I Have Come To Cast Fire On The Earth…
Ignem veni mittere in terram — I have come to cast fire on the earth. These words of Our Blessed Lord come spontaneously to the mind when we think of today’s great saint, Ignatius of Loyola. Much more than the root form of the name — Ignis, Ignatius, “aflame” — the comparison comes from the fire that […]
A Special Day
This Sunday 30 July, Father Prior blessed the small house on our new property and the community shared its first meal there since settlement day. Three good friends shared the occasion with us and made it very special. Divine Providence gave us the joy of rainbows that were quite visible, and, it would seem, rare […]
A Gift From Our Lady On Her Parents’ Feast Day
“I will bring them into My holy mount, and will make them joyful in My house of prayer: their holocausts and their victims shall please Me upon My altar.” These inspired words from the Prophet Isaiah (56:7), as the chapter verse for the monastic office of Sext on this feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, […]
The “Penitent”
St Mary Magdalene is the only saint in the liturgical calendar to have received the title “Penitent”. Other holy women are called either “virgin”, or “widow”, or simply “holy woman”. The titles the Church gives to saints are titles of glory. She praises her martyrs, confessors, bishops, doctors, virgins, etc…. Today she sings the praises […]
“I Have Acted Like A Fool…”
Today in the traditional calendar, it is the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, and we are given to read about King David’s sin and subsequent repentance. Two words caught my attention last evening as we sang the antiphon for first vespers: insipienter egi — I have acted foolishly. With those words David describes his own actions with regard […]
St Benedict And Saving The West
A few days ago the President of the United States gave a speech to the Polish people in Warsaw in which he spoke of the threats facing the West, in particular the danger of the West losing its soul. In many ways, it was remarkable to hear from the mouth of one of the most […]
The Precursor And The “Truth Trip”
The feast of the Nativity of the Precursor, St John the Baptist, celebrated a few days ago, affords us the opportunity to reflect upon the significance of this extraordinary man, the “greatest among those born of woman”. His grandeur lies precisely in pointing the way to Christ. This is admirably expressed in the “Benedictus” where his […]
And To The Emerald Isle…
After completing a first retreat in Pantasaph, Wales, with Fr John and Br Basil, Fr Prior is now in Ireland holding a second retreat at Ards Friary, Creeslough, Donegal. On the way there the three monks made a stopover at Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, County Meath. Fr Prior was blessed to meet Dom Mark Kirby shortly […]
Treasure, Fountain, Harp, Thurible And Altar
In the preface for the feast of the Sacred Heart, we are told that the Heart of Our Lord was opened in order to become a place of rest for the pious and a refuge for sinners: “ut piis esset requies and paenitentibus pateret salutis refugium“. A place of rest and a refuge: two beautiful […]