Showing posts with label Menology Memorials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Menology Memorials. Show all posts

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Menology. Nunraw May Memorials




   
Nunraw Abbey Cemetery 1st May 2013
'Receive them into the arms of mercy, into the blessed rest of peace,
and into the glorious company of the saints in light.'
   


















OCSO
Menology
for the
Month
of

May




Nunraw, May Memorials. 

Brother Ninian Charles McCafferty


born 11 October 1915
entered 1 November 1952
professed 8 May 1958
died 8th May 1991 




Brother Ailbe Egan

Born 5 January 1916
Entered Roscrea 8 September 1933
Solemn Profession 17 March 1939
Co-founded Nunraw Nunraw 1946 
Died 14 May 1956
Brother Ailbe Stephen Egan,
5 January 1916 - 14 May 1956


Brother Columba Joseph Tierney

Born 3 June 1923
Entered 2 February 1947
Professed 7 August 1953
Died 23rd May 1985




                        MAY 1

Bernard Von Der Lippe + 1224
Knight, husband and father, he became a crusader and later, entrusting his wife and younger children to his eldest son, he entered Marienfeld. Subsequently, he was elected abbot of Dunamunde and appointed bishop of Selburg. His son, bishop of Utrecht, consecrated him and soon together they consecrated another son, Gerard, bishop of Bremen. Until his final days, he worked tirelessly for his people.

Martin Felderer + 1868
Monk of Stams, in Tyrol, a man of great candor of soul, gentle and courageous.

MAY 2

St Mafalda + 1265
Living in the milieu of a royal court, entering into a political marriage which was later annulled, Mafalda, like her sisters Teresa (June 17) and Sancha   (March 13), experienced the call to give herself completely to Christ and entered the Cistercian monastery of Arouca. Cheerfulness and deep prayer were especially the marks of her sanctity. The Church of 13th century Portugal owes much to her and her sisters for their dedication to Christ in the poor and suffering.

MBS, pp. 136-138

Candidus of St Bernard Furlong + 1616
Irish, he went to Spain and entered the monastery of Nogales. He was later sent back to Ireland, where he preached the gospel with much success.

MAY 3

Bl Alexander + 12th century

            A nephew of the king of Scotland, who was childless, he was heir to the throne. Through the encouragement of his sister, he relinquished his earthly crown for Christ and became a lay-brother at the abbey of Foigny in France. Only on his death bed did he reveal his noble birth and went to be crowned by Christ with eternal glory.

 MBS, p. 135

Malachy Shial + 1642
While he was ministering in the parish attached to the monastery of St Mary of Newry, he was seized by Protestant soldiers and hanged from the beams of a wooden bridge.

MAY 4

Walter + 12th century
Lay-brother of Melrose, Scotland. He was    especially close to his abbot, St Waldef, and spent most of his religious life serving in the guest house which, at that time, was a hospice for the poor and sick. In response to his prayers, God often multiplied bread to feed the poor.

MBS, pp. 138-140

Monday 10 December 2012

Thomas Merton [1915-1968]

Dear Br. Geoff,
Thank you, for this welcome 'memorial' of Fr. Louis. (10th Dec)
Our community intercession is for Fr. Louis, and we remember our OCist Brothers at Chipping Norton.
In Dno.
Donald.


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: brabo.....
To: Nunraw ...
Sent: Saturday, 8 December 2012, 12:52
Subject: Thomas Merton [1915-1968]     

Dear all,
 
Just to remind you that on Monday, the 10th December, we will remember the tragic death of Br Louis (Thomas) Merton.
 
I leave you with this Wikipedia page is accurate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton
 
Rereading his inspiring autobiography 'The Seven Story Mountain' again, recently, I was struck by the following quote, which is probably very appropriate to reflect upon on the anniversary of his death:
 
'I was not sure where I was going, and I could not see what I would do when I got (there). But you saw further and clearer than I, and you opened the seas before my ship, whose track led me across the waters to a place I had never dreamed of, and which you were even then preparing to be my rescue and my shelter and my home...'
 
Your, with brotherly love,
 
Geoff
[Br Geoff, OCist]
_____________________________________________________
...  
O.Cist Website: http://ocista.webs.com/
 
If we have not silence, God is not heard in our music. If we have no rest, God does not bless our work. [Thomas Merton]



Wednesday 30 November 2011

Menology of the month of December


Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For 2011
December 2011

General Intention: Peace among All Peoples.
That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect.

