Our Mass on the feast of St Stephen is always one in which we pay special attention to the altar servers. The Guild of St Stephen has a serious and solemn enrolment ceremony which I use each year, awarding servers with their Guild medals to mark the fact that they have served well and regularly.The material for my sermon was provided by Elizabeth Wang's book "The Purpose of the Priesthood: A Message from Christ", available from Radiant Light. The book is very much from the perspective of a lay woman inviting priests to reflect on the needs of the laity - to receive the teaching of the magisterium faithfully preached, to be given sound moral and spiritual advice, and to be helped to understand the real presence of Christ and the sacrifice of the Mass. At the end of the book, she proposes three faults that priests should correct: resentment, grumbling (particularly grumbling at God to the detriment of our adoration of him) and irreverence, particularly in Church.
I spoke only about the last item, highlighting the way in which good altar servers help the people to pray by serving Mass devoutly and reverently, thus emphasising the holiness of what is taking place.
(Elizabeth Wang's books are illustrated by simple but doctrinally very effective paintings. The website has an Art Gallery with many examples.)
This afternoon, I joined the Carthusians for their post-Christmas party. This takes place after None and finishes with us all pacing along the cloister briskly to Vespers. I don't usually get to talk to those who are professed and so it is a good opportunity - one brother introduced himself by saying that he hadn't spoken to me yet though I have been next to him in choir each fortnight for nearly two years!
It was great to talk to one elderly Carthusian who joined up in Switzerland during the war and ended up in Parkminster when I was about 4 years old. He was eager to talk to me about a couple of theological questions he had - the research I will need to do to check my answer will be very useful for a lecture I have to give in a few months time. Another chap told me of his work on St Therese of Lisieux: examining her writing in comparison with the phenomenology of Edith Stein. Along with a doctor from Czechoslovakia (it was still that when he left) and a former Jesuit from Japan, you can appreciate that the time between None and Vespers was not really enough. As we all left for Vespers, one of the novices said to me that he had wanted to have a chat but it would have to wait until next year :-)
Vespers was, as ever, awesome. As it is the Christmas Octave, the altar and choir were incensed. The Carthusians do this one-handed with aplomb, each member of the choir getting one swing, and the thurifer moving all the time.
4 comments:
I originally discovered your blog through a website devoted to the Carthusian order.
Through family connections and reading on that website, I became aware that at one point the order considered American vocations very problematic. The notion was that Americans are simply incapable of being contemplatives. In fact the brother of a lady who works with my wife came to within months of final profession, but was asked to leave.
He became a well-beloved pastor in the Peoria Diocese.
Then some years later, about five to seven years ago, questions arose within the order over whether these American vocations has been treated fairly. He received an invitation to re-enter, but his bishop responded that he had given it a try once and that was enough.
Nevertheless some time later, his parents informed us at an Opus Dei Christmas Party that in fact he had eventually received permission from his bishop and at that point was at Parkminster.
I am wondering if you have any knowledge of how these re-trials have fared? This particular priest is Thomas Gibson.
Somewhere I heard that with Fr. Cyril as novice master, the novitiate is full. Is that so?
As unlikely as it may seem this is not idle curiosity, since there is someone in our parish whom I want to encourage to at least consider the Carthusians, but I want to do so knowledgeably.
Lee - not sure whether anyone thought that Americans are incapable of being contemplatives but if they did, it is obviously nonsense. Despite talking of sidewalks and parking lots, Americans have the same human nature as everyone else and can be contemplatives. Seriously, there is at least one Carthusian house in the States and there are at least two Americans at Parkminster.
Parkminster is indeed thriving with Dom Cyril as novice master. I am afraid I don't recognise the name Tom Gibson but will try to remember to check when I am next there.
For the person in your parish, it would be good for them to read a little about the Carthusian way of life and then to ask at a Carthusian house for permission to stay for a few days initially, then, after consideration, for a month or so. A month usually gives an indication of whether someone can embark on the novitiate. It is rather a question of "kill or cure" but the experience will not be wasted.
Your story reminds me a little of the strict order of nuns who could only say 2 words every ten years. A young novice enters, and mother superior says "mind now, no talking for 10 years, then you can say two words." The young lady agrees, and 10 years latter comes before her superior. RM says "Well, how's it going?" The nun says "Bad bed." RM -- thank you for telling me, we shall look into it, we don't need hospital bills for bad backs. Another 10 years passes. "Well?" "Bad food" "Oh, I see, well I'll check into it, bad food is bad for the moral and wears people down." 10 years pass." "How goes it?" "I quit!" "I'm not surprised, you've been here 30 years, and all you've done is complain!"
I enjoy the artwork of Elizabeth Wang, it is used on the EWTN program "For God So Loved The World" with Frances Hogan, who is just amazing herself.
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