Bishop Tobin at opening of HMSP novitiate, 2021

My cousin, Fr. Jim O.S.B., is a Benedictine monk at Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, about a four-hour drive west of our birthplace, depending on the number of potholes on any given day along Interstate 80. We were born just over a year apart in Hazleton, a small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in the heart of the anthracite coal region. Fr. Jim’s family eventually moved away from the coal fields to the steel mills of Bethlehem. Their parish found a home on a former farm with the farmhouse becoming the rectory and the riding stable converted into a church. As Fr. Jim tells it, “The place where I first worshiped God was a stable in Bethlehem. And yes, my mother’s name is Mary.” Annually since 1982, I have visited both St. Vincent’s, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ summer training camp, and Latrobe, former home of Rolling Rock Beer. But in those forty years, I can count on only one hand the number of times I’ve had the pleasure of spending any time there with my cousin. The reason? He has spent most of his monastic life assigned to various diocesan parishes, a ministry which has kept him away from his home base for long stretches of time. 

Unlike St. Vincent’s, which also supports a thriving parish of its own, Portsmouth Abbey has no parochial commitments save for helping with an occasional Mass at one of the churches on Aquidneck Island or across the Sakonnet River in Tiverton. Our main ministry since 1919 continues to be the education of high school students. Nevertheless, as our regular readers are aware, our relationship with the Diocese of Providence is important to us, and in the past few years we have been able to develop the monastery’s connections with it. The Portsmouth Institute, too, has provided a venue to share our resources and facilities through collaborative efforts. 

Invitations arrived last month requesting our monastic participation in two important diocesan events, both taking place on the exact same date, coincidentally on September 10, the day of the first big Mass of the 2022-23 academic year, for new and returning students and their families. Somehow, we were able to cover all the bases.  

First, three Portsmouth monks attended the 11:00 a.m. Mass celebrating the Entrance to the Novitiate (Entrada al Noviciado) and the First Religious Profession (Primera Profesion) of the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Word (Hermanas Misioneras Servidoras de la Palabra, or HMSP), based in West Greenwich RI. Principal celebrant at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence was His Excellency, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, In attendance from the Abbey were Brother Basil, Fr. Edward, and Fr. Gregory, who has taught novices of the HMSP community in previous years. Sister Elizabeth Castro of the HMSP house has graced us several times with her presence and we are grateful for the mutual feeling of community and goodwill between us. Entering the novitiate were Gabriela Alarcon and Jessica Corona. Making their first religious profession were Cristina Gomez, Jessica Bernal, Veronica Violeta Sanchez and Nancy Socorro Ortiz. We extend to each of them abundant prayers and blessings for good health, perseverance, and patience as they continue on the path of their spiritual journey. 

At about the same time as the gathering in Providence, the younger members of the church were assembled in Cumberland, Rhode Island, for the annual Diocesan Youth Day. The theme for the day, emblazoned on the back of colorful t-shirts, was “I AM” (John 14:6). Under the aegis of the Catholic Youth Ministry, it was once again spearheaded by the indefatigable Louise “Duse” Dussault, Director of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Office, and her merry band of volunteers and staff. Entertainment and emcee duties throughout the day and evening were provided by Justin Derry and the Summit Band. Dery, a native of Rhode Island, currently lives with his wife and children in South Carolina and this appearance was a pleasant homecoming for him. Besides being a joyous end-of-summer get-together for middle-school and high school students, the event serves as a way to introduce them to representatives of the wide variety of religious vocations for both men and women available within the diocese. Humbly representing the Benedictines of Portsmouth, I joined with Franciscans, Dominicans, with our friend Sr. Mary John of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, with priests and with permanent deacons, including Dr. Deacon Tim Flanigan. He led a Round One workshop titled Jesus, the Healer, in which he skillfully related stories from both his experiences as a physician and as a deacon, to explain and discuss how Jesus is always present with us in the midst of our wounds and our needs. 

A popular activity throughout the entire event was “Vocations Bingo” whereby students were given cards with 30 boxes in a grid. Each box held a short statement which described one or more of the clerics or religious in attendance. It served as an ice-breaker for students talking to them and getting to know them. Sample statements included “Once ran away to work in the circus”; “Has never used Instagram”; “Is not a fan of any New England sports teams”; “Held hands with St. Pope John Paul II”; and “Truly enjoys eating ice cream.” At the very least these small notes show the students that clerics and religious are real people. As with so many of these events, especially diocesan-oriented vocation events aimed at young people, one never knows if the message has gotten across or if a seed has been planted in fertile ground. It takes constant care and nurturing with prayer, in subtle ways, and the success of a vocation of any kind blossoming to fruition won’t be evident for years to come. 

As an addendum to extend our fellowship even further, I will note that our friend, Paul Zalonski, K.H.S., an Oblate of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, has invited anyone in the southern Connecticut area to join in the annual Rosary Pilgrimage sponsored by the Dominican Nuns for whom he works. It is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 3, at the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace, 11 Race Hill Road in North Guilford. It will include the Rosary, Vespers, a homily, Benediction, and a procession to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.