Listen to Tenebrae of Holy Thursday here.
The Lamentations begin at 16:08.
Listen to Tenebrae of Holy Thursday here.
The Lamentations begin at 16:08.
Maundy Thursday
Thursdays are special at Silverstream Priory, first of all because every Thursday recalls Maundy Thursday, the feast of the Natalis Calicis, the birthday of the Eucharistic Chalice and of the Priesthood. Moreover, we keep every Thursday as a kind of Corpus Domini, a weekly feast of the adorable Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, marked by the Office and Mass of the Most Blessed Sacrament whenever permitted by the rubrics.
Maundy Thursday will draw us again into the Cenacle to relive, in some way, the institution of the priesthood and the washing of the feet. It is the day par excellence of reparation and intercession for priests. After Tenebrae (anticipated Matins of Good Friday) we will linger at the Altar of Repose in communion with all the priests of the world and, especially, for those who find themselves alone in a dark night.
Reading Saint John
One expression of our particular charism as Benedictines of Perpetual Adoration is the lectio divina we make every Thursday in the Gospel of Saint John, Chapters XIII through XVII. These are the chapters containing Our Lord’s discourse at the
Wednesday of Holy Week
At Saint Mary Major
Today’s Roman Stational Church is the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. We go, in spirit, to this ancient church of the Mother of God, asking her to be present to us as we prepare to cross the threshold into the Paschal Triduum. We go to the suffering Christ, to the Crucified, to the Risen One with and through his most holy Mother. The Virgin of Sorrows is the Portress of the Holy Mysteries, the Keeper of the Door of Christ’s Pierced Heart, the Mother of our Joy. We will return again to Saint Mary Major for the Mass of Easter Day to sing our joy to the Mother of God — Regina caeli, laetare! — and to share in the joy that was hers at the resurrection of Christ. By framing the Paschal Triduum between two stations at the church of Saint Mary Major, the Roman liturgy suggests that the mystery of Christ is given us enveloped in Mary. Mary, like the Church, embodies and contains the mystery of Christ.
Christ in the Glory of God
CHAPTER XLVIII. Of the daily manual labour
28 Mar. 28 July. 27 Nov.
Idleness is an enemy of the soul; and hence at certain seasons the brethren ought to occupy themselves in the labour of their hands, and at others in holy reading. We think, therefore, that the times for each may be disposed as follows: from Easter to the first of October, let them, in going from Prime in the morning, labour at whatever is required of them until about the fourth hour. From the fourth hour until near the sixth let them apply themselves to reading, And when they rise from table, after the sixth hour, let them rest on their beds in perfect silence; or if any one perchance desire to read, let him do so in such a way as not to disturb any one else. Let None be said in good time, at about the middle of the eighth hour: and then let them again work at whatever has to be done until Vespers. And if the needs of the place, or their poverty, oblige
April 6th is the anniversary of the death, or transitus, in 1698 of the great 17th century French Benedictine who, through her writings and her intercession, has become for many souls a “mystagogue” of the Sacred Host: Mother Mectilde of the Blessed Sacrament.
The monks of Silverstream pray that as she becomes better known in the English–speaking world, Catherine–Mectilde de Bar, the Teresa of the Benedictine Order,— will continue to initiate souls into the mysteries of “the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world” (Apocalypse 13:8), the very Lamb who appeared in glory at Knock in Ireland, and who abides, silent, humble, and hidden, in the Sacrament of His Love.
Here is a novena prayer (March 28th—April 5th) to ask for the intercession of Mother Mectilde de Bar. Cards bearing the text of the prayer are available from Silverstream Priory.
Mectilde of the Holy Sacrament,
humble daughter of Saint Benedict
and spiritual mother of countless souls,
incline a kindly ear to this our supplication,
and take pity on our distress.Thou art no stranger to the ravages of war, of famine, and of sickness;
thou knowest
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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