Our Lady's Assumption

What a joy it was to celebrate the Assumption (actually on the 15th August!) in the wonderful atmosphere of the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady, Fontgombault, in the Province of Berry, France.

Having arrived in a Cessna 172 single engine plane at Le Blanc airfield the first visit to the Abbey was for Solemn Pontifical First Vespers on Saturday evening, presided over by His Lordship the Abbot.

Saturday brought with it the celebration of a Pontifical High Mass at the Throne, preceded by Terce and a procession around the cloister. it was a privilege to participate at Mass from the Transept and therefore have an un-restricted view of both the Throne and the Altar.

Later that day there was again Pontifical Vespers this time with a procession of Our Lady and around the Church itself along with various Marian devotions, followed by benediction.

Fontgombault was the venue for a liturgical conference in 2001 which was presided over by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. The monks celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite but include the Universal Prayers / Intercession (in Latin) and omit the Last Gospel.

The singing of the Gregorian chant is sublime and the whole experience is surely a foretaste of heaven!

Northern Lands

Family affairs took me to the North East of England last weekend. Whilst there I was able to visit the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and the ruined Cistercian Abbey at Rievaulx in the North York Moors.

The Monastery at Lindisfarne was founded in 635AD by St Aidan a monk of Iona. It lies on an island just off the Northumberland Coast and is connected to the mainland by a causeway across the sand except twice daily when the tide isolates the island.

1 The Abbey 2 St Cuthbert 3 Sculpture of Monks Carry Cuthberts Relics

Aidan's monastery is now ruined but has many interesting features including architectural details on pillars that are very similar to those in Durham Cathedral. Lindisfarne was for a time a dependant house of the Abbey at Durham.

St Cuthbert was once prior of Lindisfarne and lived on the island as well as at his hermitage on a small island of Inner Farne, now know as St Cuthbert's Island. He became Bishop of Lindisfarne before returning to the hermitage to die. His relics were later transferred to Durham where the current magnificent Cathedral was raised in his honour.

Many other saints were formed at Lindisfarne and there prayers were invoked for the ministry of the Church in the North.

The nine saints of Lindisfarne are:

• St Aidan
• St Finan
• St Colman
• St Tuda
• St Eata
• St Cuthbert
• St Eadberht
• St Eadfrith
• St Ethelwald

Some of the great missionary saints also had associations with the monastery in their time:

• St Chad
• St Cedd
• St Wilfrid

St Egbert, a monk of Lindisfarne influenced the apostolate of:

• St Wilfrid
• St Wigbert
• St Willibrord

The Anglican parish church of St Mary the Virgin stands in the grounds of the monastery and I was able to fulfil the SSIM obligations there and in the abbey itself as well as praying for the current (Titular) Bishop of Lindisfarne, the Rt Revd John Arnold, Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster.

Rievaulx:

1 Nave looking East 2 Shrine of St William

Rievaulx Abbey, situated near the lovely market town of Helmsley, was founded in 1132 and was the first Cistercian house in the north of England. It's third Abbot was St Aelred (1147-67) when the community had 140 choir monks and up to 500 lay brothers and servants. Graves of some of the monks are extant in the Narthex, Choir and Chapter House. The abbey also houses the shrine of St William, the first Abbot (1131-45).

3 Cloister

Both sites provided perfect opportunities to exercise the apostolate of our Society.

Saints of the North; Pray for us!

Fr Finigan's Jubilee

Some members of SSIM very much hope to join Fr Tim for his jubilee mass at Blackfen this evening. Ad multos annos pater!

Admissions

The Nativity of S John Baptist saw the admission of two new members, one priest and one layman followoing the Mass at S James Spanish Place. The admission was performed by the Master.

The Master also admitted the Revd Robert Penhallurick of the diocese of Columbus, Ohio, USA as an Associate Member on 25th July and has appointed him Chaplain to Associate Members.

Fr Bob is spending some time in England and is looking forward to visiting many of our medieval churches during his holiday.

Visits

Steven McKenna informed us of recent visits he's made:

Odda's Chapel: http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/glouces/Deerhurst-Oddas-Chapel.htm
Deerhurst Church: (nb Communion table arranged for North Endcelebration!!) St Alphege was a former Monk of deerhurst http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/glouces/Deerhurst.htm
and Tewkesbury Abbey http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/glouces/Tewkesbury_Abbey_Photos.htm

Precepts of the Church

So what are the precepts of the Church?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 2041) says of them: 'The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in growth in love of God and neighbour.' They are:

• You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labour
• You shall confess your sins at least once a year
• You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season
• You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church
• You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church

Question about act of reparation

A member has asked for clarification about what form the act of reparation for past wrongs should take when visiting former Catholic places of worship. There is nothing to stop members using any suitable and approved form of act of reparation but the following advice is given on the SSIM website:

On visiting a church, monastery, shrine, even if ruined, which had previously been used for Catholic worship recite the following [Pater Noster, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri] for the repose of the souls of all who have worshipped there in the past, especially the priests who faithfully offered the holy sacrifice of the Mass and in reparation for all wrongs committed there. Pray also for the unity of Christ’s church around the See of Peter and for the intentions of our Holy Father