| DOUAI ABBEY |
No 10 - SPRING 2000
FIRST ORDINATION AT DOUAI FOR NINE YEARS
Celebration on the Feast of the Annunciation
ON Saturday March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Fr Benedict Thompson OSB was ordained priest by Bishop Crispian Hollis. This was our first ordination for nine years, since Frs Alban Hood OSB and Paul Gunter OSB were ordained in 1991.
About 250 people took part in the celebration, parents and friends of Fr Benedict, some of them from his previous career as an opera singer, oblates, and friends of the community as well as members of the two parishes that Br Benedict had served as deacon, Ormskirk, Lancs. and Poplar, London. All were invited to a buffet lunch after Mass.
The Douai Abbey Singers with instrumentalists under the direction of Dr John Rowntree led the music which included Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus from Mozart's Credo Mass, Rachmaninov's Ave Maria and a Magnificat by Lassus. During the procession at the end the orchestra played a symphony by Boyce.
Next day, the 3rd Sunday of Lent, Fr Benedict presided at the Conventual Mass and Fr Alban Hood OSB gave the homily. The Douai Abbey Singers sang for the second time Merion Wynn Jones's Missa Ferialis written for the Abbey, also Soriano's Ave Regina Caelorum and Palestrina's Sicut Cervus. After these celebrations Fr Benedict had a few days' vacation with his parents.
Before becoming a monk Fr Benedict had trained as a singer and gave opera performances in many parts of the world, including with the English National Opera in London, under the stage name of Marc Benedict. He now serves as the monastic choir master.
Homily Extract from the homily by Fr Alban Hood OSB at the Mass at which Fr Benedict presided for the first time, the 3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B.
(Ex 20:1-17, Ps 18:8-11, 1 Cor 1:22-25, Jn 2:13-25)OUR Lord's cleansing of the Temple has been seen as a protest against the commercialisation of religion - but it went much deeper than that. St John explains the motivation behind it by using a reference from Psalm 69, Zeal for your house will devour me . As monks we are very familiar with that word zeal - St Benedict uses it a lot in his Rule and indeed devotes a whole chapter to it - a chapter which contains that powerful line 'no-one is to pursue what he judges better for himself but instead what he judges better for someone else.' That sort of good zeal gives our priesthood as monks a special character - our experience of living in community should make us more aware that priesthood has nothing to do with status or power but has everything to do with service of others.
As monks we have a special concern for the liturgy.These days, following the liturgical reforms of Vatican II, with Mass facing the people, and a greater variety and flexibility in styles of celebration, there is a danger that congregations can be at the mercy of an individual celebrant's performance, ideology, idiosyncrasy and style. This may unwittingly encourage 'personality cults' where people like or do not like how a priest celebrates mass because of his style of presiding and preaching. The monk-priest, as one who is schooled in the Lord's service and whose way to God is by obedience and humility has a tremendous witness to give in providing a much needed remedy to 'the personality cult.' Our rootedness in the common life and our Benedictine concern for balance and order should help us in celebrating liturgies that are reverent and prayerful, clearly focussed on the glory of God shared in community rather than on the celebrant's manner or idiosyncrasies. Jesus reminds us today that worship demands a lot more of us than the offering of things to God and the performance of liturgical rituals, that what God wants above all is the worship of our lives.
Yesterday, Benedict, when Bishop Crispian handed you the chalice and paten, he did so using these words: 'Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to him. Know what you are doing and imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord's cross.' 'Model your life on the mystery of the Lord's cross.' - what an awesome task that is. St.Paul proclaims: 'we preach Christ crucified.' We are not merely required to preach Christ crucified with our lips, but also with our lives. In our ministry as priests there will be times when we too, like Jesus, are called to cleanse the temple - to speak out against abuses, injustice and oppression, but like him we must also be prepared to be crucified - by the opposition we will face, by the weight of others' expectations of us, and not least by the sheer demands of our ministry which call us each day to new, ever greater challenges of self-giving and selflessness. All this would seem very gloomy and depressing were it not for that essential motivation for every priest's ministry: Love - love for God and love for those whom we serve.
