August 2021

Outside of our own familiar circles here, one may not immediately identify Dorothy Day as a Benedictine. But the influence of Benedict on her thinking and on her vision of the Catholic Worker movement is inescapable. Unpacking the role of Portsmouth Priory in her Benedictine journey is a task offering some intrigue, and with the passage of time is increasingly difficult to sort out with precision. We look into some of her Portsmouth connections.

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Pope Saint Paul VI, on the tenth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, summarized its aim: "to make the Church of the twentieth century ever better fitted for proclaiming the Gospel to the people of the twentieth century." As we move further into the twenty-first century, his words in this exhortation still ring true. We call your attention to the preaching of the Word of our monastic community, taking up this task of Church-building in part through its homilies, still available online.

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For the second and, one prays, final summer, the Ampleforth Lourdes Pilgrimage 2021 was held virtually, from July 16-23. The Portsmouth community again contributed a Mass recorded at our own Lourdes Grotto. We outline some of the elements of this year's program.

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