Et animae salventur (XLI)

Tuesday, 20 March 2018

CHAPTER XLI. At what Hours the Brethren are to take their Meals
20 Mar. 20 July. 19 Nov.
From Holy Easter until Pentecost let the brethren dine at the sixth hour, and sup in the evening. But from Pentecost throughout the summer (unless they have to work in the fields, or are harrassed by excessive heat) let them fast on Wednesdays and Fridays until the ninth hour, but on other days dine at the sixth. Should they have field labour, or should the heat of the summer be very great, they must always take their dinner at the sixth hour. Let the Abbot provide for this, and let him so arrange and dispose all things, that souls may be saved, and that the brethren may do what they have to do without just cause for murmuring. From the fourteenth of September until the beginning of Lent let them always dine at the ninth hour; and during Lent, until Easter, in the evening. And let the hour of the evening meal be so ordered that they have no need of a

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Why I love Saint Joseph

Monday, 19 March 2018

adoracion+pastores.jpgSaint Joseph, Model of Monks
Saint Joseph, espoused to the Virgin Mother of God and charged with the guardianship of the living Bread come down from heaven, is the model of monks, and of all who aspire to the monastic life. He is the living image of what it means to live by the three vows of the Benedictine profession: obedience, conversatio morum (conversion of the way one goes about living), and stability.

Obedience
First, with regard to obedience: Was there ever a man who so listened to the will of God and so allowed it to shape his life and destiny? “Joseph, Son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Mt 21:20); and again, “Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee” (Mt 2:13); and a third time, “Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the child”

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Saint Joseph and Mother Mectilde

Monday, 19 March 2018

San_Jose_Here again is my translation of the account of Saint Joseph’s apparition to Mother Mectilde de Bar on 19 March 1653. Mother Mectilde, very much like her Carmelite counterpart, Saint Teresa of Avila, had a tender devotion to Saint Joseph, entrusting to him all her needs and cares. Saint Joseph, for his part, did not disappoint her. Here is the text:

On 19 March, the feast of Saint Joseph, the Holy Ghost, speaking inwardly to the heart of Mother Mectilde, during her mental prayer, unveiled before her again all the beauties of the work to which she was called and urged her gently to bring to it all her care. Frightened by her unworthiness and her inability, she exclaimed, “But who, Lord, will be the sustainer and support of this work?”

Suddenly a heavenly vision presented itself in a brightness that cannot be expressed; and Mother Mectilde recognised the chaste spouse of Mary, the glorious Saint Joseph. He appeared a little bit on in years; his face, surrounded by chestnut coloured hair, was somewhat long, and it shone with an indescribable sweetness. “It is I,” said he, addressing himself to Mother

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Praying to Saint Joseph for Silverstream Priory

Monday, 19 March 2018


O glorious Saint JOSEPH, thou art our advocate and our defender, our father and our friend, who on the word of the angel speaking to thee in the night, didst put fear aside to take MARY, thy Virgin Bride into thy home, and, even in poverty and in exile, didst provide security for JESUS, the blessed Fruit of her womb.

Thou art the good provider upon whose resources and generosity we rely. Obtain for us, then, the funds required to continue the renovations and constructions we have undertaken, and to maintain Silverstream Priory for years to come in security and in peace, in the beauty of holiness, and in perpetual adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

O Joseph, first adorer of the Sacred Humanity of the Word, thou art not indifferent to His designs upon Silverstream Priory and upon those sons of Saint Benedict who, by His grace alone, must struggle to make it a school of the Lord’s service, a sanctuary of adoration for all, and a haven of peace for priests.

Humble and powerful

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A Priest’s Prayer to Saint Joseph

Monday, 19 March 2018

St Joseph & Inf Jesus

O glorious Saint Joseph, I take thee this day as my advocate and defender, my counselor and my friend. Open thy heart to me as thou didst open thy home to the Virgin Mother in her hour of need. Protect my holy priesthood as thou didst protect the life of the Infant Christ threatened by cruel Herod. In darkness bring me light; in weakness, strength; and in fear the peace that passeth understanding.

For the sake of the tender love that bound thee to the Virgin Mary and to the Infant Christ, be thou for me, Saint Joseph, a constant intercessor and a shield against every danger of body, mind, and soul so that, in spite of my weaknesses and sins, my priesthood may bring glory to Christ and serve to increase the beauty of holiness in His bride the Church. Amen.

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Support the monks of Silverstream Priory:

Situated amidst pasture land and forest in the eastern reaches of County Meath, Silverstream Priory was founded in 2012 at the invitation of the Most Reverend Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath, and canonically erected as an autonomous monastery of diocesan right on 25 February 2017. The property belonged, from the early 15th century, to the Preston family, premier Viscounts of Ireland and Lords of Gormanston. In 1843 Thomas Preston (1817-1903), son of Jenico Preston, the 12th Viscount (1775-1860), built what today is Silverstream Priory.

Silverstream Priory is a providential realisation of the cherished project of Abbot Celestino Maria Colombo, O.S.B. (1874–1935), who, following the impetus given by Catherine–Mectilde de Bar in the 17th century, sought to establish a house of Benedictine monks committed to ceaseless prayer before the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar in a spirit of reparation. The community of Silverstream Priory holding to the use of Latin and Gregorian Chant, celebrate the Divine Office in its traditional Benedictine form and Holy Mass in the “Usus Antiquior” of the Roman Rite. Praying and working in the enclosure of the monastery, the monks of Silverstream keep at heart the sanctification of priests labouring in the vineyard of the Lord. They undertake various works compatible with their monastic vocation, notably the development of the land and gardens, hospitality to the clergy in need of a spiritual respite, scholarly work, and publishing.

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