Br. Benedict’s rosary display in the Stillman Dining Hall

While many in the United States point to the long Labor Day weekend as the end of summer, the calendar tells us that summer ends officially this year on Sunday, September 22, with the autumnal equinox. Those of us who have spent nearly our entire lives on an academic schedule, whether as students, as educators, or even as lifelong learners, can probably agree that Labor Day actually does seem to be the psychological demarcation point between summer and autumn. Note that the dateline for this issue of our newsletter is September 15-21 – with the 21st coincidentally being the final full day of summer. For the next few months, then, astute readers may detect a subtle but decidedly autumnal shift in the feeling of our stories and in our tone. We shall resist the urge, however, to print hard copies of The Current using pumpkin-spice-infused printer cartridges.

Mary and Al Vitiello, who reside in Wakefield, Rhode Island, are oblates of Portsmouth and regular readers of The Current. They are pictured here at home with their grandson, A.J., in a photo taken by Br. Sixtus during a visit.

This is a roundabout way of beginning a report on the Summer Day of Recollection held for the Portsmouth Oblates who gathered together on Sunday, August 25, on our well-manicured but still student-less campus. The day began with the 9:30 a.m. Mass celebrated by Abbot-emeritus Matthew Stark and assisted at the altar by Deacon Br. Benedict Maria. Brother Benedict was ordained a transitional deacon on May 3 by Archbishop-elect Richard G. Henning, who subsequently was named to take over the reins at the Archdiocese of Boston. This will begin on October 31, when the retirement of Cardinal Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley takes effect. Although the oblates’ day was August 25, on the church’s calendar as the canonical feast of St. Louis IX, King of France, that feast was not celebrated at Portsmouth, and in any case this year, it was superseded by the solemnity of the Sunday.

After Mass, the oblates and their friends enjoyed breakfast in the Stillman Dining Hall, again graciously facilitated by Sarah Rodrigues, Director of Dining Services. Before the main presentation by Br. Benedict, a prayer was given in remembrance of two recently deceased oblates. Oblate Jean L. Revil, who had served for years in ministry as an educator and in parish work, died in a tragic accident while doing charity work in Fall River on July 17. And Dr. John Hand, known to all of us as Jack, who had served for many years in the U.S. Navy as a medical doctor, passed on August 20. We ask that you continue to pray for the repose of their souls and for the comfort of their families and their many friends.

Br. Benedict offered in his presentation some thoughts on the diaconate, starting with a prayer and then distributing colorful handouts of his own design. He presented a timeline of the history of the diaconate in the church, stretching from the 1st century of the Apostolic Era; the 2nd through 4th centuries of the Early Church; the 5th through the 15th centuries of the Middle Ages; then jumping to its rejuvenation with the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65; and finally, into the Modern Era of 1967 to the present. He noted for his listeners three specific Scripture passages suitable for reflection. For our readers who missed his in-person talk or its accompanying Zoom presentation, he referenced 1 Timothy 3:8-13 (qualifications of deacons); Luke 10:38-42 (Jesus visits Martha and Mary); and Matthew 8:14-17 (Jesus heals many at Peter’s house). Besides the historical timeline and the scriptural foundations, one of his handouts featured five depictions in art of “famous deacons” which the group was instructed to identify as he read out a list of names. Perhaps anticipating questions that might arise during the discussion period about women deacons and their ordinations, Br. Benedict came prepared to share “a few words from Pope Francis” explaining the Church’s stance on these topics and others.

Over the summer, Br. Benedict remained resolutely indefatigable in his service to all generations, even during his summer break, when many teachers tell their students that there’s a reason it’s called a break. In between the rosary-making workshop which he organized for the faculty children living on campus, and the Oblate Day of Recollection geared to a decidedly older demographic, he also maintained his small vegetable and flower gardens, the blooms of which were often arranged for use on the altar; he cooked some amazing Indian dishes; and he prepared and delivered many soul-searching homilies.

Br. Benedict Maria presents
to the Oblates

 

Our monastic community has generally kept quite busy over this “break.” Br. Benedict has now returned to the St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Florida for the final year of his preparation for ordination to the priesthood. Meanwhile, Fr. Andrew Senay has returned from his family holiday, part of which was spent in a log house tucked into the hills above the Mississippi River in Pike County, Missouri. Abbot Michael, as this issue goes to print, is halfway through his two-week working visit at the quadrennial Abbots’ Congress in Rome. And a road trip on my own calendar is taking me to St. Anselm’s Abbey in Washington, D.C., representing our community at the Mass and reception on September 15 marking their 100th anniversary. I am blessed to be able to have Oblate Michele Rentschler accompany me for her first visit to that E.B.C. house in the nation’s capital.

We are sad to bid farewell to a neighbor who has become quite close to us in so many ways over the past years. Fr. John Brannigan, recently retired as the superior of the Columban Fathers of Bristol, a short drive just across the Mt. Hope Bridge, is returning home to “the auld sod” of Ireland. As another friend, Abbess Maire of Kylemore Abbey in the Connemara region has taught us to say: “Cosain Dia sinn go leir” (God protect us all). We look forward, however, to maintaining our fraternal connection with the missionary fathers through their new superior, Fr. Bob Mosher, who spent three decades in Chile in his missionary work.

Br. Sixtus captures a photo of 

John Kerry at Salve Regina

One last parting thought. As part of my work on a local advisory commission, I was invited to attend the Forum at Newport 2024, a conference on the geo-strategic and national security challenges and opportunities posed by climate change. Held at Salve Regina University, it was presented by the Pell Center and the U.S. Naval War College, part of a new series designed to increase cooperation and scholarship between the two institutions of higher education located on Aquidneck Island. Dignitaries included the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Carlos Del Toros; authors Sherri Goodman and Thomas Barnett; and U.S. Senators from Rhode Island, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. The main speaker was the Honorable John Kerry, 68th U.S. Secretary of State and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Midway through the afternoon’s talks, piercing fire alarms went off throughout the building, necessitating an orderly evacuation of the lecture hall and all of the classrooms in the O’Hare Academic Center. While the dignitaries were shepherded to safety by their security details, the rest of us were pretty much on our own. Thankfully it was a false alarm, but the responders rushed in to do their due diligence. As fate would have it, a few of us from the conference were gathered together under a portico, separated from the crowds of students. For twenty minutes, John Kerry and I were simply two guys standing, waiting, and chatting together – talk of climate change didn’t come up one time.