An Amazing Two Days

I returned to La Sainte-Baume this afternoon after a wonderful two days as the guest of Bishop Dominque Rey of the Diocese of Frejus-Toulon. As you recall, I met him during my first week here while he was on retreat with the priests of his diocese. M. et Mme. Garde came for me Sunday morning in time to bring to the Mass at The Basilica of the Royal Convent of St-Maximin. The pictures that follow were taken by M. Garde in the Basilica before and during the Mass.

We arrived at the basilica to find a street fair going on. Men and women dressed in period costumes, playing ancient instruments, flutes, drums, percussion. Others were dressed in a kind of military regalia with capes, hats, ribbons with large metal medallions. I got a good look at one of the medalions a genlteman was wearing. It was the heraldic emblem of a local vineyard. In a short time I figured out what was going on. I had not been told that I was invited to the feast of St. Vincent Martyr, patron of winegrowers, in Provence. (It really isn't my fault - or my intention - that much of this whole blog seems to be about food. Celebrating food and wine is simply everywhere around here. It is totally unavoidable.)

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the events of the morning.



The altar and choir screen of the abbey church. In typical fashion, the screens like this one were built across the nave. Behind it were the choir stalls for the monks or sisters. The moderns altars are usually placed in front of it and so the area for the modern community occupies only the front half of the church. In this church, half of the nave is behind the screen.

 



The entrance procession with the winegrowers in their ancient guild regalia. These decorated cloaks with the medal date back to the 11th century when guilds were begun as a kind of cooperative of producers. The medals around their necks are the heraldic symbol that are so often found on the labels of pretigious vintages. Only those growers who have achieved a level of expertise are granted entry into the guild and permitted to design a heraldic symbol for their vineyard.

The statue of St. Vincent Martyr being carried into the church. He has been recognized as the patron of winegrowers since the 4th Century. Notice the cluster of grapes in his right hand. This feast is celebrated in the very end of winter a short time before the buds start to appear on the vines. (Yes, January is the very end of winter in the lower coastal regions of Provence.) The festival begins with Mass and prayer to St Vincent for good weather and favorable growing conditions, and especially a good harvest.



Mgr. Dominique Rey, Bishop of Frejus-Toulon, the former pastor of the Basilica St-Maximin to the right, the Current pastor to the left, and your's truly in the wings.

After Mass, the Guild is on the stage for speeches, giving awards to exceptional vineyards, and the naming of the new Guild members selected for that year.

Following the ceremonies everyone is invited into the cloister of the former monastery, now a 5 star hotel. Tables are setup by all the vineyards around the entire cloister for the annual "degustation" of the wines now ready for market. In the former refectory of the monastery, food is offered by invitation only. As a guest of the Bishop, I was privy to the additional feasting inside.

Bishop Rey is an amazing man. While most of the church in France is languishing with little church attendance, no seminarians, he has churches full and 70 seminarians in his own seminary for his diocese. I consider myself a rather good "pastoral schmoozer". This bishop has perfected this to heights I can only dream of - a veritable art form. He worked the crowds in this room for 3 hours while his driver, (you will meet a bit farther along) and I watched in amazement. Of course this gave Matias and I time to get to know each other and time to taste everything.

Some of the tables for the "degustation".



Bishop Rey and his driver, Matias Zulueta (wearing the bishop's hat.)

As Bishop Rey was working the crowds, he passed off his hat to Matias and walked away. Now Matias was faced with a dilema, use one of his hands to hold the hat, which of course would make tasting that much more difficult, or put on the hat and continue the feasting. Smart young man he that is, he chose the latter. A while later when the bishop saw Matias wearing the hat, he burst into laughter (He is one of the happiest bishops I know) and insisted on this picture. I was happy to oblige.

We returned to the bishop's residence via the seminary to give me a little tour. I was told we would return tomorrow to give me the opportunity to meet some of the seminarians. A nice dinner at the bishop's house and a comfortable night.

