreres come over from Papay during the afternoon to celebrate the occasion. The same day, Sr Onuphria and Sr Rafaela move into St Joseph’s House on Stronsay, where a priest can offer Mass for them each morning.

22 March
Fr Anthony Mary was using our old cement mixer today. As the machine had a malfunction with its driving belt, Father tried to adjust the belt while it was operating. Unfortunately, he caught his left index finder in the flywheel, which took off the tip of his finder and the top third of his nail. Doctor Buchan had Father flown to Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall. Now, six weeks later, the finger is healing well, and Fr Anthony is filing the new concrete mixer (see 16 April). Nothing seems to keep him down!

26 March
Ajay Sharma, of Bombay (Mumbai), India arrives as a postulant.

3 April
Mr Frank Carleton, of Sydney, Australia, visits Papa Stronsay for a few days during the remarkable calm weather that followed Easter. Mr Carleton has previously written articles for Catholic.

15 April
Patrick Sestak, of Plano, Texas, USA arrives as a postulant.

16 April
Feast of St Magnus, Earl of Orkney and Martyr. Arrival of our old 1983 Massey-Ferguson tractor. 6 cylinder, 100 horsepower. It will be used for driving the new concrete mixer, which can mix and produce one tonne of concrete per load in just five minutes. The concrete mixer needs 90 h.p. to function. The old tractor can lift six tonne. With its magnum size, is it any wonder that we call it Magnus?

17 April
Our first summer worker, Stephan, arrives from Bavaria in Germany. We are expecting many more young men to arrive during the coming weeks to help us with the construction of the monastery.

18 April
Mr John Watson, an expert in the art of cheese making, visits Papa Stronsay to help us prepare the way for our own dairy facilities.

19 April
Cement is laid on the bare floor of Stackaback, a 19th century house on the west side of Papa Stronsay. Stackaback wills serve as accommodation during the summer work camp. There will be room for four sets of double bunks.