Benedictine Monks Holy Cross Monastery 119 Kilbroney Road Rostrevor Co. Down BT34 3BN Northern Ireland Tel: 028 4173 9979 Fax: 028 4173 9978 [email protected] www.benedictinemonks.co.uk
Transfiguration 2012 (Letter n°39) “The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.” (Ps 96:6)
At the beginning of the year 2012, the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Alan Harper, appointed Fr Mark-Ephrem as an ecumenical canon of the chapter of Armagh cathedral for a period of five years. On Sunday 22 April, all the members of our community attended Evensong, in the course of which Fr Mark-Ephrem was installed by the dean of the cathedral, Rev Gregory Dunstan. The new canon is able to participate in meetings of the chapter, but is unable to vote. Fr Mark-Ephrem may, however, attend any of the Services and will be regularly invited to preach during the course of the year. On Thursday 17 May, Fr Mark-Ephrem inaugurated his canonry by celebrating Ascension Day in Armagh (which occurs on the following Sunday in the Irish Catholic calendar).
This year in Ireland, we are embarking upon a 10-year period marked by several important anniversaries in the country’s history and in relations between Catholics and Protestants: in 1912, several thousand Protestants from the North of Ireland signed a solemn undertaking that the North of Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom; in 1916, there was a nationalist rising in Dublin; in 1919, the first nationalist parliament was elected in Ireland; between 1920 and 1922, there occurred the setting up of Northern Ireland, the signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty, the war of independence, and the establishment of the State of Ireland, followed by civil war. From 16 May to 20 June, we were joined, once a week, by Rev Dr Johnston McMaster (a Methodist minister and lecturer in the Irish School of Ecumenics at the university of Dublin), who helped us reflect on the significance of these anniversaries and how we might commemorate them in a positive manner. Over 6 weeks some sixty people from the local area joined with members of the community, to carry out the important task of recalling and reflecting on these events. On 11 July, Johnston and his wife Jonine spent a day with the community.
We would remind you that since Easter we have had a new website, which we hope you will find more attractive. On it you can see several photographs of Br Joshua’s profession (in January 2012) and Fr Mark-Ephrem’s installation as canon in Armagh (in April 2012).
As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, we share with you this text from Ladislas Örsy, internationally respected canon lawyer. He was born in Hungary in 1921. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1943. During the Second Vatican Council he worked as a peritus (adviser) for participating bishops.
A LESSON IN ECCLESIOLOGY It was through the council that I got my most important lesson in ecclesiology, and in particular that I learned about the hierarchy of truth and the role of the magisterium. I did my theological studies before the council at the Jesuit Theological School in Louvain from 1948 to 1952. It was the time of the “new theology”: its newness consisted in fresh approaches to the old mysteries. It promised well: it brought forth insights in abundance. The leaders were Henri de Lubac, Teilhard de Chardin, Yves Congar, M. D. Chenu, Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx, John Courtney Murray, and many others. There were exciting exchanges. Disputations enlivened the investigations. We, mere students, watched and sensed that there was good wine in the making. At some point, however, the movement ground to a halt. A cold air of suspicion swept over the church, alarms were heard, censors and “visitators” were named and sent. They acted dutifully. They meant to preserve the tradition. In the name of the magisterium, and always for “prudence’s sake,” one outstanding theologian after another was removed from his chair or was ordered to keep silent on some issues, or quite simply in the name of obedience, was given a new job. Then the encyclical Humani Generis was published. Its aim was to protect the Catholic community from error; it brought no inspiration for a new understanding of the old mysteries. Once again, it seemed that there were no prophets in Israel; there was sadness in the land. Then – who could have foreseen it? – an ecumenical council was called by the newly elected pope, John XXIII. By those years, I was already teaching at the Gregorian University in Rome. We watched the preparations for the council. Over seventy documents were drafted covering the whole field of theology. Archbishop Felici (later cardinal), the secretary- elect of the council, foresaw one session, lasting at the most for two months, at which the episcopate of the world assembled in Rome would approve all that had been diligently prepared (mostly) under the direction of the Roman experts. The council opened. And, lo and behold, theologians who a few years before were officially condemned, or effectively silenced, or discreetly transferred, were arriving in the Eternal City. They held seminars for bishops and gave lectures for all who cared about the great synod. That was just the beginning. As the council progressed, the very same theologians were helping the bishops to draft consti- tutions, decrees, and declarations. The once-exiled experts were offering new wine to the shepherds, and the shepherds liked it. There I was, and I saw, and I watched: through the deliberations and decisions of the council, the magisterium was correcting the magisterium. That is, the extraordinary magisterium of the council was supporting much of the new theology. It kept completing, rectifying, even reversing what was presented earlier as the “official teaching of the church.” The council proclaimed not only a new hierarchy of truth, but also showed in a practical way how the authority of day-today official teaching of the Holy See ought to be understood. Thus, I received an existential training in the interpretation of “official teach- ings” – a training that has served me well to this day.
