The month of November has been hallowed by time, tradition and practice as the month in which we pay special reverence to the saints and, of course, to our beloved dead. In our own Cistercian tradition in Ireland we will celebrate, within a few short days, the Solemnity of All Saints (1st November), the Feast of All the Saints of Ireland (6th November), and the Feast of All the Saints who followed the Rule of Saint Benedict (13th November).
Category Archives: Celebration of the Saints
25th May – The Venerable Bede, Historiographer
Today is the feast of that great historian and historiographer, The Venerable Bede. He was the outstanding ecclesiastical author of his time. He wrote commentaries on Scripture; an ecclesiastical history of the English people, which is a unique and irreplaceable resource for much of early English history; and the first martyrology (collection of saints’ lives) to be compiled on historical principles.
15th May – St Pachomius, Monk and Founder
Today we celebrate St Pachomius, an Egyptian monk who put “community” at the heart of the monastic life, and ask his blessing on all our varied virtual and concrete communities.
8th May – Blessed Christian de Chergé OCSO and Companions, Martyrs of Tibhirine
“If it should happen one day – and it could be today – that I become a victim of the terrorism which now seems ready to engulf all the foreigners living in Algeria, I would like my community, my Church and my family to remember that my life was GIVEN to God…”
27th April – St Rafael Arnáiz Barón, Cistercian Oblate
The life and death, and consequent beatification and canonization of St Rafael are proof, if we needed it, that the Cistercian-Trappist vocation and life is not a ‘one size fits all’ calling. Born on 9th April 1911 – Palm Sunday that year – Rafael’s life was to be the shortest burst of energy…
25th April – St Mark, Evangelist
Where would be if we did not have the witness of the Gospels to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? These extraordinary documents reveal to us not only the salvific words and deeds of the Saviour, but also the faith of his followers from the moment when their
22nd April – Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu: Living and Dying by Love for the Sake of the Unity of Christians
As with all religious congregations, the Cistercians celebrate the memories of those of their brothers and sisters who, having lived lives of exceptional witness to Christ and the Gospel, are held up by the Church as outstanding models of holiness for us who are still running the race…
21st April – St Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Seeking and Desiring; Finding and Loving
Anselm was born in 1033 in the northern Italian town of Aosta, but spent the early part of his mature life in the great Benedictine monastery of Bec in France. He was to become one of the outstanding churchmen of his time, a theologian, abbot, then archbishop of Canterbury until…
Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey, Portglenone 