Divine Adoration, Friday after Epiphany

Sunday, January 12 marked the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and, as Abbot Michael explained as he began, “It is the official end of the Christmas season.” Some in the congregation may have been surprised, perhaps thinking it ended on St. Stephen’s Day, also known as Boxing Day, December 26, the day that Christmas carols suddenly disappear from the airwaves. For some of us, however, the season can linger on even beyond the Baptism of Jesus, with unexpected gifts still coming our way. Following the publication of the Artist of the Abbey profile of Oblate John Hoare Kerr in last week’s issue of The Current, two such unsolicited gifts arrived, both of which deserve mention.

As reported, John Kerr was blessed with three sons, all of whom were pictured in an archival photograph with their dad, wearing matching kilts sporting their clan tartan. The youngest, Alan, now living in Alabama, was sent an advance draft of the story for fact-checking. No corrections were necessary, but the thanks he expressed were a gift: “Our family is truly honored, and it means so much to us. My Dad was indeed a great man—not only a wonderful father to me but also a great friend. His talent as an artist was remarkable, and he had a successful career in many areas that brought him joy. He had a deep love for Portsmouth Abbey, and being an Oblate was very special to him; it brought him great peace in his later years. His strength came from his faith in Christ, and the comfort he found in the Church was a guiding light throughout his life.”

Within days of that e-mail, another arrived from closer to home. Oblate Gerrie Beebe, upon reading the published story, wrote, “Reading about John Kerr, the recent artist featured in The Current, brought back memories from more than thirty years ago. John was a cousin of my good friend, Marion MacAndrew, who went to daily mass at the Abbey for several years. John lived on a beautifully landscaped property in Middletown. When a few of us decided to gather for a day of prayer focused on God and Our Lady, Marion asked if we could have our gathering at his property. John was very kind to offer his beautiful home to be the site of the day of recollection we had planned. It was a beautiful sunny day. Birds were everywhere, and the atmosphere was just perfect to spend time with God and His mother. My recollection was that the property had benches painted black dispersed in various spots on his land, overlooking a statue or crucifix or something to remind you of the presence of God nearby at each place designated to sit and meditate. It turned out to be a fabulous setting to pray and share our love of Christ and His mother. I never really saw him after that day, because, he evidently lived as a hermit until the end of his life soon after our gathering.”

The stories that appear in these pages often require research that can take weeks and, given that the word-count per article averages about 1,000-1,500, what we are presenting to the reader is only the tip of the information iceberg. But all it takes is for that tip to stir up the memories of someone who then fills in more of the backstory for us, as Alan and Gerrie have done. We thank them, and others, who have prolonged our Christmas season with such special gifts. We recently received other gifts, of a different kind, including the annual winter appearance of friends from Chile and the monastery’s participation in the annual conference of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), this year titled SEEK25. We hope to offer “thank you notes” on these gifts in upcoming issues.

Creche scene in Abbey Church (now stored until Advent 2025)