Missionary Intention: That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation.  

  Memorials of the Community in December



Brother Brendan Kelly 


Brother Brendan Kelly

Born 6 August 1910
Entered Roscrea 22nd May 1932
professed 9th December 1937
Co-founded Nunraw 1946
Died 14 December 1949
Brother Brendan Denis Kelly
6 August 1910 - 14 December 1949



Brother Antony Hopkins 
http://www.nunraw.com/sanctamaria/anthony.htm 


Brother Antony Patrick Hopkins

born 12 September 1918
entered 12 June 1940
professed 12 April 1946
died 16 December 1985
Memorials
Obituary
Community Chronicle
Notes of Eulogy



Father Andrew Hart  


born 10 October 1906
entered 1936
professed 30 October 1941
ordained 25 February 1944
died 17 December 1992
Memorials
Biography
Scottish Catholic Observer
Community Chronicle
SCO Letters
"An Advent Person" - Dom Donald
Panegyric

OCSO
Menology

for the
Month of
December

DECEMBER 1

Hugh of Chalons-Sur-Marne + 1158
Abbot of Trois Fontaines, he was named cardinal and bishop of Ostia by Pope Eugene III.
Mark de Villalba + 1590
Abbot of Fiterbo, Spain, and reformer general of the Congregation of the Regular Observance.
DECEMBER 2
Robert + 1185
A monk of La Criste in Champagne, he became abbot of Matallana.
Mary Louise Ambrosetli + 1922
A native of Italy, she became the first novice at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Macon, France, and experienced its painful beginnings. Later she became subprioress. She was full of zeal for the Divine Office and for charity, strong in faith and patient in sufferings. She died in Brazil where her original convent had been transferred.
DECEMBER 3
St Galgan  1151-1181
He lived as a hermit near Siena. The abbots of Casamari and Fossanova, returning from France and passing Monte Sepi, where he lived, found him dead. For burial they clothed him in the habit of a Cistercian lay-brother.
Louis de Gonzague Martin  1853-1899
He was received at Our Lady of the Snows at the age of eleven. At twenty-nine he was appointed first superior of the foundation to be made in Syria, a task presenting many difficulties which he bore with equanimity and cheerfulness. Eight years later he was elected third abbot of Staouelli, Algeria.
 A man of great faith, incapable of giving himself by halves, he had an intense love for the Eucharist, the Mother of God and the writings of St Bernard.
Pio Heredia
Prior of Viaceli. During the Spanish Civil War, he and twelve of his monks, arrested on September 8, 1935, were shot and their bodies thrown into the sea.
Thomas Merton, Waters of Siloe, p. 211
DECEMBER 4
Christian + 1244
Abbot of Leckno, Poland, in 1206 he crossed the frontier of Prussia and finding the people were ready to accept the faith, he obtained authorization from Pope Innocent III and began to preach the gospel with such success that he is known as the apostle of the Prussians.
Zosimus Jansen  1836-1915
He was a lay-brother first at St Benedict, Achel, Belgium, and later at the new foundation of St Remy, Rochefort. Of a happy disposition, he was always courteous and obliging to his confreres. He spent most of his free time in church, and lived, as it were, on the thought and love of Mary.
DECEMBER 5
Werric + 1217
Prior of Aulne, Hainaut, Belgium, he was a monk of simplicity, piety, gentleness and peace.
Joanna, Countess of Flanders + 1244
For forty years she wisely and magnanimously governed her people. During her reign, fifteen convents of Cistercian nuns were founded in her domain. As she neared the end of her life, she received the habit of oblate at the convent of Marquette.
DECEMBER 6
Moses Picault de Ligre  1664-1707
Having been converted from an irregular way of life by the death of his mother, he entered La Trappe at the age of forty. Here he was eager to make atonement for his sins, and to grow in the love of Christ. Three years later he died after a brief illness.
DECEMBER 7
Humbert + 1148
Having spent twenty years in the Benedictine abbey of La Chaise-Dieu, he entered Clairvaux. St Bernard, who esteemed him greatly for his charity and compassion, made him prior and then first abbot of Igny. However, against Bernard's wishes, Humbert resigned and returned to Clairvaux.
Gerard of Farfa  12th century
He was sent by his dying abbot of Farfa, a Benedictine abbey in Italy, to St Bernard at Clairvaux. His special virtue was compunction and he had the gift of tears. He lived to be over ninety, seeming daily to grow younger in the ardor of his indefatigable spirit.
DECEMBER 8
Placid Pozzancheri + 1775
Successively abbot of Casamari and president of the Congregation of St Bernard in Italy, bishop of Imeria, bishop of Tivoli. He was also confessor to Pope Benedict XIII.
