Sofia Millican elected new abbess of Mt St Mary’s Abbey

On Monday, February 11, 2019, the Trappistines of Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey (Wrentham, MA) elected Sister Sofia Millican (formerly Frances Elizabeth) as their next abbess. Mother Sofia is elected for a for a six year term. Due to her few years in the Community as a solemnly professed nun she was postulated by the Community and it was accepted by the Holy See.

The Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey is situated in the Archdiocese of Boston. It is one five abbeys of nuns who live the Strict Observance Cistercian. There are 10 abbeys of monks.

Mother Sofia was born in 1982 in Beckenham, Kent and raised in South Wales; she is a 2005 Harvard grad. In 2007, Sister Sofia earned a degree masters degree from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, now Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Sister Sofia entered the Abbey on October 15, 2007 and made solemn profession on April 27, 2014. Also in 2014 Sister Sofia made two contributions to Cistercian Studies, “Spiritual Encouragement in the Conferences of John Cassian.” At the time of her election, Mother Sofia was Subprioress of the Community as well as the webmaster and production manager of Trappistine Quality Candy.

Mother Sofia will be installed as Abbess soon.

The newly elected abbess succeeds Mother Maureen McCabe who served the community since 2008 having reached the age of retirement according to the OCSO Constitutions, presented her resignation to the Abbot General which became effective on January 26, 2019.

St. Josephine Bakhita

Blessed Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita.

May she always intercede for us, especially those caught in the web of human trafficking!

The matter of human trafficking is finally getting to attention by those outside of law enforcement officials. The Church has know about this crime and sin but has not made too many in-roads to change the system. Together, the state and Church ought to work for those involved with human trafficking.

Lectio divina –being familiar with Christ

The following is something I curated and posted on the Benedictine Oblate Facebook group today.

In a recent newsletter from Fr. James Flint, OSB of St Procopius Abbey (Lisle, IL) he writes about his abbot asking the monks to say something about lectio and what was gleaned is “Give me a word” —some thoughts on lectio divina. See https://www.procopius.org/lectio-divina

As you know, the practice of prayerfully reading sacred Scripture is a key part of being a Christian, indeed, a Benedictine Oblate. Some Oblate formation programs stress lectio divina more than others. From experience, this is true for the Oblates of St Meinrad Archabbey. Whatever the case may be, lectio is rather crucial if you are truly seeking God —having familiarity with Jesus Christ.

Give me a word

~Words about the time and place for lectio divina. Most importantly, find the time to do it. Find a time of day that works for you. It can help to use the same time each day. Keep the amount of time short at first – you can build up to longer times eventually. Have a quiet place, away from normal affairs, to pray lectio divina. Don’t allow distractions. Find a sacred place.

~Words about picking a passage to do lectio divina with. At first, take just a few verses of Scripture. Use the readings for Mass, since you’ll hear them again when you go to Mass.

~Words about the “method” of praying lectio divina. Don’t get caught up with following a “method” or “technique,” but rather the important thing is to spend time with God through Scripture. Don’t over-think or over-analyze – eventually the Scripture takes the lead in the dance. Do lectio divina regularly, in a way that works best for you. Work on being quiet and do not focus on what you are doing. Don’t get discouraged and give up, if you don’t seem to be getting something out of it – keep to it! Lectio divina is a prayerful, patient pondering of a biblical text. Steps for lectio divina give your prayer purpose and direction.

~Words about how to read the biblical passage. Read over the passage repeatedly and slowly. Remember that through Scripture God is speaking to you. Be mindful of God’s presence. It can help to use a printed text, rather than a digital one on your phone or computer.

~Words about how to meditate on the passage. Meditate on the text in order to understand it. Think about how the words apply to you and to others. Ponder yourself in the biblical story or in the original audience of the text.

~Words about how to offer prayer in lectio divina. See your prayer as a relationship. Transitioning from meditation to prayer is important, for it helps to apply the text and opens you to what God wants to give you in this prayertime. The reading of Scripture must be applied to my life.

Lectio requires an altogether different approach, one that opens us to God’s agenda. The purpose is not to read a chapter of Scripture a day, to “get through” the Bible in a year, or anything of the sort. The purpose is to listen to God’s message to me, here and now, today. The quantity of material “covered” is irrelevant, and it could be counter-productive even to think in such terms. The material it should be that sets the agenda. Once we understand and apply that, we are engaged in lectio divina.

St. Procopius, pray for us.

St Thomas Aquinas

Today, 28 January, on the Novus Ordo calendar, is the liturgical memorial of Saint Thomas of Aquino, priest of the Order of Preachers and Doctor of the Church. The young Thomas was educated as a Benedictine Oblate by the monks at the venerable abbey at Monte Cassino. Despite his family’s opposition, he joined the newly founded Dominicans and studied under St Albert the Great. He is known to have been gifted by God with significant gifts of intellect. Aquinas was known as the Doctor Communis and the Doctor Angelicus.

The Doctor Communis is recalled by many for his Summa Theologiae. This work is prefaced as an “instruction for beginners,” written not for the smartest of the students at Paris, but for the average Dominican friar. I am trying to imagine what a work for the smartest would look like. Among his other accomplishments he was invited by Blessed Pope Gregory X to participate in the Second Ecumenical Council of Lyon; Aquinas died on 7 March 1274 while making the journey in the Cistercian Abbey Fossanova in Lazio, while giving a commentary on the Song of Songs. On this day his body was translated to Toulouse.

You may be interested in reading GK Chesterton’s 1932 essay, “St. Thomas Aquinas,” in The Spectator, which led to his book on the friar saint.

St Francis deSales

That today we honor the memory of St Francis deSales one cannot forget the complement he had with St Jane Frances deChantal.

DeSales was the renowned bishop of Geneva where he lived his vocation with great love for the people entrusted to his care.

The Introduction to the Devout Life is an important text to consider reading, and to re-read over your lifetime. In the beginning of The Introduction to the Devout Life, he calls out to all Christians: “Live Jesus! Live Jesus! Yes, Lord Jesus, live and reign in our hearts for ever and ever. Amen.”

This idea to “Live Jesus!” is the very heart of the doctrine of the saintly bishop. He says so himself. “I have desired above all things to engrave and inscribe this holy and sacred word upon your heart: Live Jesus!”

In what ways will we life Jesus?

In the image we see St. Francis De Sales giving St. Jane de Chantal the Rule of the Order of the Visitation.

Alexander Men

 

Today is the birthday of Father Alexander Vladimirovich Men (22 January 1935), a Russian Orthodox priest who assassinated on 9 September 1990.

A convert father, priest, prolific author and martyr. His writings are very interesting and impactful.

Eternal memory.

St Anthony of Egypt

Today we liturgically commemorate St. Anthony of Egypt (251-356), a holy abbot of the 3rd century, called “the father of monks”. He is the considered the founder of Christian monasticism.

What motivated Anthony to live the Gospel so radically? He heard a reading from the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus tells a rich young man, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor.” Antony heard the truth of Jesus’ teaching and saw himself as that rich young man; he immediately did exactly as Jesus instructed.

Anthony challenges the way we lead our lives viz. the challenges of the soul: “Wherever you find yourself, do not go forth from that place too quickly. Try to be patient and learn to stay in one place.”

He retired to the desert at about the age of eighteen in order to live in perfect solitude.

Anthony saw the Christian’s task as both simple and formidable: become a “lover of God” by resisting the Devil and yielding only to Christ. Are we lovers of God?