St Benedict Novena Day 3 (March 14): Monasteries of the United Kingdom and Ireland

I want to continue today, promoting my intention of praying this novena for the restoration of traditional Benedictine religious life by asking for your prayers for the United Kingdom and Ireland, a country in dire need of the restoration of religious life!

Traditionalist monasteries

These countries have but one Benedictine monastery using the traditional missal as far as I know - and that the very recently arrived indeed Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle, highlighted by a commenter yesterday, which until a few weeks ago was based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The monastery, founded by Vultus Christi blogger, Fr Mark Kirby, is engaging in a bit of reverse missionary effort, and so is especially deserving of our prayers as they settle into their new home.

Traditionally inclined monasteries

The United Kingdom does, though, have a number of monasteries that essentially retain the traditional Benedictine Office, and take a conservative view of monastic life, and I wanted to particularly mention a three monasteries in particular in this category.

The first is the Solesmes Congregation monastery of nuns of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.  This is one of the few communities of women in the UK that has consistently attracted vocations, and for good reasons.  Do take a look at their beautiful website, and if you have a chance to visit them, do so!

The second is the monastery of Pluscarden in Scotland (I'd provide a link to its website, but either it is not working in general, or, as the message I get suggests, for some reason dislikes my computer in particular...).  Pluscarden's former abbot is now Bishop of Aberdeen, an appointment widely applauded, and the monastery is also the motherhouse of the American monastery of Petersham (notable amongst other things for its shared Church and co-location with a monastery of Benedictine nuns).

The third is of course Farnborough Abbey, who have done us such a great service by putting out the Monastic Diurnal!  Farnborough's buildings are a rather splendid mix, including a part replica of Solesmes, reflecting its origin as the foundation of the Empress Eugenie and its origins as a refuge from France's moves to suppress the monasteries (again) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  You can follow their doings at their blog.

Traditionalist monks!

None of the monasteries I've mentioned so far however are members of the ancient English Congregation which has played, historically at least, such a key role in the is history of both England itself, directly in countries such as Australia where I live, and indirectly in many others.

Sadly, the English Congregation has suffered badly from its decisions to drop Latin and the traditional form of the Benedictine Office and generally 'update' itself, and continues to suffer a number of scandals.

Yet despite this, there are a number of traditionalist monks (one or two of whom are Australians), in these monasteries who say the EF mass or are strongly sympathetic to it.  So I would particularly ask you to keep these monks of Downside, Douai and Ealing in particular (do add to the list if you know of others) in your prayers, and pray for the restoration of the Congregation to its former fervour more generally.

Novena Prayer

O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids and avoid the occasions of sin.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident hope that thou wilt hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I so earnestly implore (mention your intentions here), if it be for the greater glory of God and the welfare of my soul.

Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

[For the special intention (Magnificat antiphon of the feast): O pattern of heavenly life, our guide and teacher Benedict, whose soul is now rejoicing with Christ in heaven: protect thy flock, dear shepherd, and by thy holy prayer support them; and with thyself as leader showing that brightened way, make them enter the heavens.]

St Matilda (March 14)

From the martyrology:

"At Halberstadt in Germany, the death of blessed Queen Matilda, mother of Emperor Otto I, renowned for humility and patience."

Saint Matilda (877 – 968) was the wife of King Henry I of Germany, the first ruler of the Saxon Ottonian dynasty and Queen from 919 until 936.   Her eldest son Otto succeeded his father as German King and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962.

After her husband died Matilda established Quedlinburg Abbey in his memory, a convent of noble canonesses, where in 966 her granddaughter Matilda became the first abbess.  Renowned for her devotion to prayer and almsgiving, she at first remained at court after the death of her husband, but her charitable activities led to accusations that she was weakening the royal treasury unduly.  After a brief exile at her Westphalian manors at Enger, where she established a college of canons in 947, Matilda was brought back to court at the urging of King Otto's first wife, the Anglo-Saxon princess Edith of Wessex.
Matilda died at Quedlinburg, having outlived her husband by 32 years.

St Benedict Novena Day 2 (March 13): US Women's monasteries

Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer, altar painting

Continuing today, my series highlighting the efforts of some contemporary Benedictine monasteries, I wanted to highlight in particular two relatively new communities, the Oblate sisters of Clear Creek, and the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.

Benedictines nuns follow exactly the same Rule as monks, and feminised versions of the Rule can be found dating back very early indeed.  And because of the link between St Benedict and his twin sister, St Scholastica, abbess of a nearby community to Monte Cassino, the ties between men's and women's monasteries are often very close indeed.

