Mass for the Day of Recollection

On Saturday, November 18, Fr. Andrew Senay and I took part in the Fall Day of Recollection organized by the Bishop’s Office for the Religious of the Diocese of Providence. As participating members in the work of that office, Portsmouth Abbey monks have been able to share in a camaraderie beyond our own gates and learn more about the charisms and ministries of other religious communities in the area, of both men and women. In this case, we were hosted by the men at the Christian Brothers Residence on beautiful Ocean Road in Narragansett. Brother James Dries is the current superior there and, in his welcoming remarks, he went out of his way to ensure that everyone was comfortable and would be looked after throughout the day.

The opening presentation, “The Interior Life: The Soul of the Apostolate,” was delivered by Fr. Thu Truong, F.S.S.P. (Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri, or Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter), Parochial Vicar at St. Mary’s on Broadway in Providence. Fr. Truong, born in Vietnam and ordained in 2021, referred to himself as “a baby priest” and, in truth, he lowered the average age in the conference room that morning considerably. He began by posing a series of simple questions to the gathering: “Why are we doing this? Why are we here? What is the purpose of our life?” He answered his own questions with the help of the Catechism, which tells us to know, to love, and to serve God. “We need to consecrate ourselves totally to him,” he said, “and to love God, and to love our neighbor.” Fr. Truong exhorted the group to “bring to our neighbor the light of the Gospel, …we should devote ourselves to it.” He admitted, “Now this was a revelation to me when I was thinking of being a priest.”

“We must first prioritize our own interior life in our own heart,” he continued, putting forth the goal of the day’s retreat: “to learn how to love our interior life.” He directed us to take as our model St. Therese of Lisieux. While she died at age 24, little known and unremarkable, she changed and transformed the world. The principal model and guide, Fr. Truong said, is first and foremost, “Our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lived 30 years of an interior life, and his last three years in active ministry. He spent a lot of time in prayer.” He cited Mary and Joseph, saying that, “what made them extraordinary was their deep love of God.” He also pointed to the apostles, who prayed in the Cenacle, the Upper Room, site of the Last Supper, and continued to gather there to pray. Painting a mental picture for his listeners, Fr. Truong turned to St. Thomas Aquinas, who is said to have literally “wrapped his arms around the tabernacle for inspiration” in time of need. The elements of the interior life include, “the practice of the virtues, the fear of displeasing God in any way whatsoever, devotions such as the rosary and chaplet, and most important, mental prayer and spiritual reading, especially the Bible.” Father’s book recommendation on the subject is Worshipping a Hidden God: Unlocking the Secrets of the Interior Life by the late Archbishop Luis Maria Martinez y Rodriguez, the first official Primate of Mexico. Although the takeaway is that the interior life is “most exhausting,” Fr. Truong explained, “it is the better part, the one thing necessary. We need grace to achieve this goal.”

Fr. Andrew reading the Gospel

The morning’s conference ended on the topic of mental prayer in which, according to Fr. Truong, “We use our minds and hearts to promote His glory in an intimate friendship, a heart-to-heart conversation, both here and in heaven. Mental prayer prepares us for that eternal time with God in heaven.” He noted two objections he hears from time to time regarding mental prayer: “I don’t have time for it. My work is more important than spending thirty minutes in front of a tabernacle!”; and “I don’t know how to do it, it’s so hard!” His suggestion: “Maybe it’s so hard because it’s so easy.” A period of silent reflection followed the talk, for which Fr. Truong supplied three questions to ponder: Why did I become a religious? How have I made the interior life a priority in my vocation? What can I do now to better prioritize the interior life going forward? Mass was then celebrated in the Brothers’ 1958 chapel, with Fr. Andrew as the concelebrant and Gospel reader, assisting Fr. Joseph Gillespie, L.C., of the Legionaries of Christ as principal celebrant. Lunch followed the Mass and the afternoon schedule included Confessions and silent reflection, time for small-group sharing and private prayer, and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Solemn Benediction. The Bishop’s Office for Religious has additional events planned throughout the coming months which will include the World Day of Consecrated Life in February, the Lenten Day of Recollection in March, the Jubilarian Celebration in April, and the Summer Picnic in June at the Columban Fathers in Bristol.

Father Thu Truong, FSSP

Closer to home and just around the corner, as previously announced, will be the Portsmouth Abbey Oblate Advent Day of Recollection on Sunday, December 17. Oblate Dionne Larson will give a presentation to us about her attendance in Rome this September at the 5th International Congress of Benedictine Oblates, which closed with the group being blessed at a private audience with His Holiness, Pope Francis.