Norbertine Sisters of the Mountain

Novice canonesses rowing on the lake.

We have written previously about the newly founded community of Norbertine canonesses of Bethlehem Priory of St Joseph in Tehachapi, California, but now the growing community of 26 canonesses are preparing to move into their new accommodation and facilities.

An American news channel provides a fascinating tour of the new monastery and an insight into the life of the canonesses here. More information on the canonesses can be found elsewhere on the blog or on their website.

Please support the Norbertine canons and canonesses with your prayers, remember especially the new community of canonesses in Tehachapi and our community in Chelmsford.

Habemus Papam!

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;
habemus Papam:

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum Georgium Marium
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio
qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum.

Pope Francis, before his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing.

With the entire world we give thanks to God for the election of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio as our Holy Father Pope Francis, now gloriously reigning. My confrere, Br Stephen, and I were able to be in St Peter’s Square for this historic moment, and we were filled with joy to learn that we again had a pope!

In his Urbi at Orbi blessing Pope Francis asked us all to pray for him as he begins his reign as the successor to St Peter and Sovereign Pontiff of the Universal Church:

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco.

R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat
eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.
[Ps 40:3]

Pater Noster…,  Ave Maria….

Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum
Franciscum, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti,
propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo,
quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi
credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Christum, Dominum
nostrum. Amen.

V. Let us pray for Francis, our Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make
him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the
will of his enemies. [Ps 40:3]

Our Father,  Hail Mary.

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look
mercifully upon Thy servant Francis, whom Thou hast chosen
as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we
beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify
those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the
flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Thanksgiving for the Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI

Arms of Benedict XVI, Emeritus Bishop of Rome, in Our Lady Immaculate, Chelmsford .

From our Prior, Rt Rev Hugh Allan o.praem:

On Wednesday 27^th February, the community celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. It was an emotional and prayerful Mass, filled with gratitude for all that Pope Benedict has done for us, but also deep sadness at his departure. Following the Mass one of our annual Lent Talks was given by Joanna Bogle, greatly enjoyed by all those present.

On Saturday 2^nd March we celebrated Morning Prayer of the Church for the intention of the Cardinals gathering in Rome for the Conclave. We began with Mass at 9 a.m. followed by Exposition, Rosary, and ending at 12 noon with Benediction; confessions were heard throughout.  Everyone there was deeply moved by the experience.

Church of Our Lady Immaculate, Chelmsford.

As a community we continue our prayers for the Church and for the election of a new Pontiff through singing the Veni Creator before vespers each day. We invite all of our readers to join us in praying for this election, the text of the Veni Creator can be found here.

Our Lady Immaculate, pray for us.

Our Holy Fathers Augustine and Norbert, pray for us.

A Final Angelus Address from the Sovereign Pontiff

Holy Father delivers his final angelus address.

Around 150,000 people filled St Peter’s Square and the Via della Conciliazione today to hear the Holy Father’s final Angelus Address of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, dedicated to the “primacy of prayer”:

Dear brothers and sisters!

On the second Sunday of Lent, the liturgy always presents us with the Gospel of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The evangelist Luke places particular emphasis on the fact that Jesus was transfigured as he prayed: his is a profound experience of relationship with the Father during a sort of spiritual retreat that Jesus lives on a high mountain in the company of Peter, James and John , the three disciples always present in moments of divine manifestation of the Master (Luke 5:10, 8.51, 9.28).
The Lord, who shortly before had foretold his death and resurrection (9:22), offers his disciples a foretaste of his glory. And even in the Transfiguration, as in baptism, we hear the voice of the Heavenly Father, “This is my Son, the Chosen One listen to him” (9:35). The presence of Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets of the Old Covenant, it is highly significant: the whole history of the Alliance is focused on Him, the Christ, who accomplishes a new “exodus” (9:31) , not to the promised land as in the time of Moses, but to Heaven. Peter’s words: “Master, it is good that we are here” (9.33) represents the impossible attempt to stop this mystical experience. St. Augustine says: “[Peter] … on the mountain … had Christ as the food of the soul. Why should he come down to return to the labours and pains, while up there he was full of feelings of holy love for God that inspired in him a holy conduct? “(Sermon 78.3).
We can draw a very important lesson from meditating on this passage of the Gospel. First, the primacy of prayer, without which all the work of the apostolate and of charity is reduced to activism. In Lent we learn to give proper time to prayer, both personal and communal, which gives breath to our spiritual life. In addition, to pray is not to isolate oneself from the world and its contradictions, as Peter wanted on Tabor, instead prayer leads us back to the path, to action. “The Christian life – I wrote in my Message for Lent – consists in continuously scaling the mountain to meet God and then coming back down, bearing the love and strength drawn from him, so as to serve our brothers and sisters with God’s own love “(n. 3).
Dear brothers and sisters, I feel that this Word of God is particularly directed at me, at this point in my life. The Lord is calling me to “climb the mountain”, to devote myself even more to prayer and meditation. But this does not mean abandoning the Church, indeed, if God is asking me to do this it is so that I can continue to serve the Church with the same dedication and the same love with which I have done thus far, but in a way that is better suited to my age and my strength. Let us invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary: may she always help us all to follow the Lord Jesus in prayer and works of charity.