Seraphim Roger + 1883
Prior of Sept-Fons under three successive abbots  who were required by their office of vicar-general and
their many daughter houses to be absent often from the monastery, he was responsible for maintaining peace and
discipline and fostering the spiritual life in the community, and he discharged this office admirably.
DECEMBER 9
Henry Corff + 1350
A monk of Marienfeld in Westphalia, humble, obedient and thoroughly peace-loving.
Lorenzo Gonzalez + 1591
Abbot of Valbuena and Villaneva, Spain, exceptional for his religious fervor.
DECEMBER 10
Ida of Nivelles  1198-1231
Her father died when she was nine, and her mother three years later. From the age of nine to sixteen she lived with religious women of her town. She then entered the Cistercian convent of Kerkom. Flemish was spoken there, and her ignorance of that language constituted one of Ida's trials, but it also led her to a deep love of silence and prayer, and an appreciation of non-verbal communication. Later when she had become bi-lingual, and the community had transferred to La Ramee in the French-speaking area of Flanders, she was able to render service as an interpreter. She was much loved by her sisters, and when, at twenty, she seemed at the point of death, they stormed heaven for her recovery. She did recover and lived thirteen years more. One of her great virtues was compassion for others; not only did she pray for them, she was also willing to suffer with and for them.
Life, translated by Martinus Crawley; MBS, p. 309
Louis (Thomas) Merton  1915-1968
Born in Prades, France, of an American mother and New Zealander father, both artists, his early life was unsettled, spent in America and England. In 1938, while studying at Columbia University, he became a Catholic. Three years later he entered Gethsemani, as he himself put it: "Heading for the woods with Thoreau in one pocket, John of the Cross in another and holding the Bible open at the Apocalypse," determined to give himself completely to the monastic life. His autobiography, Seven Storey Mountain, was published in 1947 and became a best-seller. From then on he was the most widely known and influential monk in the West, but probably the highest compliment ever paid to him was that of his abbot: "I never had a more humble or obedient monk."[1]
He served as master of scholastics and novices before becoming a hermit. Through the years he never stopped growing, reaching out. He had an almost unlimited capacity for absorbing and assimiliating other traditions: Christian, Zen Buddhist, Sufi. Always torn between the desire for solitude and the need to communicate, he "managed to combine inconsistency and stability in a creative tension that brought a large measure of unity and integration to his life".[2]  He met his death, accidentally and somewhat mysteriously, while attending an East-West monastic conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
CS 27; CS 42; CS 52; CS 74; CS 92; CS 102; CS 103
"Can I tell you that I have found answers to the questions that torment the man of our time? I do not know if I have found the answers. When I first became a monk, yes, I was more sure of 'answers'. But as I grow old in the monastic life and advance further into solitude, I become aware that I have only begun to seek the questions."  The Monastic Journey
"I leave everything in the hands of God and find my solitude in his will, without being theatrical or glowingly pious about it. I am content. But the right kind of contentment is a perfect solitude. When one is more or less content with the 'nothing' that is at hand, one finds in it everything."  Letter to Jean LeClercq 1956
DECEMBER 11
Bl David + 1179
A native of Florence, he became a novice at Clairvaux, but, because of his poor health, he was dismissed. Disconsolate, he remained at the gate until St Bernard re-admitted him, realizing that his courage and faith would compensate for lack of physical strength. Soon after his profession in 1134, he was sent with the monks who were to found Himmerod in Germany. By fervent prayer he obtained strength to assist in the construction of the new monastery. He served God and his brethren with great joy of spirit. Whoever came to him sad, went away happy and with spirits uplifted.
MBS, p. 306
Francois Lotin de Charney + 1716
As a young man he was somewhat frivolous, but, having visited La Trappe a number of times, he was moved to become a monk. He embraced his new life with his innate magnanimity, animating the observances with the spirit of humility, obedience, compunction, piety and a deep devotion to Christ's Passion.
Martin Martin  1856-1908
