Camaldolese Hermits of America Camaldolese Tidings New Camaldoli Hermitage • Big Sur, California • Volume 19 • Issue 1 • Fall 2013 Installation of a New Prior “The spiritual life for Jesus was––and I suppose the ideal of the spiritual life for us could be–– like breathing in and breathing out, as simple as that. Breathing in the love of God, breathing out the love of God. Breathing in strength, breathing out compassion. Breathing in the fire, breathing out justice.” – From Fr. Cyprian’s installation homily Prior Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. 2 ~ Camaldolese Tidings The men of the community: Fr. Daniel, Bro. Joshua, Fr. Isaiah, Fr. Bruno, Bro. Emmanuel, Fr. Thomas, Fr. Raniero, Fr. Mario (Visita- tor from Fonte Avellana, Italy), Don Alessandro (Prior General from Camaldoli), Fr. Zacchaeus, Fr. Cyprian, Bishop Richard Garcia of the Diocese of Monterey, Fr. Andrew, Fr. Arthur, Bro. Bede, Fr. Robert. Fr. Michael, Bro. Ignatius, Bro. Gabriel, Bro. Ivan, Bro. James, Bro. Michael, Bro. Benedict, and Bro. Isaac. Dear Oblates and Friends, New Camaldoli in 1992, and offered his We monks, and so many others know monastic vows in 1994, I myself happily our dear brother and friend Cyprian to It is my receiving them as Prior. He then studied be a man of deep faith, profound prayer, pleasure, and for the priesthood at St. John Seminary, in real wisdom, and wonderful compassion. that of the whole Camarillo, California, writing his Masters In his heart he is seeking what we are community, to thesis on the ancient, biblical and monastic all seeking ultimately, ever deeper union introduce to you understanding of humanity as constituted with God and, in God, with all of human- our new Prior, by three interrelated and complementary ity, with all of creation. Fr. Cyprian Con- elements of body, mind and spirit. siglio. And it is His deep love of liturgy inspired him – Fr. Robert Hale, OSB Cam. not a difficult to take the monastic name of Cyprian, task because his influenced also by our great Vatican II powerful and theologian Fr. Cyprian Vagaggini. Our Camaldolese Tidings is published by the moving Installation homily and the beau- own Fr. Bede Griffiths, whom he met at Camaldolese Hermits of America for our tiful, expressive photos included in this New Camaldoli, has had a very significant friends, oblates, and sponsors. newsletter say so much. Also because so impact on him, and inspired Fr. Cyprian many of you already know him, if not per- to continue on that urgent and significant Publisher sonally, then through his many wonderful way of exploring the “Marriage of East Father Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. Editor CDs, his profound book, his spiritual con- and West.” This commitment has inspired Brother Bede Healey, OSB Cam. certs and conferences, etc. You know him his several journeys to India, as well as to Public Relations & Design to be a monk of many remarkable gifts. the Holy Land, Italy, the far East, etc., and Susan Garrison Fr. Cyprian was born in 1958, the very also his book, “Prayer in the Cave of the year of the founding of New Camaldoli. Heart.” If you have questions or comments about And if that is not remarkable enough, he Cyprian lived for some years outside this publication, please address them to: was born on the feast of our Founder, St. of the community in a hermitage in the New Camaldoli Hermitage Romuald, June 19th! Was Providence Santa Cruz area, while pursuing an active 62475 Coast Highway 1 not speaking rather loudly? Already in international ministry in interreligious di- Big Sur, CA 93920 his early 20s, he was offering concerts as alogue through music and retreats confer- (831) 667-2456 • Fax: (831) 667-0209 E-mail: [email protected] guitarist and vocalist and recording his ences, influenced by the life and teaching or visit us on the web at: music in Phoenix, Arizona. He then dis- of Fr Bede. He has brought the strong ex- cerned his monastic vocation, arrived at periences of that period with him to New www.contemplation.com Camaldoli, as well. Camaldolese Tidings ~ 3 We Do it for You (Homily on the Occasion of the Installation of the New Prior) Father Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam, Prior those two options points right to a tension that What I note about Jesus is how often we Today (July 20, 2013) on the Church’s I see in monastic life in general and in our see him go off to a remote place to pray, on calendar we have the option of celebrating Camaldolese charism in particular, that ten- a mountain often; and sometimes he takes his a little known saint, Saint Apollinaris, who sion between withdrawal and belonging, you