Clear Creek Sisters

The Clear Creek Oblate Sisters are a small emerging community whose Mary, Queen of Angels Convent sits within the grounds of the Monastery of Clear Creek, near Tulsa, Oklahoma.

They were established in 2005 under the authority of the Abbot of Notre-Dame de Fontgombault (France) and the guidance of the Clear Creek Superior, with the blessing of Bishop Slattery of Tulsa.

As such the sisters have the great aid of the spiritual guidance of the monks, and access to the monks' liturgy!

The sisters are strictly contemplative, and support themselves through handcrafted items, religious articles and books and other items.

Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.

The now Missouri-based Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles started in 1995.  They support themselves through the production of vestments and altar linens.  The sisters have a particular charism of praying and caring for priests.

Please keep these two groups in your prayers, and keep in mind that women's monasteries often find it much harder to survive financially, since they have no mass stipends to fall back on!

Novena Prayer

O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids and avoid the occasions of sin.


Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident hope that thou wilt hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I so earnestly implore (mention your intentions here), if it be for the greater glory of God and the welfare of my soul.

Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

[For the special intention (Magnificat antiphon of the feast): O pattern of heavenly life, our guide and teacher Benedict, whose soul is now rejoicing with Christ in heaven: protect thy flock, dear shepherd, and by thy holy prayer support them; and with thyself as leader showing that brightened way, make them enter the heavens.]

St Benedict Novena Day 1 (March 12): The monks of Norcia, Italy

Fresco from St Benedict's, Norcia

As flagged yesterday, today is the day to start your Novena to St Benedict! You can find the novena prayer below.

I also invite you to join me through this novena in praying for the restoration of traditional Benedictine religious life, and to that end, want to highlight a few monasteries of particular interest.

And what better place to start than the birthplace of St Benedict himself, where a relatively new foundation of American monks are working for the restoration of monastic life there.

Monastery of St Benedict, Norcia

The monks of Norcia will be familiar to many readers of this blog because of their wonderful service in making their daily EF Mass, Lauds, Vespers and more available online.

This is a monastery that is growing quickly, but needs your help!

First, their Prior, Fr Cassian Folsom who was chosen as Inside the Vatican Magazine's person of the year for 2011, has unfortunately suffered a relapse in the cancer that had been in abeyance since treatment a few years back. Please pray for his recovery.

Secondly, they need help meeting the everyday expenses of the monastery, and their site gives you a number of options to make donations, depending on where you live.

Thirdly, they have purchased a ruined sixteenth century Capuchin Monastery as the site for their future monastery as they expand beyond their current accommodations, and need help to restore and build!

And to learn more about them, do watch the excellent video recently made about them posted below.

The St Benedict Novena Prayer (and the special intention)

O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids and avoid the occasions of sin.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident hope that thou wilt hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I so earnestly implore (mention your intentions here), if it be for the greater glory of God and the welfare of my soul.

Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

[For the special intention (Magnificat antiphon of the feast): O pattern of heavenly life, our guide and teacher Benedict, whose soul is now rejoicing with Christ in heaven: protect thy flock, dear shepherd, and by thy holy prayer support them; and with thyself as leader showing that brightened way, make them enter the heavens.]

And if you would like to read more about the saint himself, please do take a look at my previous novena series on the saint.

St Gregory the Great, Class II (March 12)



St Gregory dispatches St Augustine and his monks to England

 From the martyrology:

"At Rome, St. Gregory, pope and eminent doctor of the Church, who on account of his illustrious deeds and the conversion of the English to the faith of Christ, was surnamed the Great, and called the Apostle of England."

St Gregory I the Great, was born in 540, and was pope between 590 and 604.

He became a monk after meeting refugees from St Benedict's Monte Cassino, who had fled to Rome after the destruction of the monastery, and established a monastery in his home on the Caelian in Rome. 

He was sent as Ambassador to Constantinople by Pope Pelagius II in 579, and engaged there in the always vigorous theological disputes of the Eastern Church! 

As Pope he is credited with the revision of the liturgy (hence the naming of the chant for him), the conversion of the English and many important writings. 

The most important of his works from a Benedictine perspective though, is Book II of his Dialogues, which is the Life of St Benedict, which you can read more about by clicking here.

And for more on the life of the saint himself, go here.