The following morning, we celebrated Mass in the chapel of the residence, the bishop, his secretary - Pere Jose, Dominique - a friend from Paris, Matias, another young man I did not get to meet, the bishop's house staff - an Italian husband and wife team - he cooks, she is the housekeeper, and me. The following picture is remarkable.

This stole is a relic. It is the stole worn by St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars - an amazing gift to the Diocese. It is placed in front of the altar in the chapel of Bishop Rey's residence.

After Mass, I was taken to the seminary by Fathers Sean and David, two Irish priests incardinated into this diocese. They belong to an order of priests whose apostolate is to promote Eucharistic Adoration. We arrived at the seminary - you guessed it - in time for lunch. Mgr. Rey has drawn young men from all over the world to study here. I met of course French, and Italians, SriLankan, Chinese, Vietnamese. On Mondays, they seat themselves for the noon meal by linguistic groups. When I was introduced as a priest from the USA, some of the seminarians came over immediately and invited me to sit with them at the "English" table. They were 3 French and 2 SriLankan. They had all spent time in England for summers, or a pastoral year, so they were quite fluent. Nevertheless, they were glad for the chance to practice. I spoke more English today than I have in the past two weeks. It was a great time. Fun conversation. The rest of the refectory was heading for desert and we were still on the first course. In the middle of the main course, the rector stood up for the blessing after meals. The rector allowed us to remain a bit longer. After lunch the men go for a walk through the seminary grounds. It's a beautiful place. I'll explain more after the next picture.




Left to right, Matthieu, Charles, and Luc
or
Luc, Charles, and Matthieu

Je suis desolee mes amis. Si vous lisez ce blog, ecrivez moi avec le e-mail que vous avez donner. Je fera les corrections.

 

Please note the rows of grape vines behind the men. Yes, the seminary is in the middle of a vineyard. What a wonderful symbol for these young men preparing for the priesthood. The entire estate, called Chateau de la Castille, was given to the diocese many years ago. All the wine producing continues on the property, although not the most profitable as Charles said to me, it does all belong to the diocese.

Gathered with seminarians in front of the original chateau of "the Castille"

These English speaking men asked what are the chances of them coming to the USA for a summer.

Well, folks, could we host them at St. John Neumann? I'm game.

I'm back at the retreat center tonight. Matias drove me back. We had an another hour in the car together to talk and get to know each other more. He is a deeply faithful young man. Although he's convinced he's not being called to priesthood, (and the bishop teases him all the time about it) I can see in him the kind of faith that will lead him to be a man of the church, whether he is ordained or not.

He had not seen La Saint-Baume.  I could see he was very moved by the sight of the grotto up on the side of the cliff. He had many questions about how to get up there. I suggested that he ask the bishop for a day off and and comde back. We can hike up there together before we both leave this place. I have a feeling this bishop will say yes.

Matias Zulueta

After Matias left to return to Toulon with the bishop's car, I went to my room. The bells rang for vespers. I went down to the chapel. I was alone with the Dominicans again tonight. I felt at peace and at home.

A demain, mes amis.

I'm Thinking of Joining the French Foreign Legion

I'm thinking of joining the French Foreign Legion.

You would not believe who served at table today in the salle de pelerins.

The general of the French Foreign Legion. I mean it. The head honcho, I mean like the head general of the Marines in the USA serving soup to pilgrims at LaSalette in Attleboro. I am not kidding. This is the kind of people La Sainte-Baume attracts as volunteers. I thought they were pulling my leg. M. Emile et Mme. Gaelle Lardeux, who came for me today to tour church organs, and to join them at their home for dinner, live on the base of the FFL in the city of Aubagne. Emile Lardeux is an officer and in charge of the music, bands, and ceremonies on the base. He is also organist at a local church. He confirmed it: the General and his wife, who I had lunch with last week, and through whom I met Mme. Lardeux, (I know its complicated, but not quite a soap opera) were here to take their monthly Saturday to wait on tables for the pilgrims at the retreat center. I was told they would grab me in a minute if I wanted to join and serve as a chaplain; no age restriction like the US military chaplains have. (Do you think I'd look good in one those pill-box hats with the neck scarf flying behind it?)

