Great news out of France

This news story comes from Rorate Caeli - Important Traditional Catholic news from France.  I'm posting this here because the endeavor is being done under the moral vigilance of the Abbot of Randol (which we've covered elsewhere on this blog).   

On the 29th of June, Archbishop Armand Maillard of Bourges gave his canonical recognition to the Institution l'Angélus, giving it the right to be called a "Catholic school". This boarding school for boys (with 107 students as of February 16, 2016) also serves as the headquarters of the Fraternité Enseignante des cœurs de Jésus et de Marie,founded on August 22, 2013 by Fr. Regis Spinoza (of the Institute of the Good Shepherd) under the "moral vigilance" of the Abbot of Randol. (Randol is one of the Traditional Catholic Benedictine monasteries stemming from Fontgombault.) The sacraments are celebrated in this school exclusively according to the 1962 Missal and its associated liturgical books.

The Brotherhood's primary aim is the development of Catholic schools according to the spirituality and pedagogy of St. John Bosco and St. John Baptist de la Salle. While at present its canonical standing is only that of a private association of the faithful, we hope that it will grow, attain higher ecclesiastical recognition, and once more educate innumerable boys and young men in the spirit of the teaching congregations of old. 

Latest FSSP statistics [Rorate Caeli]

The wonderful bloggers at Rorate Caeli, keeping abreast of the Catholic world, have a post on the latest statistics for the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter.

As of October 24, 2015, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter has a total of 421 members (257 incardinated), of whom 262 are priests, 14 are deacons and 145 are seminarians (including postulants but not including the deacons). All the deacons are incardinated in the FSSP. Of the 262 priest-members, 243 are incardinated, 11 are incorporated "ad annum", 4 are associated and 4 are postulants. Fifteen priests have been ordained this year -- the highest since 2004, when the FSSP had seventeen sacerdotal ordinations. (FSSP has averaged at 11 ordinations per year since 2004). The average age of the membership of FSSP is 37.

This year the FSSP received 34 new major seminarians: 17 in Denton (USA) and 17 in Wigratzbad (Germany). In addition the society received 3 new seminarians for the Ezechiel House novitiate in Australia.

Worldwide, the FSSP currently serves in 219 Mass centers / locations in 121 dioceses, including 34 personal parishes. (No breakdown available of how many Mass centers have Mass every Sunday.)

In comparison, as of January 20, 2006 (presumably reflecting the statistics as of late 2005) the FSSP had a total of 300 members -- 180 priests, 13 deacons and 107 non-deacon seminarians -- serving 111 Sunday Mass centers / locations in 85 dioceses worldwide (including 6 personal parishes). A total of 34 seminarians were accepted in 2005.

More striking than the steady growth in the numbers of priests and seminarians,  is the great jump in Mass locations and personal parishes served by the FSSP -- from 111 Sunday Mass centers to 219 Mass locations (not all every-Sunday) and from 6 to 34 personal parishes in 10 years.

The following charts are from the FSSP statistics page as of October 24, 2015 (to which we link at the beginning of this blog post). The charts show the gradual but steady growth of the FSSP, despite the temporary setback it experienced in 1999-2000 over the controversy on Protocol 1411/99, which initially threatened to result in the imposition of TLM-Novus Ordo "biritualism" on the FSSP but eventually had the opposite and welcome effect of consolidating its all-Traditional Mass identity.

Br. Augustine Professes Simple Vows with the Benedictines of Norcia

From Fr Cassian Folsom, OSB of the Benedictines of Norcia, comes this happy news from their community!

Br. Augustine Professes Simple Vows
Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B.
10 Nov 2015
On September 8th, the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Br. Augustine from Greenville, SC, USA professed his simple vows. He was given the name Augustine from his devotion to the 5th century Bishop of Hippo.

Br. Augustine is a young monk, having graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in 2013, and along with his formation classes, he also assists in the brewery.

Please join us in congratulating Br. Augustine on his profession and say a prayer for his continued discernment and formation.