At the age of twelve he was received as a student or oblate at Our Lady of the Snows. He later made profession as a monk, was appointed to various offices and finally elected abbot. He was most kind and solicitous for his brethren, and his entire regime was imbued with the goodness and mercy of Christ.
DECEMBER 12
Franco of Archennes  13th century
A knight of Brabant, he became a crusader and fought in the Holy Land with his two sons, who were killed in battle. Returning home, he became a monk at Villers, serene, kind and affable.
Jean-Antoine de Somont  1659-1701
Abbot of Tamie. Having visited La Trappe, he reformed his own monastery and joined it to the Strict Observance. In 1682 he was appointed procurator of the Order, and thus was able to aid in the reform of other monasteries and convents.
DECEMBER 13
Nicolas
A monk of Santa Maria dell'Arco, Nieti, Sicily.
DECEMBER 14
14. Nunraw Abbey: Brother Brendan Denis Kelly
6 August 1910 - 14 December 1949
Denis Kelly was Baptised and confirmed in the Parish of Oghil & Kiltormer,
Diocese of Clonfert, Ireland
He began his monastic life at Roscrea Abbey. He was among the founders of Nunraw in 1946. In the following year he was found to be suffering from tuberculosis. He was the first monk to die and to be buried at Nunraw.
Louise-Therese Perrucard de Ballon  1591-1668
Born in Vanchy, Savoy, she was taken to the convent of St Catherine de Semnoz at the age of seven. Professed at sixteen, she soon afterwards made a retreat under the direction of her kinsman, St Francis de Sales, which profoundly changed her life. Since the convent was not amenable to reform, she with four other sisters began a new community at Rumilly, which became the nucleus of the Bernadines of Divine Providence, and at the time of the French Revolution counted twenty-five houses.
DECEMBER 15
Jacques Puiperon + 1674
A member of the Order of Celestines, he entered La Trappe and lived in humility and charity to his brethren. Fourteen months before his death, he contracted tuberculosis, and bore the sufferings this entailed not only with equanimity, but even with joy in the Spirit.
Constant Jouvin  1837-1906
Obliged to care for his father, he had to wait until the latter's death before he could enter Bricquebec as a lay-brother at the age of forty-eight. He was at the service of his brethren in everything and had a special gift for expiating the faults of others by a more generous mortification in union with Christ.
DECEMBER 16
16. Nunraw Abbey:  Br Antony Patrick Hopkins
12 September 1918 - 16 December 1985
Br Anthony suffered a heart attack and died peacefully in his sleep. Patrick
Hopkins was born in Dublin in 1918, where he first experienced life in an
Orphanage. One has only to look round the Church at Nunraw to see marks of his workmanship everywhere. In the course of almost forty years, the call on his skills in woodwork were as constant as the great demands in establishing a new monastery. In practice he could always be called upon for a much wider range of services in the community; assisting in the guesthouse, shopkeeper, cook and in one of the great loves of his life, the liturgy.
Rainald + 1150
A monk of Clairvaux, elected fifth abbot of Citeaux in 1133, he was a man of nobility, decorum and religious fervor. He is said to have collected the statutes and definitions of the first Cistercians into a single volume.
DECEMBER 17
Nunraw Abbey: Father Andrew Hart 10 Oct 1906 – 17 December 1992.
Born in Dumbarton in 1906, Fr. Andrew - Hart joined the Abbey of Mount
Saint Joseph, Roscrae, Ireland, in September 1936. He had received a B.Sc. degree from Glasgow University in 1928, and a Teachers Diploma in 1929
He made Solemn Profession vows on 30 October 1941 and was ordained priest on 25 February 1944. After teaching in the college attached to the Abbey he was named as one of the founders of the Abbey at Nunraw in 1946. He was appointed Novice Master, the role in which he made his best contribution to the community. As a young monk studying theology he was noted as a faithful follower of St  Thomas Aquinas and, with the years, this became more deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture. In his later years this was evident in his sermons and in the  spiritual direction for which he was much in demand. With his strong physique he did not understand illness and although sickness did come his way, he battled on. As someone said, his motto could have been, ‘Bury me in my boots’. Indeed, the Lord called him while still active in the company of the brethren.
Marie Moennat + 1650
She became abbess of Fille Dieu in 1613, and amid great opposition, restored enclosure and abstinence with the help of her brother, Dom William, abbot of Hauterive (September 1).
Les Moniales, p. 105