disciples and tells them, “Come away with me was said to have been consecrated a bishop might say, between being alone and being to a lonely place.” ͥ ͮ But, notice, when he is by Saint Peter himself, and then was sent to available. off by himself and his disciples come look- Ravenna in Italy as a missionary where he I chose to stay with the readings of the ing for him he never says, “Go away, I’m on was martyred under the reign of Emperor day today, mainly the gospel ͥ, for two reasons. a desert day.” When crowds come looking for Claudius. What makes that so auspicious for First of all, because Matthew cites the very him and his disciples, sometimes the disciples us is that Saint Romuald, the founder of our line from the prophet Isaiah in regards to Je- want to send the crowd away, but Jesus always congregation, entered the monastery of Saint sus, that Saint Benedict points to in reference welcomes them. And sometimes, like today, it Apollinaris in Classe, just outside of Raven- to the attitude an abbot (or a prior as the case seems that he brings the whole crowd with na after Apollonaris appeared to him, twice. may be) should have in regards to his brother him–– “he withdrew from that place. Many Actually he appeared to him again later urg- monks: “He is to distrust his own frailty and people followed him,” Matthew tells us.ͮ And ing him to return to San Apollonaris as abbot. remember not to crush the bruised reed.” ͥ ͥ as was said about the early monks in Egypt, (None of those times turned out too well: the The other reason is that that same tension that “the desert becomes a city.” first time his brother monks tried to throw him I mentioned seems to be going on in this little The spiritual life for Jesus was––and I off the second floor balcony; the second time scene from the gospel. suppose the ideal of the spiritual life for us the abbot himself tried to strangle him, but In some ways, I have always thought that could be––like breathing in and breathing never mind that...) the dichotomy that we place between the ac- out, as simple as that. Breathing in the love of I myself have a connection to all of this. tive and contemplative life in Western Chris- God, breathing out the love of God. Breathing Back when I was finishing my BA and study- tianity is what my philosopher friend calls a in strength, breathing out compassion. Breath- ing Art History, I fell in love with Roman- “false dilemma.” These two energies are only ing in the fire, breathing out justice. Or, simply esque architecture and specifically with the distant from each other because we are so dis- put, breathing in the Spirit and then delivering mosaics of Ravenna, both at the mausoleum tant from our own true selves. Father Bede it over, as he did with his last breath of his life in town called the Galla Placidia (whence Griffiths was very fascinated in a concept he on this earth. comes that mosaic of the two birds drinking got from India called sahaj samadhi. Sama- Please don’t misunderstand me, I think out of the fountain that is our stemma and the dhi is the final stage of yoga, when one is, as that for most of us mere mortals it is not that symbol of the World Community for Christian I like to translate it, “absorbed” in some way easy, and I think that there will always be a Meditation), and then in the grand basilica in into the Divine, whatever that word means to place for the purely contemplative life. And Classe, long before I had ever heard anything you. And sahaj means something like natural; our constitutions say right at the beginning about Romuald or this rag tag bunch of monks and so sahaj samadhi means “natural contem- that, “In both the hermitage and the monas- called Camaldolese. The first time I was there plation” and the best example of it according tery” we monks are to “attend to the contem- it was as a monk, and I could barely enter in to Fr. Bede was Jesus, who had gone beyond plative life above all else.” ͮ ͥ And the reason I the church, I was so overcome with emotion to the categories of active and contemplative. think that there will always be a place for the see it all up close. Whether he was in the desert or in the mar- purely contemplative life is this: we are one When we were beginning to make prepa- ketplace teeming with lepers, priests and pros- body, the body that is the church, the body that rations for this celebration of the installation titutes, he was a pure contemplative, as Bede is the human race; and a conservative guess of the new prior, I was consulted, as much as wrote, “always abiding with the Father as the would say probably 90% of the body is active the liturgist as a candidate.