St. Antony Mass Memorial

Friday 17 January 2014

SAINT ANTONY
Patriarch of Monks
(251-356)

        St. Antony was born in the year 251, in Upper Egypt. Hearing at Mass the words, "If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor," he gave away all his vast possessions. He then begged an aged hermit to teach him the spiritual life. He also visited various solitaries, copying in himself the principal virtue of each.

        To serve God more perfectly, Antony entered the desert and immured himself in a ruin, building up the door so that none could enter. Here the devils assaulted him most furiously, appearing as various monsters, and even wounding him severely; but his courage never failed, and he overcame them all by confidence in God and by the sign of the cross.

        One night, whilst Antony was in his solitude, many devils scourged him so terribly that he lay as if dead. A friend found him thus, and believing him dead carried him home. But when Antony came to himself he persuaded his friend to carry him, in spite of his wounds, back to his solitude. Here, prostrate from weakness, he defied the devils, saying, "I fear you not; you cannot separate me from the love of Christ." After more vain assaults the devils fled, and Christ appeared to Antony in glory.

        His only food was bread and water, which he never tasted before sunset, and sometimes only once in two, three, or four days. He wore sackcloth and sheepskin, and he often knelt in prayer from sunset to sunrise.

        Many souls flocked to him for advice, and after twenty years of solitude he consented to guide them in holiness-thus founding the first monastery. His numerous miracles attracted such multitudes that he fled again into solitude, where he lived by manual labor.

        He expired peacefully at a very advanced age. St. Athanasius, his biographer, says that the mere knowledge of how St. Antony lived is a good guide to virtue.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

St. Columba on 'The misty isle of Skye'

St. Columba - "The misty isle of Skye ...


Saint Columba (Columcille) 9th June 2012

The Skye Bridge that links Kyle of Lochalsh to Skye

At the Night this morning we listened to: 


1st Nocturne. Reading. Colosians 3:1-17,


2nd Noct. Reading. St. Columba –Breviary p. 220


It was that otherwise concealed in the Common of Abbots, not the assumed Adamnan’s Lesson on the Life of Columba.


There is a classic on "The misty isle of Skye : its scenery, its people, its story"


Full text at http://www.archive.org/stream/mistyisleofskyei00macc/mistyisleofskyei00macc_djvu.txt


and featurers references Admanan’s role on St. Columba as the first Church in Skye.


At the waiting room at the Outpatients Dept. In hospital I found a beautiful an ticle from the Peoples Friend magazine about St. Columba. For it I thank from the author Willie Shand, March 31, 2012.

Loch Coruisk Isle of Skye painted in 1874 by Sidney Richard Percy

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“On Sacred Ground ... to walk in the footsteps of St. Columba”

Just five miles from Portree, and a few hundred yards from the Dunvegan road, has brought me to an old briddge over the Snozort – a place one would certainly have been well advised to steer clear of in 1593. It’s a much quieter scene now.


If you walk over the stone bridge you’ll find a gate leading down to a track following the right bank of the river. In a short distance this track brings us to another bridge, a wooden footbridge which crosses on to a tiny island on the river – an island within an island.


Insignificant as it may look when you step on to this island you stand upon sacred, and historic ground.


For upon it are the ruins of chapel built by St. Columba himself. Some claim this to be the first Christian church to be built on Skye.


His decision to build it here, we are told, was due to a vision the Saint had before coming to Skye. According to Columba’s Adamanan, the Saint had foreseen being greeted by an old man seeking baptism who, upon receiving it,’would immediately die.


When Columba and his followers landed at the head of Loch Snizort Beag, they were met by a number of men carrying an old and frain chief by the name of Artbraham. He had heard about Columba’s teaching and was determined to hold on to life until he could meet the Saint.


Sure enough, just as Columba had foreseen, the old man passed away immediately after baptism. He was then carried to this wee island for burial – claimed to be the first Christian burial on Skye.


Columba then chose to build his chapel upon the very site and you can still see traces of it this day. From 1079 until 1498 this was the Catholic Church of the Bishop’s of the Isles.


Since pagan times the island has been used as a cemetery. One fine carved tombstone depicts a warrior with claymore. Another marks the resting place of Donald Munro, the father of evangelical religion on Skye.


Close to the chapel you’ll find another ancient roofless ruin – Nicholson’s Aisle – and, according to tradition within is are no fewer than twenty-eight Chiefs of the Nicholsons clan.

Somewhere off the beaten tourist trail, this is indeed a fascinating wee island well worth stopping to explore.

Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald - - -
Sent: Tuesday, 5 June 2012, 14:29
Subject: Re: Fw: Garvald Village Website pictues

Garvald Village - Queen's Golden Jubilee.
On 05/06/2012 11:28, Donald Nunraw wrote:

Dear Heidi,

Congratulation on the amazing event of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Here I quote as I was writing,

"Abbot Mark took his camera for the Garvald Queen Jubilee Celebration BUT he left the camera in the car.

. . .

Do you have any pictures of the amazing Garvald festivities on Sunday?

Later the Abbot gave the community some 'news' of the festivities. We we were thrilled to hear of the activities, entertainment, feast, 3 tug o'war competitions , Papana River Boat Race and the rest ...

Happy to hear from you

Donald

Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

5 June 2012, 

at the Community Mass this morning, 

the Abbot said,

“Today is the official date of the Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

We remember her especially because of her commitment and service to her country and people over the past 60 years.”

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June 5: Saint Boniface, "Apostle of Germany".

June 5: Saint Boniface Dawson, "Apostle of Germany".

The historian, Christopher, said that Boniface "had a deeper influence on the history on the history of Europe than any Englishman who has ever lived."

Intro. Mass  St.Boniface (5 June).

Today we celebrate in honour of St. Boniface.

Boniface was born in Devonshire, England about the year 673

After many years as a monk, he felt called by God to preach the gospel in what was then the pagan Northern Europe. He evangelised much of Germany before he was murdered by bandits when he was in his 80s. This Englishman is now patron of Germany.

Today, when we are more and more aware of the rest of Europe, St. Boniface is an inspiration to us.  We see how in his life he appreciated the wider meaning of ‘society' and 'Church.’ The historian, Christopher Dawson said that Boniface "had a deeper influence on the history of Europe than any Englishman who has ever lived."

And so we come to celebrate this Mass in thanksgiving for Boniface’s life and faith, let us pray that we become more aware of the needs of the whole body of Christ.

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Saint Sharbel Makhluf

Saturday 24^th July 2010

MASS

We prayed for the people of Lebanon through intercession of Saint Sharbel Makhluf.

Saint SHARBEL MAKHLUF

Born in 1828, Sharbel Makhluf was a monk and priest
of the Lebanese Maronite Order in Annaya, Lebanon,
who spent many hours praying
before the Blessed Sacrament.
He later lived as a hermit of his order.
He celebrated Mass close to noon
so as to devote the morning to preparation,
and the rest or the day to thanksgiving.
He died in 1898.

Entrance Antiphon

Spirit of God is upon me; he has anointed me. He sent me to bring good news to the poor and to heal the broken hearted. (Lk 4: 18)

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
in Saint Sharbel Makhluf, you gave
a light to your faithful people.
You made him a pastor of the Church
to feed your sheep with his word
and to teach them by his example.
Help us by his prayers to keep the faith he taught
and follow the way of life he showed us.

Grant this through our Lord …