NLM: Blessing of A Cornerstone for the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer

From Gregory Dipippo at the New Liturgical Movement comes this exciting development in the French realm of things!

It has been too long since we had occasion to post about the Fraternity of St Vincent Ferrer, a group of traditional-rite priests base in France who follow the Dominican liturgical and spiritual tradition. They are currently at the beginning of a project to build a new church for their community, a project which they are documenting at a separate website, www.despierresquiprechent.org. (“Stones That Preach”) The following video was just posted a couple of days ago on the site, showing the Bishop of Laval, France, H.E. Thierry Scherrer, blessing the first stone of the church.

For the video, please see either NLM or the Fraternity's website.

1P5: Bp Schneider to Ordain Two Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem

Bishop Schneider to Ordain Two Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem

From the great Catholic website run by Steve Skojec, "One Peter Five," comes this joyous news!

On October 17, 2015, at 10:00 AM, the priestly ordinations of Dom John Berchmans Tonkin, CRNJ, and Dom Alban Baker, CRNJ, will take place during a Solemn Pontifical Mass of Ordination (1962 Missal) at Saint James the Greater Catholic Church in Charles Town, WV. Bishop Schneider will offer the Mass and perform the ordinations, and Bishop Bransfield will also be in attendance.

See more information at One Peter Five!

Professions at Silverstream Priory

From New Liturgical Movement comes this exciting news!

On Thursday, 6 August, feast of the Transfiguration, Dom Benedict Maria Andersen (a native of Denver, Colorado) pronounced his final vows as a Benedictine monk of Silverstream Priory and received the monastic consecration. Father Benedict, 34 years old, holds degrees from the Lateran University, Rome, and from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary, New York; he is a skilled typesetter and designer of liturgical books.

On Saturday, 15 August, feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, Dom Finnian Joseph King (a native of Bohermeen, Co Meath) and Dom Elijah Maria Carroll (a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma) pronounced their first vows as Benedictine monks of Silverstream Priory. Dom Elijah, 26 years old, is a graduate of the University of Tulsa. He will begin theological studies with the Dominican faculty at St Saviour’s, Dublin, in September. Dom Finnian, 34 years old, worked abroad for several years before entering Silverstream; he is currently studying art under Dony MacManus.

Representatives of the Benedictine family from the Abbey of St Joseph of Flavigny in France, and from the Abbey of San Miniato in Florence Italy were present for the occasion. Silverstream Priory now counts four professed monks, of whom two are priests. The Abbot of Flavigny recently sent Dom Basil M. McCabe, O.S.B. to lend a helping hand to the community at Silverstream during a particularly busy time. A number of men from Ireland and from abroad are currently preparing to come to Silverstream Priory for the initial phase of monastic formation.

Some photos from the happy occasion, more of which can be found here:

Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle (Silverstream Priory)

The Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle (also known as Silverstream Priory) is a community of monks living under the Rule of St. Benedict in Stamullen, County Meath, Ireland.  It is an autonomous diocesan priory of the Order of St. Benedict, and Dom Mark Daniel Kirby is the founder and superior.

The monks of the monastery devote themselves to the worthy celebration of the sacred liturgy in its age-old classical forms and to perpetual adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar in a spirit of reparation.

The monastery was formed in the Diocese of Tulsa upon the invitation of Bp. Edward James Slattery, who invited Dom Mark Daniel Kirby to form a monastery based on the Rule of St. Benedict, while also emphasizing adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and spiritually assisting Catholic clergy.  In 2011, the monks were invited by Bp Michael Smith to relocate to the Diocese of Meath, and in March 2012, the community moved into Silverstream House (hence the name, Silverstream Priory).

To support themselves and their mission, the community undertakes various works compatible with their vocation and without leaving the monastery, which notably include hospitality to the clergy (via offering a place for spiritual retreats) and operating a Catholic book shop in the gatehouse of the priory.