At this time of transition let us remember to pray for the Pope, and also for the cardinals who will soon gather to elect our next sovereign Pontiff; we must pray also for the liberty of the Church in these difficult times, and the times ahead.

God bless the Pope!

Pope Benedict XVI, now gloriously reigning!

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

With the rest of the world we are in shock at the news of the Holy Father’s resignation; we offer him our sincere gratitude and  thanks for his too short years as Pope, but most of all we give thanks to our Almighty Father for the gift of his reign.

As we await February 28th it is perhaps more important than ever to pray for him and for the cardinals who will soon gather to elect his successor, the sucessor of Peter, and Vicar of Christ. We might also take this opportunity, during the Year of Faith, to reflect on what the Holy Father has taught us. I offer the following quotation from the his homily in Westminster Cathedral, given during his visit to the United Kingdom in 2010 (the full text can be found here),

Faithful to Christ’s command to “do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19), the Church in every time and place celebrates the Eucharist until the Lord returns in glory, rejoicing in his sacramental presence and drawing upon the power of his saving sacrifice for the redemption of the world. The reality of the Eucharistic sacrifice has always been at the heart of Catholic faith; called into question in the sixteenth century, it was solemnly reaffirmed at the Council of Trent against the backdrop of our justification in Christ. Here in England, as we know, there were many who staunchly defended the Mass, often at great cost, giving rise to that devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist which has been a hallmark of Catholicism in these lands.

At this time, when we all feel particularly close to the Holy Father and we offer our prayers for him and his successor, it seems particularly appropriate to sing this wonderful English hymn as a sign of our affection. God bless our Pope!

Blessed Hugh

Blessed Hugh was one of St. Norbert’s first disciples and later became first abbot of Prémontré.  Pope Pius XI, a great friend of our Order, confirmed the immemorial cult of Blessed Hugh on July 13, 1927.

He was born at Fosses-la-Ville in what is now Belgium around the year 1093. He seems to have been orphaned early in life and was educated at the collegiate church of St. Feuillien at Fosses. Upon ordination he was made secretary to Burchard, the Bishop of Cambrai. Whilst accompanying the bishop through Valenciennes, Hugh and Burchard happened upon St. Norbert who was there preaching. St. Norbert came to visit the bishop and was led into the episcopal presence by Hugh.

Painting of Bl. Hugh at Fosses

The bishop, looking at him standing there with bare frozen feet and dressed in rough clothing, absolutely amazed and dumbfounded, fell upon his neck with a gasp and cried out: “Oh Norbert, who would ever have believed or even thought this of you!” The cleric who had admitted Norbert wondered about the bishop’s affection for him and asked the reason. The bishop answered: “This man whom you see was brought up with me in the court of the king, a man noble and abounding in delights to such a degree that he refused my bishopric when it was offered to him.” Hearing this, the cleric filled up with tears both because he saw his master weeping, but also because he longed for a similar way of life. Secretly he checked out where Norbert would be continuing his journey. Norbert was suddenly seized by a serious illness while still in the city. The bishop kindly tended his illness, daily visiting him through the members of his court. The aforementioned cleric was among those visitors and when Norbert grew stronger he approached him and promised to accompany him in his profession and journey. Norbert thanked God thinking that the man was going to set out with him. But when the cleric stated that he first wanted to set his affairs in order, Norbert was troubled at his words and said only: “Ah, brother, if this is of God, it will not be undone.” The cleric left promising to return and, disposing of his possessions, a little later did return henceforth to follow the man of God. The name of that cleric was Hugh. – Vita A

After returning to Norbert’s side Hugh followed Our Holy Father on his many journeys over northern Europe and was present at the foundation of Prémontré in 1120. Hugh was made first prior of the abbey and when Norbert took up his appointment of Archbishop of Magdeburg Hugh became the first abbot. As abbot Hugh laid the foundations of the legislative and liturgical life of the Order. He organised the system of General Chapters, wrote the first statutes of the Order and organised the various liturgical offices. He was also devoted to the education and training of his clerics and governed the Order during those early years of rapid expansion. Known especially for his humility Hugh never signed his name with ‘abbot’ but only as ‘servant of God and Norbert’.

Having laboured so hard for the good of the Order Hugh died at Prémontré on 10th February 1164. In 1279 his relics were moved to the high altar of the abbey church of Prémontré and given more elaborate furnishings in 1660. With the coming of the Revolution Hugh’s relics were safely hidden in a number of locations until they found a place at the abbey of Bois-Seigneur-Isaac. His relics finally found a home in Rome, at the Generalate of the Order in 2010. How appropriate that the first abbot of Prémontré should now ever be close to his successors. On the feast of Blessed Hugh then, let us pray especially for our own Abbot General, Amplissimus Dominus, Dominus Praemonstratensis
Thomas Handgrätinger O.Praem, together with all the superiors of our Order.

