I have lost another of my parishioners, and I am pleased!Today, the Vigil of the Assumption one of my parishioners, he doesn't live in the parish but he came to the Old Rite Mass here on Sundays and Friday, is entering one of those rather strict monasteries. Pray for him, I am offering Mass for him this evening. Someone rather lamely said to him, "write, let us know how you are getting on', his reply was, 'Yes, I will if I leave'. He is allowed a letter year as a novice. Hence I will give neither his name or his monastery, the violet of the Vigil of the Assumption in the Old Rite is a suitable marker of his transit from this world to the monastery.
I could well imagine this particular man marching through the desert under the burning sun with a cohort of Foreign Legionaries or yomping on some Welsh mountain with a squad of the SAS, the monastery he has joined is that type of place. Other monasteries might well specialise in academic or artistic pursuits, this one in silence and being dead to the world!
It is interesting to see where God leads us, another of my parishioners has just celebrated his tenth anniversary as a Catholic. There is nothing boring about my parishioners, each is an individual, each life is a manifestation of Grace.
10 comments:
Yes I read Tim Stanley's article in the Herald this morning. It was my fourth anniversary this Holy Week (I'm a member of the Ordinariate) and so much of what he said resonated with me.
Thank You, Fr, for an excellent Post.
Your Parish is, indeed, Blessed to have a Parish Priest who watches over his Parishioners and Prays for them.
I am sure the new Novice Monk will remember you and your Parish in his Daily Office.
in Domino
Every so often I get a "calling" to go to a Cistercian monastery not too far from where I live. When the call enters my mind I can't wait to go, but after 3 or 4 days there I can't take it any more and come back home if nothing else to be able to talk to people. The whole thing started when I read a biography about Thomas Merton of whom for some reason I have never heard of even though I am a product of a Jesuit University. I mentioned to my wife that it would be interesting to visit a monastery where "no one talks". She remembered and on my Birthday she made arrangements with the monastery for me to visit and when I came home there was a suitcase waiting for me and a cheerful "have a good time" wish from her.
That was several decades ago and I have been returning on an irregular basis ever since then
Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.
" . . . She remembered and on my Birthday she made arrangements with the monastery for me to visit and when I came home there was a suitcase waiting for me and a cheerful "have a good time" wish from her."
I take it your wife hadn't left you ???
Haha...we just celebrated our 51th wedding anniversary!
4 children (as opposed to "kids") and 5 grandchildren who are not following the Cistercian rule of minimal talking.
Lovely story .. delightfully written.
What a lovely post, a fatherly priest writing about his children. I salute you Fr Ray, you truly are a good example as a priest.
yes a beuatiful piece written by a priest who is a true shepherd.Our son tried his vocation far up North and we knew he might never come back.He decided eventually not to pursue it and to be honest we were delighted from our own human point of view.He is continuing as a faithful laymen hoping to marry a good Catholic girl and be a backbone member of a parish to support priests like Father Ray.We were prepated to give him up but in my geart I hoped he would not disappear!
I wish him all the best, great bunch of men, I was there for several months back in the 80's, I re visited 8 years ago for a week the community had grown considerably since my first stay. I hope to re re visit in 2017 thirty years after I left.
Don't spare the cider brother, one of my regrets is that I didn't take my daily ration of cider.
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