Friday 30 September 2011

October Menology


Saturday,01 October  2011

October Menology Nunraw Abbey
October 2011   General Intention: That the terminally ill may be supported by their faith in God and the love of their brothers and sisters. Missionary Intention: That the celebration of World Mission Day may foster in the People of God a passion for evangelization with the willingness to support the missions with prayer and economic aid for the poorest Churches. 

OCSO
Menology
for the
Month
of October



Brother Peter O'Dea


Brother Peter Senan O'Dea
born 23 June 1923
entered 6 January 1944
professed 1949
died 8 October 1981
Memorials
+ + + 



OCTOBER 1

Ulrich  12th or 13th century
A native of Cologne, he became a monk of Villers and held the office of grange master.

OCTOBER 2

Nehemias O'Moriertach  12th century
A friend and disciple of St Malachy, he became a Cistercian and later bishop of Cloyne. "A simple and modest man, shining with wisdom and chastity."

MBS, p. 258

Godfrey Pachomius + 1262
A canon regular, he became a monk of Villers, silent and prayerful, full of charity for his brethren and the poor.

OCTOBER 3

Algot + 1160
A monk of Clairvaux, he was chosen to be bishop of the diocese of Chur, Switzerland which he ably governed for nine years, coming to the aid of monasteries and the poor, and defending the rights of the Church.

Bartholomew Conill + 1458
A physician, he entered the monastery of Poblet in Catalonia and in 1437 was elected its abbot. He was especially noted for his charity to his monks and his care for the sick brethren.

OCTOBER 4

Bernard Carpentier  1552-1647
A monk of Les Prieres in Brittany, he became its prior and joined the house to the Strict Observance. He accomplished its reform so successfully that he was able to send his monks to reform other houses. He governed his monastery for twenty-three years and then devoted the last years of his life to prayer.

OCTOBER 5

William  12th century
Monk of Floriege, Provence.

OCTOBER 6

Baldwin + 1145
A disciple of St Bernard, he was created cardinal, the first from the Cistercian Order, by Pope Innocent II who later made him archbishop of Pisa.
Letter 115 of St Bernard

OCTOBER 7

Philip + 1225
A canon of the principal church of Cologne, he became a monk of Bonnevaux and abbot first of Bonnevaux and then of Otterberg, which he governed well for thirty years.

Luisa de Foria + 1871
A native of Brazil, she entered the convent of Santa Maria de Cadins, Spain. She is remembered for her obedience and silence, but even more for her radiant and endearing smile.

OCTOBER 8

St Martin Cid + 1152
With several companions he led an eremetical life near Zomora, Spain, to which a hospice for travelers was later added. The community attracted the attention of King Alphonso VIII of Castile and Leon, who endowed it and then arranged for its affiliation to the Cistercians in 1137. It was named Valparaiso and Martin governed it for fifteen years until his death.
MBS p. 263

Louis de Gonzague Bailly + 1824
He lived with some hermits at Mont-Valerien near Paris, but was forced to flee during the French Revolution and became a monk of La Val Sainte. After this house had been suppressed in 1811, he and two confreres lived a communal life in Nancy. Later he was chosen by Dom Stephen Malmy to restore the monastery of Aiguebelle.

OCTOBER 9

Sibyl de Gages + 1250
A canoness of St Gertrude's at Nivelles, Belgium, she entered the community of Aywieres and became a close friend of St Lutgarde (June 16). Sibyl rendered services to Lutgarde, especially after the latter had become blind, and Lutgarde was often guided by Sibyl's advice.

John James of St Scholastica + 1621
At fifteen he became a Feuillant monk and later preached the gospel in the cities of southern France. He also assisted in establishing the Congregation of St Ursula in Bordeaux.

OCTOBER 10

Hugh + 1151
A relative and close companion of St Bernard, he entered Citeaux together with him. In 1114, shortly after his profession, Hugh was appointed first abbot of Pontigny, Citeaux's second daughterhouse. Under his direction, the house prospered and made several foundations. He was often appointed judge or delegate in ecclesiastical affairs, and in 1137, he was made bishop of Auxerre. He had a special gift for hospitality.

Gonzalo 
Abbot or prior of Las Junias, Spain.

