| 900th Anniversary of the Birth of
St. Ailred by Fr. Michael Casey Monday 26th April- Saturday 1st May 2010 Mount St. Bemard Abbey | Guest Participants 1. Fr. Michael Casey Tarrawara 2. Sr. Elizabeth Whitland 3. Sr. Jo Whitland 4. Br. Benedict Caldey 5. Br. Luca Caldey 6. Sr. Elizabeth M. Brownshill 7. Sr. M. Phillipa Brownshill 8. Sr. M Stephen Brownshill 9. Fr. Aelred Portglenone 10. Fr. Nivard Bamenda/Nunraw 11. Fr. Hugh Nunraw 12. Sr. Denise Glencaim 13. Sr. Maria Hyning 14. Sr. M. Anthony Hyning 15. Sr. M Colette Hyning 16. Sr. Michaela Hyning 17. Br. Brian 18. Sr. Theresa Ware 19. Sr-. Zoe Ware 20. Sr. Ruth Ware Two nuns from Rempstone each day |
From Nunraw two of the community attended the St. Aelred of Rievaulx 'Workshop' at Mount Saint Bernerard, Fr. Hugh and Fr. Nivard.
On the return home, Fr. Hugh gave at talk about the event in the Chapter. He has now produced his 'report' as below.
The photgraphs appended were taken by Fr. Nivard.
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9th. CENTENARY OF ST. AELRED's BIRTH
SEMINAR ON ST. AELRED AT MT. ST. BERNARD’s
by Fr Michael Casey. April 26th May 1st.
Mount St. Bernards invited members of the Order, Bernardines and Carmelites from Ware to attend this Seminar. Twenty of us came and were joined by members of the Mt. St. Bernards Community. Fr Michael gave some eight conferences during the week with group discussions twice a day. We also had informal discussions about current problems facing Cistercian life in these islands which were quite lively.
Fr Michael began by giving us a realistic picture of St. Aelred considerably different from the popular impression given by Walter Daniel's biography which describes a community which was ideal without much in the way of difficulties. Aelred himself was accused of wanting the Abbot's job and scheming to get it. WaIter Daniel says that this is nonsense and was the work of evil spirits, In any case St. Aelred did not find the Abbot's job congenial. He says in his little book On Jesus When He was Twelve Years Old, that before he was Abbot the reading of the Gospel used to arouse fervent sentiments in his own soul - it isn't like that any longer now ties of worldly cares and secular business have drawn me from these delights(Ch. I).
On top of this Aelred had chronic ill health - kidney trouble and arthritis amongst other things which confined him in a sick room. Then there was the political situation. The Scots fought against the English at the battle of Northalteton and Aelred had friends on both sides. The Normans who had invaded England in 1066 laid waste the country between the Humber and the Tyne when the people of the North rebelled against them. Aelred as a Saxon was a member of a conquered race and he had both Normans and Saxons in his community. One would have expected racial animosity and Fr Michael referred to this, but interesting enough there doesn't seem to be any reference to this in his writings, although he talks about plenty of other things which were wrong.
Our Cistercian Fathers never thought of themselves as living in a golden age of Monasticism or in a great age of the Faith. Aelred refers to the fervour of the early monks, Antony , Macarius and Hilarion and then goes on to say that the monks of his day are materialistic, contentious and quarrelsome. (P.L. 195 Col 404).
In regard to the Church in general he says that money and ambition play a greater part in promotion to office than virtue and good repute. (Synodo de Pastore p155).
What are we to make of the often referred to, of Aelred's practice of admitting everybody and dismissing nobody. It was the custom in Medieval biography to describe an ideal rather than give factual account of what happened. If Walter Daniel did this, as he admits elsewhere in his Life of St. Aelred, not all of what he writes should be taken too literally.
St. Aelred's teaching can be best summed up in his own words: "What is more useful for you to know than how you should love your God, your Creator, your redeemer? Without doubt, brothers nothing is so useful, nothing so necessary" (Discourse 80).
In his book the Mirror of Charity Aelred calls love "The hearts palate which sees that you are sweet the hearts eye which sees that you are good. And it is the place capable of receiving you, great as you are. Someone who loves you grasps you. The more one loves, the more one grasps, because you yourself are love, for you are charity" ( Para 2)
"Capable of receiving you". In Latin "Capax Dei” words difficult to translate sufficiently poignantly in English but much used by our Cistercian Fathers. It was always a truth much beloved and emphasised by the early Cistercians in their efforts to establish a School of Divine Charity.
Aelred stands out as a man who was kind and sympathetic, a good judge of human nature, someone who loved and enjoyed friendship who enjoyed his monastic life and wanted others to share that joy in spite of all the very real trials of his times.
On the fourth day of the Seminar we had a very enjoyable outing to Rievaulx, Ampleforth and New Stanbrook where we were given a tour of this beautiful and striking modern building.
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Finally many thinks for everything to Fr. Michael and the Mount St. Bernards Community for this excellent Seminar and for their hospitality.
Fr. Hugh.
Nunraw.
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