Well actually, I have no intention of joining the French Foreign Legion. But I am impressed with the devotion here. The people who are committed to sharing their faith and giving witness to the blessings that God has given them is a beautiful thing to see. And of course, I see that in East Freetown too. I have not forgotten what the pastor at St-Zacharie told me, "Give thanks to God for his blessings." I have every day.

M. and Mme. Lardeux arrived this morning, even though they had to drive through a heavy snowstorm at these upper elevations from the pouring rain at the lower elevations. The two churches we were to visit were locked so unfortunately there was no organ playing but there was lots of talk of music. They brought me to the sea coast towns of Cassis and Ciotat. Along the boardwalk of Ciotat, an old shipbuilding industrial town struggling with some waterfront development to try to get some of the tourists away from Cassis, they showed me an old run down movie theater - Eden Theatre. According to the plaque, this is the site of the very first showing of a motion picture in the whole world. Hollywood began here. Amazing!

The Mediteranean was beautiful, even in the rain. We could see clear skies moving towards us from the south. Looks like a clear day tomorrow. We returned to their home for a wonderful dinner. There was lots of talk about the church, family life, youth activites in the church, religious education. They were very interested in what we are doing at St. John's. They started up the computer and I had a chance to show them around on our website. I still had some pictures of the Giving Tree sorting on my cell phone. That really impressed them, especially the range of ages involved in the sorting process.

I need to pack an overnight bag before bed tonight. The Garde's are picking me up in the morning to take me to the Basilica of St-Maximin to concelebrate the 10:30 Mass. The visit with the Bishop is on. I will be back here on Monday evening for a full accounting.

I was thinking how all of this socializing must sound. Not much like a retreat I bet. But people I meet - at meals at the retreat center, in the two homes where I have been a guest - are all interested in how Americans, with our image abroad of wasteful, extravagant, consumeristic, and individualistic society practice the faith. I really am praying. I really am attending the Offices of the Day and concelebrating at Mass. But I am also talking about religion and faith with people who share values and are often incredulous (and a bit jealous) about the things happening in the American church. The church in France is suffering even worse than we are from an image problem. These are people who are very pessimistic about what is happening in their parishes. So the minority come to a place like La Sainte-Baume because they see little life in the local faith communities. I am convinced that some of the people who I met here and who told me they would like to visit the USA will do so. I think St. John Neumann needs to gear up for a small Legion of French Foreign visitors sometime in the future. I am inviting them all to come and see.

Happy Sunday tomorrow
Bonne Nuit

Just a short time at the hotelerie this morning

It was another very stormy night. Not much sleep again. This time it was a wooden shutter swinging loose in the wind slamming against the building. Several guests mentioned it at breakfast. We figured out it is the window in an unoccupied room in that wing. Hopefully someone will go to secure it shut before tonight.
The next couple of days brings a change of schedule for me. I am waiting for M. et Mme. Lardeux, to come for me. He is an organist as I have said and we are going to tour some churches and to play some of the historic pipe organs in the area. After dinner at their home, I will come back to the hotelerie.

I received two emails this morning, one from Bishop Rey, and one from his secretary, reminding me of the bishop's invitation to concelebrate the 10:30am Mass on this Sunday at the basilica of St-Maximin, staying as a guest of the bishop at his residence and then speaking with his seminarians on Monday morning. So that invitation is now confirmed and M. et Mme. Garde will come for me Sunday morning to take me to the cathedral. The bishop is arranging for someone to return me to the hotelerie on Monday.

So I will be taking a bit of a break from the novena and will not carry my laptop on Sunday and Monday. I will most likely have some time to post later tonight, Saturday. And then, not until Monday evening.

We are having snow here today too. It's still very stormy and windy, with powerful wind gusts. I logged onto some local news stations for southern New England. You are having snow, aren't you?

The bells are ringing for mid-day prayer and Mass. I'm off.

Thanks for following the blog.

It was Confirmation Class today

Another day, another interesting group of people.