Yesterday, Benedict, you resolved 'to exercise the ministry of the word worthily and wisely, preaching the Gospel and explaining the Catholic faith.' As a priest you are called to teach. But we cannot be teachers unless we are also witnesses. In his encyclical, Evangelii Nuntiandi, published 25 years ago, Pope Paul VI wrote: 'Modern people listen more readily to witnesses than to teachers, and if they listen to teachers it is because they are witnesses.' People know when we are witnesses as well as teachers. They know it when they see that we are men of prayer; they know it when they not only hear us teaching the gospel, but also when they hear what it means to us - when they hear us speaking about faith not as a list of dry propositions which must be adhered to, but as truths to be explored with joy and hope, with wonder and awe. We have to be careful to present the Faith not as a burden, but as a gift, to help people to live out their faith not from fear, but from love. Our Lord did not abolish the Ten Commandments, he fulfilled them by the law of love which goes far beyond them.
An ordination is a wonderful opportunity for all of us, regardless of our particular vocation, to renew our own dedication and commitment to the Lord. The readings at this celebration are challenging and hard-hitting, but they are not a burden to us, but a gift, an encouragement for us to make our churches places of prayer, joy and unity. And as we rejoice in the gift of a new priest in our midst, we pray with you, Benedict, that what you do here will help us all to give God the worship of our lives. Amen.
CLOTHING OF A NOVICE ON January 18, at a ceremony before Compline Mr Peter Hill, who had been with us as a postulant since September, was received as a novice, being given the name Br Simon.
Br Simon is a Lancastrian by birth. He has a B.Sc (Hons) in Economics from London University, an MA in Marketing Education from Lancaster University, a D.M.S. (Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies) from the Scottish Business School of Glasgow University. He is a Qualified Training Officer of Huddersfield Polytechnic, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (M.C.I.M.), and a Member of the Institute of Management (M.I.M.G.T.). He pursued a successful career in industry, Management Consultancy and latterly as a Personal Business Advisor to firms in the small and medium-sized sector, whilst caring and providing for his elderly parents. Following their deaths, he initially tried his Benedictine vocation at Fort Augustus Abbey on the shores of Loch Ness. After its closure and a period of reflection and discernment, he determined to continue and visited several monasteries of the Congregation before opting to apply to join the Douai community.
Perseverance BR Simon has subsequently been accepted for his first perseverance, and the other two novices, Br Andrew Grattan and Br Christopher Greener, for their second perseverance.
Three times during the novitiate year novices request perseverance. St Benedict provides for this in the Rule (ch 58 v9-13) when he says that after 2, 4 and 6 months the Rule should be read to the novices so that they may consider whether to continue or depart. In modern practice this allows three times during the novitiate when the novices, and the abbot in consultation with his Council, may consider their progress and whether they are really suited for monastic life. Happily our three novices are still with us and eager to continue.
DOUAI ABBEY VOCATION AND MONASTIC FORMATION PROGRAMME DOUAI is greatly blessed in having three novices at present. In addition Fr Dermot Tredget OSB, the Vocation Director, is in contact with several other men at varying stages of discernment. It is hoped that another two postulants will join the community over the summer period. Please continue to pray for them, and that others may join them.
During the spring and summer months, Fr Dermot will be travelling around the Douai parishes speaking about vocations and keeping parishioners up to date with developments in the monastery, and in particular the progress of the novices. Douai now has a professionally designed vocation display which will be on view. If any reader would like further information on monastic life, a poster for their church porch or elsewhere, or some prayer cards please contact Fr Dermot at Douai (see below for details).
In addition to developing vocation awareness, another important part of Fr Dermot's job is to appeal for funds for theological training and priestly formation. Anyone who has had to put a son or daughter through university or college will know that full-time education can be an expensive business. We expect those in formation to undergo at least five years full-time study which is normally done away from Douai. So Fr Dermot will be asking you for your support! If you do not live on one of our parishes, please send any donation you may wish to give direct to Fr Dermot. You will be aware that in the Chancellor's recent budget, it was confirmed that from April 2000 Gift Aid certificates will be replaced by Gift Aid declarations. These can be made before or after the donation either in writing or orally. This means that as a registered charity Douai will be able to reclaim tax on the money you generously give. If you can, please Gift Aid your donations. In the past, a number of kind benefactors also have made provision for a gift in their wills. Fr Dermot can provide further details of both this and Gift Aid if you write or telephone him at Douai (0118 971 5325) or e-mail dermot@douai-abbey.freeserve.co.uk
THE Douai community is being called upon increasingly to give retreats and spiritual conferences both at Douai and elsewhere. Fr Nicholas Broadbridge OSB has given a week's retreat to the Sisters of Jesus and Mary at their Convent in Blackheath, London, a Lent retreat for the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Rotherham, Yorks, a weekend retreat in Jersey and day for a group of Catenians in Milton Keynes, Bucks. Fr Dermot Tredget OSB also gave a day for another group of Catenians at the Cold Ash Centre. Fr Gervase Holdaway OSB gave a day's retreat for the Confirmation candidates of Windsor Parish, a day for the clergy of the Fareham Deanery, a day for the Readers of Romsey Parish, a pre-ordination retreat for eleven permanent deacons, all here at Douai, as well as giving Lent talks to the community of Elmore Abbey. All these were in addition to the events we organise as part of the Pastoral Programme.
