Readings: Acts 13:14, 43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14-17; John 10:27-30 The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. Joseph Wittstock presiding and preaching. We are experimenting with another configuration of the worship space. We may put a few plastic chairs out for our guests this weekend; the wooden chairs with arms are reserved for the […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year C, 10 April, 2016
Readings: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 I believe there are moments in John’s Gospel when Jesus challenges the best out of people standing on the brink. Last month he asked the woman taken in adultery, Has no one condemned you? If she is ever to change her life, she must answer No one, Sir, […]
10 April, 2016, Third Sunday of Easter, Year C
Readings: Acts 5:27-32, 40-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 The community Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. James presiding and preaching. As our regular guests may be aware, we are experimenting with rubrics, the placement of church furniture and the use of space in anticipation of renovating the church. For your information, what we are doing […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the Annunciation, 4 April, 2016
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 Two Fridays ago, Good Friday fell on 25 March, the calendar date for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Incarnation. That doesn’t happen often but it does occur predictably. Perhaps it even happens appropriately because the mystery of the Incarnation seems to come full circle. It […]
Abbot Robert’s Homily for the Paschal Vigil
Words which I spoke at the beginning of this night’s liturgy sum up our experience together. On this most holy of nights, our Lord Jesus Christ passed over from death to life: this is the Passover of the Lord. On this most holy night, the Church invites us, her faithful people, to come together to […]
Fr. Joseph’s Homily For Easter Sunday, Year C, 27 March, 2016
Readings: Acts 10:34, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9 Where the Hell is God, sounds like a rather irreverent title for a book written by a Jesuit! And yet the popularity of Richard Leonard’s book suggests that his question resonates with many suffering Christians who, in their spiritual darkness and confusion, desperately seek a God who […]
Abbot Robert’s Homily for Holy Thursday, 24 March, 2016
Readings: Exodus 12:1-8,11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15 There is in the Eastern Church a well-known icon which has been given the name “Extreme Humility”. This icon depicts the crucified body of Jesus standing in his tomb. In our Western Church tradition we have the famous Shroud of Turin, which is believed to be the […]
Fr. Joseph’s Homily for the Feast of St. Joseph, 19 March, 2016
Readings: 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 It has frequently been observed that whereas Mary the Mother of Jesus speaks only rarely in the gospels, Joseph speaks not at all. And yet, doesn’t he? Fr. Edward of blessed memory was fond of quoting a Fulton Sheen saying according […]
A Word From The Cistercian Fathers For April
O good Lord Jesus, from what great bitterness have you not freed me by your coming, time after time? When distress has made me weep, when untold sobs and groans have shaken me, have you not anointed my wounded my conscience with the ointment of your mercy and poured in the oil of gladness? How […]
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Incarnation to the Virgin Mary, Monday, 4 April, 2016
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, 8-10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 The community Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM, Fr. James preaching. The feast, the calendar date of which fell on Good Friday, is transferred from 25 March this year to Monday, 4 April after the conclusion of the Easter Octave. The Easter Octave extends the celebration of […]