It was a windy night. Wind gusts that I'm guessing were about 30 to 40 M/H. Something metal in the courtyard below was blowing around and keeping me awake a good portion of the night. So after morning prayers and petit dejeuner I decided to return to my room and sleep a bit more. But in about half hour, I was awakened by many pounding footsteps and oviously young teenage voices coming up the stairs past my room. The hallway is very echo-y. It sounded like about 70 of them; actually turned out to be about 20. At this writing I still have not found out much about them. The hotelerie seems to be doing a good job at keeping them separate from adult guests. Although from what I have seen of this group, I would not mind having a chat with some one them. They were out in the fields today playing games, I think they hiked up to the grotto. And at vespers they were in the chapel - arrived few minutes before me. I took an empty seat behind them. Very impressive. They made a serious attempt to chant the psalms and antiphons. They bowed reverently with everyone else when the doxology was sung. When one made a mistake, and came in ahead of everyone else (at least she was singing) and others around her started to giggle, they were promptly "sshhusshhed" by their peers. Impressive. After vespers, they all filed out. One of the leaders explained about the exposition of the blessed sacrament, which always follows vespers. Most of them came in and were seated very prayerfully. Most remained about 15 minutes of the half hour adoration time.
In the salle de pelerins, during dinner, they were teenagers, in other words, very loud.

That made hearing the three other adults at table with me a bit hard to understand. Marc, the former diplomatic attache, is still here. Marie, a young woman from Paris, who comes to the hotelerie as a volunteer, and tonight a new face, a young man in the French army, heading for deployment to Africa, all spending a few days here for reflection time and prayer.

At lunch today, two couples, one for some hiking, and an older couple who are passing through sightseeing made for more interesting conversation. The man from the first couple lived in Arizona for 5 years and was proud to say has an American "green card" from his work.

This morning after I was re-awakened by the kids going upstairs, I decided to go for a walk. Choosing another road that runs closer to the base of the cliff, I saw some new views of the spectacular scenery that has made this place such a spiritual haven for 1600 years. (Did not have my camera, so I'll have to return for photos.) I miscalculated the time, (still no watch, Don) and made it back just in time for Mass. I was a good 15 minutes away from the center when I heard the bells ringing the call to worship.  (yes, you guessed it - 15 minutes before the start of a service.) I came running in with little time to spare to throw on a alb and stole and chasuble. Good thing because I would have hated to miss this celebration. Today is the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, who after St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers, as the Dominicans are officially known, this is maybe the most important feast day for this community. The Mass was beautiful with some of the most expressive chants I have yet heard. We used a special leaflet, that comes out once a year, with the hymns and chants of this day printed on it. There were a few more people at Mass today too. Local people I had seen on Sunday who must have come for this special feast day in the Dominican House.

Tomorrow, I will be picked up at the retreat center by M. et Mme. Emile and Gaelle Lardeux. I met Mme. Lardeux last Thursday. In our conversation, we shared about our interest in the historic pipe organs in the area. Her husband is a church organist and also the music director for the local base of the French Foreign Legion. From 2:00pm (or 14heures - I am still getting accustomed to the 24 hour clock in Europe), I will be their guest, visiting and playing historic pipe organs, one is 400 years old. I will have dinner at their home and return to the center tomorrow evening.

This afternoon, I did some study of the Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass. Last week, Frere Henri loaned me a French missal so I could study it. Its been a long time since I celebrated Mass in French, 1986 - 1991 at St. Anthony's in New Bedford, and 1991 to 1994 at Notre Dame in Fall River. I almost never used Eucharistic Prayer I because it was daily Mass. There were no weekend Masses in French. I need to practice and study it so that when I concelebrate, the text rolls off the tongue more easily and praying the words aloud sounds more natural. Also, as I said earlier, praying in a different language offers different idioms and imagery.  One thing in particular is a phrase in the consecration of the Mass that really strikes me. At the time of the consecration of the chalice, we say in English, "...the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be shed for you and for ALL..." In French, we say "...pour vous et pour la MULTITUDE..." The word "multitude" which the French translation uses is the same word that the Gospel of Matthew uses in the account of the Sermon on the Mount to describe the crowds who have come to hear Jesus preach. And so it describes us as a group of people who have come to hear the preaching of the Lord, who are hungry for the Word and Sacrament. This slight difference in language may not seem like much, but on reflection, there is a huge difference. It gives a context to the community assembled to receive the Eternal Word. The word "all" at first hearing is pleasing because it is inclusive, and non-discriminating. The word "multitude" is as much a description of those assembling deliberately and those casual listeners who may have been passing by Jesus at the time of his teaching. I like it because it gives a scriptural context to the action of the assembly at this most sacred moment of our liturgy.