OCTOBER 11

Nicholas de Guedois + 1677
Having as a young monk aided his abbot, Louis Quinet, in the reform of the abbey of Barbery, Normandy, he succeeded him in the abbatial office.

OCTOBER 12

Richard  12th century
A Benedictine of the monastery of St Mary's, York, and sacristan at the cathedral there, he was among the founders of Fountains Abbey. He was elected to succeed its first abbot, also named Richard. "While he interiorly applied himself to God as far as was possible, Our Lord watched over him outwardly, directing him in all his ways." He had a special gift for hearing confessions. Having gone to Citeaux for the General Chapter, he became ill and died in the presence of St Bernard.


Marguerite + 1240
Abbess of Saint-Hoilde, France.

Maria Van Dale + 1438
Second prioress of Muysen, Belgium.

Sancho of St Catherine + 1629
President-general of his congregation.

OCTOBER 13

Geoffrey of Melna + 1178
He entered Clairvaux under its second abbot, Bl Robert of Bruges (April 29). There he had care of the sick. In 1171 he was chosen bishop of Sorra in Sardinia. Having heard of the solemn translation of the body of St Bernard, he went to Clairvaux to take part in the ceremony. There his longing to die at Clairvaux was fulfilled.

St Maurice  1114-1191
A native of Brittany, he studied in Paris before becoming a monk at Longonnet. Three years after his profession, he was elected abbot, a position he retained for thirty years. When he was about to retire, Conan IV, Duke of Brittany, offered him land for a monastery. This was Carnoet which in its early days suffered from poverty, as well as the incursion of wolves and rats. Later it prospered and Maurice governed it for fifteen years until his death. The house subsequently became a place of pilgrimage and its name was changed to St Maurice de Carnoet.
Today at least eighteen villages in Brittany have shrines of St Maurice and an annual procession in his honor.

MBS, p. 264

OCTOBER 14

Alan of Flanders + 1185
A monk of Clairvaux, he was chosen by St Bernard to be first abbot of L'Arrivour. Later elected bishop of Auxerre, he governed that diocese well for fifteen years, then resigned and returned to L'Arrivour. He frequently visited Clairvaux and sometime after 1165 remained there living in St Bernard's house. He revised the biography of St Bernard.

Clara Dullaerts + 1545
For forty years she governed the convent of Beaupre, Belgium, with diligence and prudence. During her administration, the house grew spiritually and temporally.

OCTOBER 15

Bl Gerard
Abbot of Fossanova and then of Clairvaux, he had sent one of his monks, morally degenerate, to Abbot Peter of Igny to be subjected to regular discipline. When he made a visitation at that house, the monk in question stabbed Gerard and cruelly wounded him. As he continued to turn the dagger in the wound, Gerard meekly said to him, "I beg you, Brother, let your hand cease now, for I cannot live much longer".  He died three days later, forgiving his assasin and imploring pardon for him. He is considered the proto-martyr of the Cistercian Order.

Elizabeth  13th century
A nun or abbess of the convent of Hoven, Germany, held in high esteem by Bl Herman Joseph.

OCTOBER 16

St Hedwig  1174-1243
The daughter of Count Berthold IV of Andechs, Bavaria, she was married at twelve years old to Duke Henry of Silesia. In 1202 on the death of his father, Henry succeeded to the dukedom. At Hedwig's request, he built a Cistercian convent at Trebnitz, as well as numerous other monasteries and hospitals. After the birth of six children, she and Henry took a vow of chastity.
Hedwig acted as peacemaker in resolving quarrels between her sons, and between her husband and his enemies. After Henry's death in 1238, she went to Trebnitz where she lived the same life as the nuns, but without vows, not only in order to give alms freely, but because she considered herself unworthy to be a nun.

MBS, p. 267; NCE, vol 6, p. 984

0CTOBER 17

Gilbert + 1167
An Englishman, he was abbot successively of Ourscamp and Citeaux. He was called "The Great" by posterity because of the extent of his learning.

Maximus of Arezzo  16th century
A monk of San Salvatore di Settimo in Tuscany, venerated by the people of Florence as a saint.

OCTOBER 18

Sicard + 1162
A monk of Jouy and later first abbot of Bonlieu.