THE CONVERSION OF A POPE Another event in my theological formation is difficult to classify. I had the grace to watch what might be termed the “conversion of a pope.” Let me explain what I mean. The council came to a critical point during the first session when the council fathers turned to the discussion of the sources of revelation. The draft was untouched by any new theology. In its paragraphs condemnations abounded. The discussion soon revealed that the majority of the bishops were against the draft. When the first “indicative” vote was taken, some 60% of the council fathers opposed its further discussion. By the rules of the council, however, two thirds were needed to take the document off the floor. As the results were announced, the absurdity of the situation became manifest. The council had to go on discussing a document that the majority wanted to reject. On that day, I happened to have dinner at the English college. A bishop from Down Under was another guest. He just arrived from the session at St. Peter’s. He was upset and told me (there are words once heard that you never forget): “I am going home. This is a farce, not a council.” He did not leave. What he saw as a farce was turned into a council by Pope John XXIII. By the evening the Vatican Radio announced that the draft on the Sources of Revelation would be taken off the floor by the pope’s order and sent back to a committee newly constituted. Moreover, so decided the pope, the council would have for all issues its own committees, each consisting of 24 members, eight appointed by the pope, 16 elected by the council fathers. These new drafting groups would have the authority to change prepared texts and the power to propose new ones. We know what those committees ultimately did: they quietly rejected nearly all the material studiously prepared, and created the documents that brought the church into our modern world. While the organization of the committees was under way, a story circulated in Rome. It was reported that a small deputation went to see the pope, a deputation consisting of persons of power and dignity from the Roman curia. They carried a warning to the Supreme Pontiff: “Holy Father, there is a danger. You must be careful. If you give that much freedom to the bishops, they will run away with the Council. You will not be able to bring them back.” It was reported that Pope John replied: “They too have the Spirit.” There was a magisterial statement, if ever there was one! The successor of Peter perceived the presence of the Spirit in the successors of the apostles and was willing to trust them. Out of this trust, the real council was born and produced plen- tiful good wine. Of course, there is no way to know if Pope John XXIII really made that utter- ance. "Si non e vera, ben trovato" [“If it isn’t true, it’s well put.”]. Whether he said it or not, the events proved that he created a climate of trust. But why do I speak of the “conversion of the pope”? Because before the opening of the council, it was well known that John XXIII was fully satisfied with the preparatory documents. He approved each one of them. Indeed, he was delighted with them. After all, he named the commissions that drafted them; he presided in person over the whole process. In all probability, he too expected their swift approval by the bishops at the council. Yet when the signs of the times warned him that his expectations were misplaced, he responded with humility and was willing to enter into new horizons with all the risk that such a step entailed. Yes, John XXIII had the greatness to learn from his bishops – without ever losing his effective leadership and apostolic authority. The pope called the council, and the bishops created the vision of the council. The lesson? It is in that simple sentence: “They too have the Spirit.” Creativity flourishes in a climate of trust.
