I had the good fortune to be in attendance this weekend at the annual meeting of the Institute on Religious Life held at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. The recipient of this year’s Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award was Benedictine monk Fr. Cassian Folsom, osb. Fr. Cassian started his religious life at St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, but in 1998 founded a new Benedictine community in Rome, moving in 2000 to the Monastery of San Benedetto in Norcia, the birthplace of Saint Benedict. The monastery follows a full observance of the Benedictine Rule and uses both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite.
Fr. Cassian’s short remarks upon receiving the awarding were captivating in their clarity and wording, and a short excerpt from the talk is given below.
“The humble priest has a certain ars celebrandi, a certain way of carrying himself, a certain respect for the holy things, a fitting decorum in the presence of God. The arrogant priest has a different ars celebrandi, and the faithful can tell the difference immediately. The humble celebrant is transparent, so that the Lord can shine through. The priest knows that the liturgy is not primarily his work, but the work of the Holy Trinity, and his job is to be a good instrument and to get out of the way as much as possible so that the Lord is free to accomplish his work of grace within the hearts of those present.
How does the priest become humble? By a life of Christian asceticism, by allowing the Lord to break his stony heart, so that a heart of flesh can emerge. By allowing Christ–by means of physical and spiritual suffering–to empty him of all that is not godly. The Eastern Fathers call this process kenosis. Fr. Jean Corbon, author of the part of the new Catechism on the Liturgy, explains that kenosis pertains not just to men but to God. God the Father empties himself in creation and in the Incarnation of his Son. Christ empties himself in his death on the cross for our salvation. The Holy Spirit empties himself in distilling the Trinitarian life of Grace upon the Church.”
Look for more about this monastic community the monks’ website: osbnorcia.org.
April 17, 2012 at 9:04 pm
These are the same monks who post their lauds and vespers every day online. They also conveniently post their ordo, so that if you have the Solesmes Antiphonale Monasticum, you can follow along and improve your prayer life and voice at the same time. It is podcasted, so one can also meditate on the psalms as you can drive to work or run errands. And since they are six hours ahead of the US, you can grab the mp3 before the office occurs.
Let us never forget St. Benedict's twin sister! As the story/archaeology holds, they were born in what has become the crypt of the monastery where Fr. Cassian is Prior. Gregory the Great, in his _Dialogues_, said that for all of Benedict's miracles, St. Scholastica's love for God was greater. As a pair, they make for a very powerful intercessors and we should seek Scholastica's single-minded devotion as we, with the Father's help, bring Christianity to the world with all of St. Benedict’s zeal.
The monks of Norcia are very seriously seeking out God's voice in a steadfast and fitting way. They have no room for all their new novices and are building their new monastery as fast as they can find support (pun intended). They have started a brewery as they seek more financial independence and self-sustaining revenue. For the time being, private donations and internet "subscriptions" are how they eat.
Not only can you make a one-time offering, but you can also "subscribe" to their [free & public] podcast and subtract $20 from your paycheck each month. Patronizing Monastero San Benedetto is a really good idea.
http://osbnorcia.org/giving
If you have sons and friends considering the monastic life, the monks of Norcia ought to get their most serious of considerations. In the poetic serendipity of God's will, we are seeing a new monastic liturgical life bloom with splendor in the very home of western monasticism; I pray that the same spirit that spread Christ's message throughout Europe in the 6th century–one Benedictine monastery at a time–will renew Europe again in the 21st.
April 18, 2012 at 12:17 am
Is there a way to read the rest of Fr. Cassian's remarks? I really want to after the excerpt.
April 18, 2012 at 1:07 am
Contact the monks of Norcia and see if they might have a transcript: development@osbnorcia.org.
April 25, 2012 at 7:30 pm
You can also order his talk, banquet address and his homily by calling the Institute on Religious Life at (847)573-8975. God bless Father Cassian and all the monks at San Benedetto.
April 26, 2012 at 9:10 am
The full video of his speech is here:
http://osbnorcia.org/2012/04/22/irlbanquet