It is also the feast of our own prelate, Fr. Hugh Allan o.praem. We wish him a very happy feast day and ad multos annos! This year we also have the great joy of celebrating the feast with our Abbot General, Thomas Handgrätinger, the 64th successor of Blessed Hugh.

Almighty eternal God, who are always calling new men so that they might make Your way known to others, we humbly entreat You through the merits and intercession of Your abbot Blessed Hugh, that by praying and working, we may build up Your people into one. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

St. Godfrey and St. Gerlac

The 14th January marks two saints who have long been venerated in the Order. The 14th January is now marked as the memorial of St. Godfrey, but in the traditional Premonstratensian Breviary and missal it was marked as the feast of St. Gerlac.

St. Godfrey was born into the wealth and prestige of the counts of Cappenberg. In his early adulthood he played an active role in supporting the cause of the Roman Pontiff against Emperor Henry IV. In 1121 he encountered St. Norbert at Cologne and was so struck by his lifestyle and preaching that he immediately made plans to give away all his possessions and enter the infant Norbertine Order. Together with his brother Otto and his wife Judith, he handed over Cappenberg Castle to St. Norbert on May 31, 1122, thus establishing the first foundation of the Order in Germany. Both Otto and Judith followed Godfrey’s example and embraced the religious life of the new Order. The further donation of his estates at Varlar and Ilbenstadt to St. Norbert caused an uproar among the local nobility who viewed it as a threat to their established aristocracy. Under the leadership of Godfrey’s hostile father-in-law, Frederick of Arnsberg, an unsuccessful military assault was made upon the new monastery at Cappenberg. Through all of these trials Godfrey remained steadfast in his desire to be a Norbertine. When things calmed down, Godfrey received the habit from the hand of St. Norbert. He especially loved to care for the poor and sick in the hospital attached to the abbey. St. Norbert wanted to have him by his side at Magdeburg, but Godfrey felt out of place in the noisy northern metropolis and was granted permission to return to Cappenberg. It was on his way back to Mt. Cappenberg that Godfrey fell sick at Ilbenstadt. Surrounded by his brethren and his brother Otto, he made peace with them all: “My brothers, through love for the Order, through zeal for the glory of God, I have occasionally reprimanded some of you a bit too harshly. I beg pardon from you now.” Moments later, seeing a vision of angels, Godfrey exclaimed, “How beautiful! How beautiful! The messengers of my Creator and God have finally come!” With that he fell asleep in the Lord. It was January 13, 1127.

St Gerlac, who died in 1170, had led the life of wild and licentious soldier – including a spell as a highwayman. After the death of his wife he experienced a deep interior conversion. Giving up his former ways and as penance for his past sins he went on pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem. He also adopted a rule of life quite different from his former ways. Gerlac was in Rome in 1151 when Pope Eugenius provided him with the penance of seven years in service at Jerusalem. At Jerusalem he worked in the pilgrim hospitals and helping the poor and sick of that city. When he returned to Rome Pope Adrian IV asked him to consider entering some of the existing religious orders, but Gerlac found them incompatible with his vocation. The Pope (who had been educated by Premonstratensians) therefore asked Gerlac to return to his native Holland and live out his vocation as a hermit, in a habit of a Premonstratensians. Gerlac therefore took to living in seclusion from the world and devoting his time to God, attending daily Mass in Maastricht each day. St. Gerlac also received a vision of St. Hildegard. For his dwelling he had hollowed out an oak tree in which to live, but when fame of his holiness and miracles invoked the jealousy of local canons it was cut down by the local bishop. However the bishop soon realised he had been tricked and being convinced to Gerlac’s holiness placed him under his own protection, as well as the guidance of the abbot of Rolduc. Gerlac’s later years were marked by spiritual trials as well as his growing fame as a worker of miracles. As he lay dying the local clergy were unable, or refused, to bring him the Last Sacraments, however a figure, believed to be St. Servatius, appeared and the saint died fortified with all the rites of the Church. In 1172 a Premonstratensian abbey was built at Houtherm where St. Gerlac had died and became a great centre of pilgrimage. Though the monastery was dissolved the parish church remains a centre of pilgrimage.

The Relics of St. Gerlac

Gerlace, splendor Ordinis,
Miraculis clarissime,
Tuo potenti nomini
Hymni tributum solvimus.

Tibi, sitis quem concremat,
Ministrat unda poculum;
Istius haustu sanitas
Est restituta pluribus.

Hanc, imminente tempore,
Mors Christi quo recolitur
Ter in merum vis Numinis
Convertit, almam reddidit.

Hanc prosequuntur maximo
Honore Falcoburgii,
Quibus per ipsam contigit
Certare Canae laudibus.

Felix in arce siderum,
Tuos clientes adjuva,
Ut, te rogante, singuli
Sedes supernas occupent.

Deo Patri sit Gloria,
Ejusque soli Filio,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito,
Et nunc, et in perpetuum.
Amen.