The monks have a regular newsletter they issue, and their weekly homilies are uploaded online.  They also have a number of apostolates that they run, which include two confraternities and a Eucharistic guild.

To contact them, please use the form they provide online.  For visits or their location information, please see this page.  Their horarium can be found on their website as well.

Website:  http://www.cenacleosb.org/

Transalpine Redemptorists receive a new member

On 22 August 2015, the Transalpine Redemptorists received a new member into their ranks.  They have posted photos at their blog and Facebook page, where you can see Br. Jerome be received into the Congregation.  Br. Jerome, as he is now known, comes from the Midwest in the United States.

Some photos have been published below.

The postulant kneels and is questioned by the Superior regarding his desire to enter the Congregation.

He is clothed in the religious habit.

He is given a new name, Br. Jerome.

The Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

The Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer are a Catholic religious institute canonically erected in the diocese of Aberdeen and are based on Papa Stronsay, with an additional house in Christchurch, New Zealand.  While their rule is  based on that of St. Alphonsus Liguori, they have no formal connection to the Redemptorist congregation.

Fr. Michael Mary Sim C.SS.R sought to make sense of the turmoil in the Church in the late 1980s.  Convinced the crisis came from and was caused by a crisis in Liturgy, he turned to Abp. Lefebvre for advice and guidance.  After some months, it was suggested to Fr Sim to ask about founding a religious community where the Traditional Latin Mass and the old Redemptorist Rules could be lived for the English-speaking world.  The Congregation was originally based at the Monastery of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, then moved to the Mother of Perpetual Succour Monastery in Joinville, Haute-Marne, France in 1994.  In May 1999, the island of Papa Stronsay was purchased in 1999, and it was there that the Golgotha Monastery was established, which has been their home and mother house ever since.  In 2008, the Congregation petitioned the Holy See for reconciliation, which was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.  On 15 August 2012, the community was granted canonical recognition as a Clerical Institute of Diocesan Right by Dom Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., Bishop of Aberdeen.

As of mid-2015, there are 19 men living in the community.

Their vocations blog has a very good brief review of the active and contemplative life they lead, which all should read, who have an interest in this community.

They also promote the holy image of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings, set in Scotland, under the title of The Bonnie Prince.

Monastery Address:
Golgotha Monastery Island
Papa Stronsay
Orkney, KW17 2AR
Scotland, UK
International: + [44] 1857 616 210
Website: http://www.papastronsay.com/index.html
Blog:  http://www.papastronsay.blogspot.com/
YouTube Video Account: https://www.youtube.com/user/filiiSSR/videos

Interior of monastic cell at Papa Stronsay

Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux

The Benedictine Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux was founded in 1970, when Dom Gérard Calvet left the Abbey Notre-Dame de Tournay with the consent of his abbot, wishing to retain the Traditional Latin Mass and the traditional monastic life.  In 1974, ties between Tournay and the new community were severed after Archbishop Lefebvre ordained priests for the growing community.  In 1978, the little community purchased land in the town of Le Barroux and began construction of a Romanesque abbey.  In 1988, relations with Abp. Lefebvre were broken when he consecrated four bishops at Econe.  In 1989, with the approval of the Holy See, the monastery was erected as an Abbey and Dom Gérard was appointed the first Abbot.  Cardinal Mayer consecrated the Abbey in the same year.  In 2008, the Abbey joined the Benedictine Confederation.

The Abbey hosts retreats throughout the year, runs a monastery shop, sells bread, and also streams their offices live and makes them available for download online.  The offices are sung in Gregorian chant according to the Extraordinary Form, and this initiative is supported by Msgr Jean-Pierre Cattenoz, the archbishop of Avignon.

As of late 2014, the monks number 53 at Le Barroux and an additional 16 at a new monastery recently founded between Toulouse and Bordeaux.

Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine
1201 chemin des Rabassières
84330 LE BARROUX
Tél. : +33 (0)4 90 62 56 31
Fax : +33 (0)4 84 50 84 57

Website: http://www.barroux.org/

Liturgical Schedule: http://www.barroux.org/en/heures-des-offices/horaire-des-offices.html

Chanted Office: http://barrouxchant.com/

Abbaye Saint-Paul de Wisques

The Benedictine Abbey of Saint Paul of Wisques is located in Wisques, Pas-de-Calais, France.  It was founded in 1889 by monks from the Abbey of St Peter, Solesmes to serve as chaplains to the nearby nuns of St. Cecilia of Solesmes.  After the anti-Catholic laws in 1901, they moved to the Netherlands and founded the Abbey of Saint-Paul of Oosterhout.  The community returned to Wisques in 1920.  At one point, the Abbey had 60 monks in residence.

In 2005, Father Jacques Lubrez was elected the fifth Abbot of Saint Paul.  In 2009, just a few weeks before his unexpected death, he wrote "Today in 2009: 120 years after the foundation, the community is experiencing a precarious situation, considering the reduced number of its members (16), the high average age (70 years), and the lack of new applicants in many years."  In 2013, the average age of the monks had increased to over 75 years old.  The Abbey was close to closing its doors until the Abbey of Fontgombault was asked to take over the Abbey of Saint Paul.  In January 2013, four monks arrived from Fontgombault to begin teaching the remaining monks the traditional Office and to support the day-to-day and practical activities of the Abbey.  In October 2013, the Abbey transitioned to a house of Fontgombault Abbey with the bishop's approval, adopting the uses and customs of Fontgombault, in particular the use of the Extraordinary Form for Mass and the Office.  Photos from the transition can be found at this Facebook album.

Abbaye Saint Paul de Wisques
50, Rue de l’école
62219 Wisques
France
Tél. : 03 21 12 28 50
Website: http://www.abbaye-saint-paul-wisques.com/

Hours of the Office
5:15am: Matines (On Sundays, 4:50am), followed by Lauds
At the end of Lauds (around 7:00am): Low Mass (lasting from 30-35 minutes)
8:15am: Prime
10:00am: Terce and the sung conventual Mass
12:50pm: Sext
2:35pm: None (Sundays at 3pm, Thursday at 2:30pm)
6:00pm: Vespers (Sundays and feast days: 5:00pm; summer Thursdays from 3 May to 14 September: 3:45pm)
8:35pm: Compline

Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Triors

The Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Triors (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Triors) is a monastery stituated at Châtillon-Saint-Jean in the Drôme, Rhône-Alpes, France.  

It was founded in 1984 as a priory of Fontgombault Abbey in an 18th century chateau that was bequethed to the monks for that purpose.  Triors was raised to the status of an independent abbey in 1994.  The first abbot was Dom Hervé Courau, who continues in that post today.  The abbey church (constructed from 1992-1993) was dedicated on October 5, 1996 and is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.  In 2013, a project to construct a guesthouse was launched and construction began in 2014.  Like it's spiritual beginnings, the Abbey uses the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite and focuses on Gregorian chant.  The community currently numbers over 40 monks aged from 22 to 77 years old.  

The monks have recorded and produced a complete discography of all the Sundays in the liturgical year and the albums can be purchased through Traditions Monastiques.  There are also a number of Gregorian chant resources available on their website.

Lauds and Vespers have been broadcast live on Radio Esperance since December 2013.  Lauds begins around 6-615am (local time) and Vespers is broadcast live on Sundays and major feasts at 5pm (local time).

The abbey church is open daily from 7am until 1pm and from 2pm to 7:30pm.  The Mass and Office are sung in Gregorian chant daily (please check their schedules).

An interview with Dom Courau in French can be found at Chroniques d'un catho ordinaire.

Address:
ABBAYE NOTRE-DAME
205, chemin des Carnets
26750   TRIORS
FRANCE
Tel : 04 75 71 43 39
(de préférence entre 11h20 - 12h30 ou 15h - 17h30)
Fax : 04 75 45 38 14

Website: http://ndtriors.fr/

For a schedule of their liturgies: http://ndtriors.fr/offices.html