Gumar  12th century
A judge and ruler in Sardinia, he made a pilgrimage to St Martin's shrine in Tours, and on his way home stopped at Clairvaux. St Bernard urged him to become a monk, but he refused, until sometime later he heard of Bernard's death. He then placed his eldest son at the head of his realm, entered Citeaux at the age of forty, and persevered until death.


OCTOBER 19



Lutgarde Menetrey + 1919
As a young girl she was outstanding for her generosity in helping the poor. She entered La Fille Dieu which was endeavoring to return to a stricter observance of the Rule. When she was elected abbess, she successfully completed the work of reform. She had a firm trust in God in difficult circumstances, and a strength of soul which she derived from constant prayer and devotion to Christ in his Passion and to his sorrowful Mother.

OCTOBER 20

Peter  12th century
A monk of Clairvaux, he was sent by St Bernard to the monastery of Nydala in Sweden. In extreme old age   he was elected abbot of Gutvala in the same country.

William
First a hermit, later a monk of Savigny.

OCTOBER 21

Henry
As a young man he was undisciplined. His parents wished him to marry, but when he went to visit some relatives at the monastery of Villers, he decided to join them. He found monastic life arduous, and it was only with difficulty and the prayers of his brethren that he was able to persevere. Later he learned to give thanks to God even amid trials and sorrows. He died after spending seven years in the Order.

Giomara da Silva  + c. 1590
A nun of Lorvao, Portugual, conspicuous for her obedience, silence and charity toward the sick.

OCTOBER 22

Pancratius Puschinger + 1551
Abbot of Engelszell, Austria, for thirty years. In unfavorable conditions he admirably governed his house with firmness and constancy.

Marie Jean Baillet + 1893
Received at Les Dombes, France, at the age of sixteen, he was devoted to the Blessed Virgin under the title of her Immaculate Conception. A soul of great innocence and piety, he contracted tuberculosis and died young.

OCTOBER 23

Achard  12th century
A monk of Clairvaux, he was entrusted by St Bernard with the building of several monasteries, including Himmerod. In his old age he instructed the novices from the wealth of his long monastic experience.

Bl Bertrand + 1149
Abbot of Grandselve, a Benedictine house located near Toulouse, he governed for thirty years and brought about the affiliation of Grandselve with the Order.

MBS, p. 270

OCTOBER 24

Denis Largentier  1557-1624
            At the age of sixteen he received the habit of the Order at Clairvaux, and was sent to the College of St Bernard where he obtained a doctorate in theology. After holding several offices in the Order, he was chosen abbot of Clairvaux in 1596. This monastery had preserved a high level of observance and spirituality. As it was at the head of nearly one hundred affiliated houses, Largentier could use his authority to promote the reform movement which was to become known as the Strict Observance.

Jerome Petit  1586-1635
A monk of Clairvaux, he received a degree in theology from the College of St Bernard and taught there for several years. He then assisted with the reform of several monasteries, acted as novice master at his own, and in 1621 was appointed abbot of l'Etoile, continuing all the while to play a role in the further expansion of the reform movement.
To his memory is added that of his brother and second successor, Placid, who died March 22, 1667.

OCTOBER 25

St Bernard of Calvo + 1243
He studied law, but in 1214 after a severe illness, entered the monastery of Santa Cruz near Tarragona, Spain. Eleven years later he was elected abbot. Besides governing his monastery, he preached missions in the diocese of Lerida, teaching the true doctrine of the Church and defending the rights of the poor and oppressed. In 1233 he was elected bishop of Vich, and made inquisitor by Pope Gregory IX. He accompanied and advised James I of Aragon in his capaign against the Saracens, and was instrumental in arranging a peace treaty after the siege of Valencia.

MBS, p. 273

Twelve monks of Graigue, Ireland
In 1584, they were slain for refusing to submit to agents of Queen Elizabeth.

OCTOBER 26

Mefrid + c. 1173
Prior of Eberbach, Germany, graced with charismatic gifts as well as great industry and foresight.

OCTOBER 27

Catherine Fieffe  1590-1650
At the age of twelve she went to the convent of Parc aux Dames where she lived for many years under private vows of chastity and obedience. She suffered from several maladies, bodily deformity and lameness, but had a quick mind, a great love of God, patience and charity towards her sisters. She was finally admitted to profession at the age of forty.

