Poor Souls Appeal
We remember with gratitude the departed who were so much port of our personal life’s journey!
As in years past, during the month of November, dedicated to the memory of our departed loved ones, we monks of Christ the King Priory – Benedictine Mission House will celebrate daily Mass for the repose of their souls. We entrust the departed to the loving mercy of our Creator God and to Jesus our brother whose ultimate sacrifice on the cross opened the doors to paradise to all who followed him in life. Our departed loved ones are intercessors on our behalf at the throne of God. Let us treasure their memories.
May they rest in God’s peace!
Allow me to shift the focus! During the gathering of the Conference of Mission Procurators of our Congregation, held in August at Waegwan Abbey, South Korea, the group experienced true Benedictine hospitality at the new guest house – retreat center. In years past, Waegwan Abbey and its ministries, as well as the two Priories of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in Seoul and Daegu, received financial support through our mission offices, especially through Schuyler during World War II and after the devastating fire on Holy Thursday several years ago that destroyed part of the monastery in Waegwan. Our Korean brothers and sisters are most grateful.
Before the age of modern travel with hotels or motels in almost every town, monasteries opened their doors to pilgrims who were on a spiritual journey (for example: the Camino de Compostella, Spain). At the same time men, women and children who needed a place of refuge because of persecution, or because of natural disasters in a region, and the sick, were welcomed as guests. Hospitality is one of the main values found in Benedictine monasteries around the globe. In Chapter 53, verse 15 of the Rule, St. Benedict writes: “Great care and concern are to be shown in receiving poor people and pilgrims, because in them more particularly Christ is received.” Benedict points out that monks and guests should pray together, and if one needs spiritual counsel, a wise and trained monk should be the spiritual companion. Much more could be said about hospitality and spiritual guidance. Today, members of religious orders, clergy and lay people, are trained as spiritual directors, a ministry of listening and accompanying a person who seeks a deeper relationship with God.
In Africa and Asia, and wherever Benedictines are represented, more and more people come to our monasteries in search of deepening their faith, asking for retreats, workshops, or programs that will empower them to be evangelizers in their own surroundings. The monasteries do not always have the facilities to host overnight programs. The good news is that we have trained confreres who can offer a variety of programs and topics helpful to people of all walks of life, including counselling or spiritual direction.
The Conference of Mission Procurators received applications, requesting help to construct or renovate retreat and guest houses. Most monasteries have a few rooms or facilities that need to be renovated according to building code. Our confreres are aware that running costs are the obligation of each monastery. To receive grants from the Conference of Procurators, the community must be able to contribute towards the project through manual labor, or, if possible, with 10% of the estimated cost. An external audit is also required to ensure that misappropriation of funds is eliminated.
Let me list a summary of projects under consideration:
At Peramiho Abbey, the Bishop Cassian Spies Shrine marks the spot where the Benedictines celebrated the first Holy Mass in the region. Along the road to the outdoor shrine, stations explain Bible stories. The Adoration Chapel was funded by the friends of the Mission House in Schuyler. Peramiho has a guesthouse. Above Mvimwa Abbey, the most remote monastery of the Congregation, the Marian Shrine is a popular destination for the faithful from all over Tanzania. It is a very difficult ascent to the shrine – a decent road is needed. Up to now, the community has no guesthouse for visitors or pilgrims. Monks often must vacate their rooms so that visitors can stay at the abbey. At the Shrine of the African Martyrs in Pugu, at the outskirts of Dar es Salaam and served by monks of Mvimwa Abbey, ideas to expand the hospitality ministry are considered. And the list goes on.
On behalf of Fr. Anastasius, the mission procurator of Christ the King Priory, I invite you to partner with us so that so that plans for guesthouses will become a reality, and that we can provide programs of learning and for deepening the faith. We are aware if the ever-rising cost of living and the many obligations you have. Maybe you see a way of donating in memory of your departed loved ones so that we can assist with the projects under consideration.
On behalf of our brothers and sisters who will benefit from spirituality centers at our monasteries, thank you! God bless you abundantly. We in turn remember your intentions in prayer and Holy Mass.
Gratefully yours,
Br. Tobias, O.S.B.
