It's a little belated but Orthfully Catholic would like to wish all our readers a very Happy Feast and hope it was celebrated with due pomp.
As I said earlier not all of us went to St George's (the Hermit did so hopefully he will give a report at a later date) but some of us went to Farnborough Abbey. Unfortunately due to a misunderstanding we arrived 2 hours late for Mass but the Abbot kindly showed us round the Monsastery, including those parts currently being renovated. He then took us to the guesthouse for tea and coffee and we had a long discussion about how monastic and seminary life has changed in the last 30 odd years and how it is slowly returning to the way it once was. He also spoke to us about how the lebvevrists are all young but as a result don't truly understand how things should be and didn't realise that an Abbot has certain privileges not given the monks such as eating breakfast sitting down.
We returned to the seminary and found a member of staff who thankfully said Mass for us in the Lady Chapel! Our thanks go out to him, especially as he was quite unwell at the time.
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5 comments:
With all due respect to Abott Brogan, his comments strike me as rather patronising and ill-informed. The reason why the SSPX seminarians (and indeeed candidates for traditional seminaries) tend to be young, is that they offer something that most diocesan seminaries around the world lack big time.
The Abott could perhaps learn a thing or two from traditional Benedictine monasteries in France and he might see some marvellous results in Farnbrough.
Ottaviani
The Abbot's comments were simply that due to the youth of the Lefebvrist monks and the fact they have no Abbot they were uninformed as to how an Abbot would behave in certain situations before the Reforms following the Council. Therefore the Abbot put them straight - after all once they are brought beck into Communion they will need to know. The Abbots were, if anything, ecumenical in the fullest sense of the word.
Farnborough is full to capacity, in fact there are more monks than the place was intended for and I think this is due to the fact that the Abbot is the one teaching rather than learning!
Benedicite!
Ottaviani, having looked at the Farnborough website, knowing monks who have visited their from Italy and France,as well as receiving a personal vocations rseponse letter from the Abbot this year, i believe thye DO learn from French Abbeys, such as Solesmes, and the more Traditional Fontgombault and Le Barroux.
PAX!
If this was the case, then the Abbott must be commended that he conversed with these people with charity unlike some other clergy - who will engage in ecumenical activity with Protestant "brethren" and yet have nothing to do with the SSPX "schismatics".
I think its more helpful to avoid phrases like "once they are brought beck(sic) into Communion" - the Eccelsia Dei commission has said that the priests and laity are not excommunicated. Perhaps "fuller communion" is a better term that can satisfy everyone.
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