Novena to St Benedict for the restoration of Benedictine religious life: starts March 12



c17th  SS Benedict and Scholastica are depicted in the upper panel
alongside the Transfiguration

The feast of St Benedict is on March 21, so if you would like to make the traditional novena to the saint, you will need to start tomorrow (March 12). 

A copy of the novena prayer can be found below, but I'll also include it each day in a post for the novena.

Pray for the restoration of Benedictine religious life

And this year, as well as for our own sanctification, I'd like to ask you to join me in praying for the restoration of traditional Benedictine religious life.

It is my conviction that Catholicism will fall in the West unless religious life is restored.  Without the splendid monastic liturgy, the sacrifices, and the example of truly committed religious, how can priests and the laity go on, how can the West be won?

The laity can help in this battle, first and foremost by supporting those monasteries already out there, and also by praying for new monasteries to be established in places and countries that lack them.

In terms of existing monasteries, they generally need:

• our prayers above all, for their success;
• vocations - so consider whether you have properly discerned your own, or can do more to encourage a family member of friend;
• financial support - some few are well-endowed, or have schools and other business activities which more than pay for them, but these days, particularly in the case of the traditionally inclined monasteries, these are few and far between and most live pretty much hand to mouth!  So consider buying their products through their website, visiting them for a retreat, or making a donation outright;
• some monasteries have specific needs for goods which you may be able to help out with; and
• free (or cheap) labour - some monasteries have work days or other ways of volunteering your services....

If you are an oblate, your first obligation is of course to the monastery to which you made your oblation and whose spiritual benefits you share in especially.  But most of us can spare at least a prayer for other monasteries.  Some monasteries offer goods and services you might benefit from.  And some monasteries - particularly the newer ones in the process of just starting out, or building a monastery - are worth your consideration more generally.

Monasteries to note

In order to highlight this intention, and the ways in which we can help, I plan to highlight a number of Benedictine monasteries each day through the novena period.

Each day I'll provide a little information and some links on a mix of traditionalist monasteries, conservative monasteries that are doing good things, monasteries I know of that have some traditionalist monks amongst them, and monasteries that particularly need our practical or spiritual help one way.

I'm obviously going to have to be pretty selective here, as there are only nine days to cover them all, so you are mostly going to get my selected favourites!  But do feel free to contact me and let me know of any you think should be highlighted, or to add the name of the monastery you are an oblate of, or should otherwise be highlighted in the comments box.

The St Benedict Novena Prayer (and the special intention)

O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids and avoid the occasions of sin.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident hope that thou wilt hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I so earnestly implore (mention your intentions here), if it be for the greater glory of God and the welfare of my soul.

Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

[For the special intention (Magnificat antiphon of the feast): O pattern of heavenly life, our guide and teacher Benedict, whose soul is now rejoicing with Christ in heaven: protect thy flock, dear shepherd, and by thy holy prayer support them; and with thyself as leader showing that brightened way, make them enter the heavens.]

The Forty Martyrs, Memorial (March 10)

From the martyrology for March 9:

"At Sebaste in Armenia, under the governor Agricolaus, in the time of Emperor Licinius, the birthday of forty holy soldiers of Cappadocia.  After being chained down in foul dungeons, after having their faces bruised with stones, and being condemned to spend the night naked, in the open during the coldest part of winter, on a frozen lake where their bodies were benumbed and covered with ice, they completed their martyrdom by having their limbs crushed.  The most noteworthy among them were Cyrion and Candidus.  Their glorious triumph has been celebrated by St. Basil and other Fathers in their writings.  Their feast is kept tomorrow."

The story of their martyrdom in 320 is very well-attested to, being the subject of a sermon by St Basil of Caesarea around fifty or sixty years after the event. 

Forty soldiers who had openly confessed themselves Christians were condemned by the prefect to be exposed naked upon a frozen pond near Sebaste on a bitterly cold night, that they might freeze to death. Among the confessors, one yielded and, leaving his companions, sought the warm baths near the lake which had been prepared for any who might prove inconstant.

One of the guards set to keep watch over the martyrs beheld at this moment a supernatural brilliancy overshadowing them and at once proclaimed himself a Christian, threw off his garments, and joined the remaining thirty-nine. Thus the number of forty remained complete.

At daybreak, the stiffened bodies of the confessors, which still showed signs of life, were burned and the ashes cast into a river. Christians, however, collected the precious remains, and the relics were distributed throughout many cities; in this way, veneration of the Forty Martyrs became widespread, and numerous churches were erected in their honour.