Armand Jean Le Bouthillier de Rance  1626-1700
Born of a well-to-do, powerful French family, at the age of twelve he became commendatory abbot or prior of five monasteries. He was intelligent, charming, ambitious. He received a good education and was ordained at twenty-five with the expectation of succeeding his uncle as archbishop of Tours. He was worldly, but respectable, with every indication of a brilliant career ahead of him.
The sudden death of a friend, Mme de Montbazon, led him to a deep conversion experience. He retired from society to his country retreat. Reading, especially the Desert Fathers, praying, seeking advice, he gradually came to a decision regarding the future course of his life. He renounced all his benefices except the ruined Abbey of La Trappe; this he determined to reform. Twelve monks from Perseigne were sent to re-introduce monastic life at La Trappe, and in May 1663, he himself entered the novitiate at Perseigne, was professed in June the following year, and a month later returned to La Trappe as regular
abbot.
Only a few weeks later he was sent to Rome to plead the cause of the Strict Observance; a mission which failed. Unable to secure the assistance  of the French king in promoting the reform, he devoted the rest of his life to governing his abbey, which drew many excellent vocations and became exemplary for its fervor - a fervor which was to last long after his death, and eventually prove the means of re-establishing the Cistercian Order in France and elsewhere in the 19th century.

A J Krailsheimer: see his biography of de Rance, his translation of de Rance's letters, CS 80 and 81; CS 86; his three articles in Cistercian Studies, 1983-1985.  

OCTOBER 28

Brioloya Daruda  + c. 1600
A nun of St Benedict's Convent, Castro, Portugual, noted for her silence and devotion to the crucified Christ.

Giovanni Cardinal Bona  1609-1674
Born in Piedmont, Italy, he became a Feuillant monk at the age of sixteen. After studies in Rome, he was successively professor of theology, prior, abbot and abbot-general of his congregation, and in 1669 was created cardinal. Outstanding for both his holiness and his scholarship, his liturgical writings, especially those on the Mass, placed him among the founders of modern liturgical studies. His ascetical teaching, while lacking in originality, is simple, solid and traditional.

NCE, vol. 2, p. 655

OCTOBER 29

Peter Monoculus + 1186
Born in Italy, he was sent to France for his studies, visited the monastery of Igny and became a monk there. When prior, he was elected abbot of Val-Roi. His health was never good and he contracted an infection in one eye which literally devoured the eye in its socket; hence, his name, Monoculus.
In 1169 the monks of Igny elected him as their abbot and ten years later, he was chosen abbot of Clairvaux. Fearing that this would happen, he hid in a distant grange and was discovered there haying with the brothers, but was constrained by obedience to accept the abbacy of Clairvaux.
He was esteemed by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and Pope Lucius III sent for him to advise him in spiritual matters. He bore physical infirmities and also trials from other people with great patience and meekness. He possessed a gift for prayer, and was especially assiduous in praying for those in purgatory.

MBS, p. 276

OCTOBER 30

Reinier + 13th century
Brother of Godfrey Pachomius (OCTOBER 2), and, like him, a monk of Villers, he lived peacefully among his brethren and enjoyed complete spiritual joy.

Stephen Le Clere de Vodonne  1746-1798
A monk of Clairvaux, he was chaplain to the convent of Our Lady of Les Pres. He was arrested, imprisoned and in 1797 condemned to deportation. Sent to Guiana, he lived in a hut with three other priests. There he was stricken with fever and festering wounds as well as other hardships to which he succumbed.
A few weeks later, John Francis Doviot, a monk whose monastery is unknown, died there too.

OCTOBER 31

Bl Ida of Leau + c. 1260
Even from her childhood she loved study and received an excellent education probably from a group of Beguines. This love of books was further enhanced after she enter the Cistercian convent of La Ramee, where her excellence as an artist of calligraphy found full scope in the convent's scriptorium.
She was endowed with mystical graces many of which centered around the Blessed Sacrament. Subject to many physical illnesses, she spent long periods in the infirmary which she offered as a holocaust of love in a spirit of abandonment and pure faith.
She seems to have spelled her name Y-D-A and she found in it a spiritual significance: "Y is a sharp letter, D is for Deus (God), A is for Amor (love). So Y-D-A (herself) must be sharp, quick, efficient and acute in the love of God."
At the time of her death, which took place on a Sunday as she had desired, she asked the nun attending her to cover her face; but afterwards the nun withdrew the covering, and Ida's whole countenance shone with a glorious light.
MBS, p. 282