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"Today the concept of truth is viewed with suspicion, because truth is identified with violence. Over history there have, unfortunately, been episodes when people sought to defend the truth with violence. But they are two contrasting realities. Truth cannot be imposed with means other than itself! Truth can only come with its own light. Yet, we need truth. ... Without truth we are blind in the world, we have no path to follow. The great gift of Christ was that He enabled us to see the face of God".Pope Benedict xvi, February 24th, 2012

The Church is ecumenical, catholic, God-human, ageless, and it is therefore a blasphemy—an unpardonable blasphemy against Christ and against the Holy Ghost—to turn the Church into a national institution, to narrow her down to petty, transient, time-bound aspirations and ways of doing things. Her purpose is beyond nationality, ecumenical, all-embracing: to unite all men in Christ, all without exception to nation or race or social strata. - St Justin Popovitch

Saturday 25 October 2014

THE ORDINATION AND FIRST MASS(-ES) OF DOM ALEX: OCTOBER 18th , Feast of St Luke, Patron Saint of Iconographers, and days following.The

.This icon was written by Dom Alex for his ordination.   Christ on the Cross as source of our intimacy with God the Father, as the sacrifice that unites the community of monks representing the Church on earth with the Liturgy of  Heaven, symbolised by the two angels representing the heavenly host.   Both heaven and earth are receiving sustenance from Christ because he is the Person who unites in himself the Creator with his creation.   His obedience unto death becomes, through his resurrection and ascension, the cosmic sacrifice which is celebrated in the Eucharist and is the means by which the whole of Creation is transformed into a new heaven and a new earth.  The Cross is planted as the tree of life over Adam's grave: and, hence, we have the old Adam and the New.
The Medallion of Christ Pantokrator in the centre of his chasuble is from
 St Elizabeth's Convent, an Orthodox monastery of nuns in Minsk, Belarus.

The Ordination on Saturday, Feast of St Luke
The Introit, Offertory verse and Communion verse were
sung by the monks in Latin.


The ordination took place in Chiclayo, a city in the north of Peru, in the sanctuary-monastery of Our Lady of Peace which is a diocesan pilgrimage centre and a convent of descalced Carmelite nuns.   The bishop of Chiclayo celebrated. We have known him since he was a priest in Piura; and Alex comes from Chiclayo city and has an immense family as well as numerous friends who would not have been able to come to our monastery, nor would they have all fitted into our small chapel.
In this photo, there is the Bishop of Chiclayo, with the Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation, Abbot Richard Yeo, on his right and Abbot Paul of Belmont (UK) on his left.  Next to Abbot Paul is Father Simon who was superior of our monastery here in Peru, and is now Cathedral Prior of Coventry and a parish priest of Weobley.   Next to him is a friend of ours, Father Eduardo, a hermit monk from Colombia.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo.
I like the contrast of traditional art in a modern church.   Together, they manage to form a whole.



Bishop Jesus Moline places his hands on the head
of Dom Alex

Father Alex blessing Brother Mario
after the ordination.   As is the custom,
the first to receive his blessing was
Bishop Jesus Moline who ordained him.

It looks as though Alex is wrestling with a bear
but, in fact, we are embracing after the ordination.
I was congratulating him.

This banner was hanging up where we ate
after the ordination.  It was devised by his family


Fr Alex on the right, other monks with him.
The Benedictine sisters of Morrupon


A few of the cousins and nephews


Alex's First Mass in his old parish
of San Juan Vianney on Sunday
In Alex's first Mass in his Chiclayo parish,
the procession of concelebrating priests
passed under an archway of staves of the
boy and girl scouts.

Fr Alex receiving the gifts at the Offertory



The Scout troop to which he belonged.
Many are his relatives


His 2nd First Mass on the Monday
in San Jose, home of his father's extended
family.
Those visible: Br Percy, Me, Fr Alex
and little bits of Fr Eduardo and Fr Simon
in the fishing village chapel


In the fishing village Sant Jose


the Consecration

Giving communion to his father


Br Ascencio (novice), Dom Mario (novice master), Fr Simon (ex-superior), Fr David (superior), Dom Percy (guestmaster), Dom Wilmer (sacristan), Dom Juan Edgar (bursar).  Two are missing: Fr Alex, the newly ordained, and Br Jose Luis (novice) who is in England until the end of October.

THE FIRST MASS IN THE MONASTERY


Fr Alex preaching
 The icon is of
Moses and the Burning Bush.


Fr Alex singing the Preface with me, Fr Sixto, a
Salesian, and Fr Wilmer, a charismatic, as
concelebrants, with the monks in the background.



the consecration
any idea that the post-Vatican II version
of the Latin Rite is centred on the people
rather than God is shown, by this photo, to
be utter nonsense.


a cake made by one of our guests

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