(in Vatican II – Forty Personal Stories, W. Madges & Michael J. Daley ed., Twenty-Third Publications, 2003, p. 78-81)
On 29 March, Fr Mark-Ephrem was in Dublin for a meeting of the Irish Council of Churches. On 11 April, Rev Gregory Dunstan, the dean of the Anglican cathedral of Armagh, had lunch with us and met with the community. From 25 April to 4 May, Br Pascal was on the continent, in Spain for his nephew’s wedding and then in France for a few days with his family. On 26 April, Br Thierry was in Newry to give a talk on the monastic vocation to pupils of the Sacred Heart Grammar School. From 29 April to 1 May, Br Thierry was in France. From 4-14 May, Fr Mark-Ephrem was in Oslo, in Norway, where he preached at the retreat of a community of contemplative Dominican nuns, founded in 1951 from Lourdes. Today the community is international, and Fr Mark-Ephrem preached in English and French. From 12-14 May, Br Eric was in France for the first communion of his grand-niece, Lola. On 15 May, we had a visit from Dom Daniel Ward, a Benedictine monk from Collegeville Abbey (USA). On 22 May, it was the turn of Dom Nicholas Seymour, an Anglican Benedictine monk from Alton Abbey (England), to call at Rostrevor. In May, our Br Benoît celebrated his 50th birthday. By way of a present, we sent him on a journey of discovery to the Holy Land. Our Brothers and Sisters of Abu Gosh gave him a fraternal welcome from 20 May to 3 June. From 21-24 May, Dom Richard Yeo, the Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation and vicar of the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Order, was on retreat in the monastery. On 25 May, Fr Mark-Ephrem was on a visit to the Benedictine nuns of Kylemore (Ireland). From 28 May to 1 June, we welcomed Dom Maurus Krass, a Benedictine monk from the Abbey of Ettal (Germany). On 30 May, we were surprised to learn of the death of Fr Ronnie Mitchell, the provincial of the Montfort Fathers of England and Ireland, and long-standing friend of Fr Mark-Ephrem, who presided at the funeral in Belfast cathedral on 12 June. On 2 June, Fr Mark-Ephrem was in Dublin visiting the Little Sisters of the Poor, where he presided and preached at the Eucharist held for three Sisters who were celebrating the 50th anniversary of their profession. At the start of June, two friends of the community began their noviciate as secular oblates: on 3 June, for the feast of the Blessed Trinity, Paul Miller, from Carrickfergus (Northern Ireland), and on 6 June, Janet Rutherford, from Julianstown (Ireland). In preparation for the International Eucharistic Congress: on 4 June, Fr Mark-Ephrem was in Graiguecullen (Ireland) for a conference on the Eucharist a mystery of Communion; on 6 June, Br Thierry visited our neighbouring parish of Warrenpoint, where he took part in a meditation on forgiveness. On 8-9 June, Fr Mark-Ephrem was in Enniskillen, where he attended the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church of Ireland. On the Friday and Saturday, he gave in two biblical meditations on the theme of prayer. From 10-17 June, the 50th International Eucharistic Congress took place in Dublin. Monday 11 June was an ecumenical day, and Br Eric and Br Thierry attended on behalf of the community. The day began with the celebration of the Eucharist for French-speaking participants, and presided over by our friend, Archbishop Robert Le Gall of Toulouse. Then the two Brothers attended a very interesting presentation on the current ecumenical situation, given by Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity (Rome) and Rev Dr Richard Clutterbuck, president of the Methodist Theological College of Belfast. In the afternoon, when the Brothers were joined by Fr Mark-Ephrem, Br Aloys of Taize led a catechesis session, then Archbishop Michael Jackson, Anglican archbishop of Dublin, presided over an ecumenical service, in which the preacher was Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, president of the department of foreign affairs of the patriarchate of Moscow. From 11-17 June, Br Thierry was on the west coast of Ireland for a period of retreat and rest. He was followed by Br Eric from 17-21 June. On 14 June, still within the framework of the International Eucharistic Congress, Fr Mark-- Ephrem presided over a Eucharist for a group of young people in the Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch (within our diocese). From 22-24 June, Fr Mark-Ephrem was in France to celebrate the marriage of Benoît and Thien-Nga. Benoît is the son of our friends Elisabeth and Alain Chamaraux, secular oblates of the Abbey of Bec. On 22 June, our friend Frances Armstrong died after a long illness. On 25 June, at the request of her husband, Rev Bert Armstrong, Fr Mark-Ephrem preached at the funeral service, which took place in the Methodist church of Ballymena. From 26-28 June, Br Thierry was on a visit to our Benedictine confreres of Glenstal Abbey (Ireland) for an ecumenical conference on the theme of the Eucharist. From 26 June to 5 July, Br Benoît was visiting his family in France. From 7-10 July, our friend Mgr Francis Barber, Vicar General of the British Bishopric of the Forces, was on retreat in the monastery, prior to celebrating, on 11 July, the 25th anniversary of his ordination. On 11 July, our Bishop John McAreavey, was present at Vespers for the feast of St Benedict. From 12-19 July, Br Joshua attended a course for young English-speaking monks and nuns at the Benedictine Abbey of Pluscarden (Scotland). The course was led by the Australian Trappist monk Fr Michael Casey. From 16-20 July, Fr Mark-Ephrem preached at the annual retreat of the members of the Anglican Community of the Resurrection (Mirfield, England).
“In this tempestuous, havoc-ridden world of ours, all real communication comes from the heart. (…) One ought to be able to live without books, without anything. There will always be a small patch of sky above, and there will be enough space to fold two hands in prayer.” Words written in July 1942 by Etty Hillesum (1914- Auschwitz 1943)