Cortazzo Building, with medieval wellhead

We have often referred to The Rule of St. Benedict, and specifically to one or another of its 73 rules, when introducing a topic in these pages. Lately it has been Chapter 53 which comes most frequently to mind: The Reception of Guests. From my personal copy of the edition known as RB1980 – signed in 2005 by one of the four Associate Editors, Fr. Timothy Horner, O.S.B. (“ad multos annos”) – comes this translation: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25:35). Proper honor must be shown to all, especially to those who share our faith (Gal 6:10) and to pilgrims.” From personal experience during visits to men’s and women’s Benedictine houses throughout the world, this has been the, well, the Rule. Indeed, this is also the case when visiting Benedictine Oblates, who make a promise to do their best to live according to the Rule in their everyday lay lives.

Lunch reunion for Lourdes 2023 group in Stillman Dining Hall
(Joined by special guest, Fr. Gabriel Everitt, O.S.B. of Ampleforth)

Most recently we have had the pleasure of hosting longtime friend, Fr. Gabriel Everitt of Ampleforth Abbey in the U.K., their recently appointed Director of Vocations. After an initial stop to see the monks of St. Anselm’s Abbey in Washington, D.C., he flew to Providence mid-month. Ostensibly he was making a pre-Canonical Visitation-Visitation with us, but he also spoke about the EBC’s program of Continuing Formation and asked about our own vocation efforts. In July, Fr. Gabriel and I were two of the nine Chaplains on the 70th annual Ampleforth Lourdes Pilgrimage and, although he himself was a guest here, he used the opportunity to catch up with an out-of-town concurrent guest from the Poconos, Oblate Michele Rentschler, and a local guest, Dottie Ward P’94 of Portsmouth, both of whom were Lourdes pilgrims. On the day before his departure to Boston Logan and London Heathrow, he and I enjoyed a festive reunion lunch in the Stillman Dining Hall with the two women and three Portsmouth Abbey School seniors who spoke of their life-changing experiences at Lourdes. What may have started as an intensive 10-day service trip abroad for them turned out to be something far more meaningful. We were happy to have Abbot Michael join in the conversation with us towards the end of the meal.

Not everyone comes for business purposes. A private spiritual retreat among the peace and quiet of the campus, and the comfort and colors of autumn are a big draw for some. Such was the plan for Real Saint Laurent, a British Columbian who arrived from Lititz, Pennsylvania, spent a week, then departed by the MBTA Commuter Rail out of Providence to Boston, then home to Canada. He spent most of his time on campus but was able to enjoy a noontime Mass at the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul in Providence, followed by a tour of the city and its combined urban campuses of Brown and RISD. The behind-the-scenes inner workings of the guest program at Portsmouth continue to be the purview of Guest Master and Prior Br. Joseph Byron, who keeps meticulous track of room assignments, parking passes, special meal requests and choir seating, plus train station pickups and airport drop-offs.

Elevator rising

None of the recent guests seemed to be particularly concerned or disturbed by the ongoing construction and renovation projects underway. Most visible on the campus is the new Student Center nearing completion overlooking Narragansett Bay, with occupancy expected in January after the return to campus following the Christmas break. Two other projects relate specifically to the 1960 monastery. Installation of new smoke detectors and upgrades to the existing fire alarm system are taking place simultaneously, creating much noise and dust at times, small prices to pay, say some of the monks, for the safety and peace of mind which they will bring. The same may be said of the long-awaited elevator project which will connect all levels of what some refer to as the “Brady-Bunch” interior design of this mid-century Modern monastery with its numerous split-levels. The exterior cinder-block construction of the elevator-car housing has risen in a portion of the area occupied by the monks’ Zen Garden and, when completed, will be compatible in exterior finishes with the surrounding original Pietro Belluschi surfaces.

On Friday, October 27, I presented a luncheon talk titled A Missionary Journey to the “Golden Guild” of St. Philip’s Parish in Greenville, Rhode Island, at the invitation of their pastor, Fr. Michael McMahon, and the parish coordinator, Dianna Marrone. The group had not been able to meet for quite some time due to Covid restrictions on public gatherings, but life seems to be getting back to normal on the west side of Providence. Another gathering that should be underway as this issue arrives, on Saturday, November 4, in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, helps kick off National Vocation Awareness Week (Nov. 5-11). Billed as a “Fall Back” Young Adult Retreat Day, it is happening at the Redeemer Valley Farm and Transformation Center. It is sponsored by the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) and its Delaware Valley Member Area, of which Portsmouth Abbey is a participant. We ask your prayers for the success of that special vocation event and especially for safe travels both to and from.

In the next few weeks watch for a report on the Bishop’s Meeting of Major Superiors which was hosted by Bishop Richard Henning both at his 1875 residence and in the spacious meeting area in the crypt beneath the Cathedral. It was held on Monday, October 23, and included 25 representatives of men’s and women’s religious houses within the Diocese of Providence, including Portsmouth Abbey. Please mark your calendars for our Oblate Day of Recollection which has been scheduled for Sunday, December 17, the Third Sunday of Advent. Oblate Dionne Larson of Cumberland will tell us about her attendance at the Fifth World Congress of Benedictine Oblates held in Rome in mid-September which concluded with an address and a private audience with Pope Francis. More details will follow soon. God bless you all.