Retreats
NUMBERS attending retreats at Douai continue to grow. If you would like information about retreats please write to the Programme Director or e-mail douaiabby@aol.com <>
Retreats at Douai
Fr Abbot preached at Solemn Vespers in St Anne's Church, Caversham as part of a Jubilee pilgrimage in honour of Our Lady of Caversham. on March 26.
Pilgrimage
Jim Snell PLEASE pray for our former gardener, Jim Snell, who died on April 5.
IN January the Berkshire Young Musicians Trust held their annual concert in the Abbey Church. Both Reading and Newbury Centres participated this year. The standard achieved by these young players from our county is quite amazing. The brass ensemble performed pieces by Elgar Howarth, Monteverdi and Gabrieli. The strings performed Grieg's Holberg Suite and Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis, and the girls choir sang Britten's'Ceremony of Carols.
Music at Douai In February there were two concerts, one of Renaissance and Twentieth Century liturgical music sung by Voci Cantati Chamber Choir, and the other given by Singscape, which included Rachmaninov's Vespers. In March the Arion Orchestra under their conductor, Brien Stait gave a concert with clarinetist, Emma Johnson. For information about forthcoming concerts write to 'Music at Douai' or e-mail holtoliver@aol.com
VERY different from our usual series of concerts in the Abbey Church was a presentation on March 4th of the life and work of the thirteenth century Sufi mystic Jalalladin Rumi entitled Love's Journey.
Rumi in the Abbey Church Born in what is now Afghanistan, Rumi fled before the Mongol hordes via Persia and Syria to present-day Turkey, where he became a respected spiritual leader, then fell under the influence of an itinerant dervish, and finally came to a profound experience of the presence and closeness of God.
That evening in the semi-darkened church, lit by a few candles and enriched by two or three Persian rugs and traditional Turkish music, two very talented storytellers in simple Arabic robes gave a moving dramatic narration of the life of Rumi, interwoven with his profound poetry.
It was an entrancing performance of great spiritual depth, whereby we caught a glimpse of the common ground which mystics of all faiths experience.
New Fence THE novices have erected a new wooden fence along the length of the Beenham public footpath where it crosses our land, so that walkers will not fall into the gully, or stray into the garden. It is a sturdy rustic fence which should last many years. Novitiate projects always become the admiration of later generations of novices and this should be no exception.Monastery Bookbindery IN the past two years the monastery bookbindery has been re-established, under the direction of Fr Bernard Swinhoe OSB, who is studying the art in Thatcham. He has already rebound several antiphonals and other library books.žTree Planting THIS Millennium Year, there is a national project for planting trees, part of the effort to counteract global warming. It is fortuitous that a condition of our receiving permission to construct our new car park was that we planted a barrier of trees. So we have planted eighteen each of oak, ash, hornbeam, lime, maple, hazel, holly and beech, as well as a hawthorn hedge on its north side. In a few years time we shall enjoy a pleasant belt of trees there, although they will require thinnning out as they grow. We have put a few other new beeches to the west of the church as well, partly to replace an oak which had died.
Water DURING recent weeks the entire monastery water system has been chlorinated and cleansed. A new softener plant has been installed beneath the cloister at the north end in preparation for bringing in the mains supply at this point.
Douai Abbey Newsletter is published at Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Reading, Berks, RG7 5TQ. Phone: 0118 971 5300 Fax: 0118 971 5203 E-mail douaiabby@aol.com 06.04.00. Registered charity no 236962
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