I went to the hall to practice piano for about an hour. The only copies of music I packed with me are pieces that I have either never learned and have been wanting to for a long time, or that I have not touched since 1975 in my college days when my playing was far more accomplished than it is these days. Its another attempt during my sabbatical to get back to important things, and renewal in my life.

Well its time to Skype Mom and then go to bed.

A demain.

DAY 6 - Novena to Ste. Marie Magdelene

Day 6 - Novena to St. Mary Magdelene

Opening Prayer from Day 1

Read the following Scriputre Passages.

Matthew 27:55-56
Mark 15:40-41
John 19:25-30

"Meditation:

"Here, Mary is called by her surname, Magdelene, to distiguish her from the other Mary's who are with her at the foot of the cross: Mary mother of Jesus, and Mary, mother of James. All the apostles have fled. Other than the beloved apostle, there are only the womenwho followed Christ from Galilee, who followed him in the long climb towards Jerusalem and who alone remain faithful till the end.

"Even though the Gospel does not say it, Christian art has often represented mary Magdelene not standing like Mary and John near the cross, but closer still, as always at the feet of Jesus, holding onto the wood of the cross, as though ready to grasp the fruit, like a new Eve. In this position, she is witness to the seven last words of Christ on the cross, addressed to the good thief, to the beloved disciple, to Mary his mother, and to the Father.

"Undoubtedly, abundant tears pour from her eyes, but this time it is not she who pours the expensive perfume on him: rather it is he who offers his precious blood to the last drop, which anoints her and the whole world; and she captures it in the spiritual vase of her heart."

We live in a world that places no value on suffering. Suffering is wasted energy in the minds of our times. The idea of suffering which is necessary is thought of as a quaint idea of the past, or even a kind of emotional distress that somehow needs to be eradicated. I think Mary comes to a realization in her heart, after she herself has receive countless blessings and graces from Christ, that it is these pains and sins which Jesus embraces on the cross. Now Mary understands that her sins became the opportunity for grace; that her sufferings are transformed by the eternal sacrifice on the cross into the possibility of eternal presence with the Messiah she has come to know and love.

None of us wants to suffer, and certainly none of us wants the persons we love to suffer. But the reality of the life Jesus chose to enter is one where suffering comes unexpectedly and inevitably. Mary does not dwell on her sufferings. Rather, Mary embraces the source of her blessings. Mary now knows at the foot of the cross that the one who knew no sin, becomes the one take upon himself her sin and the world's sin and makes of it an offering to heaven for everlasting life. These are words of our church's prayers and our liturgy, but how else do we express these thoughts which are inexpressible. All there is for us to do is like Mary and continually plead before the Lord, recognize his grace, and then to give witness to those graces in our lives.

Closing Prayer:

O God, you permitted those who loved you the most
to draw from your love,
the courage to remain near the cross of your Son.
Give us a love as strong as that of Mary Magdelene in our time,
and in spite of the fear of sufering and death,
may we remain faithful in your service.
Through Christ, Our Lord.
AMEN!

Sharing in the Mission of this place.

This was an interesting day. The post tonight will be retively short. It is already 10:27PM here and I am ready to sleep. However I do want to share a few things about today.

It was a cold windy day, The clouds were blowing furiously over the crest of the cliff from the south, and then suddenly changed direction blowing from the north. It was cold and I decided stay in the warmth of my room. For some reason my room is warmer than most places in this building. I have actually had to shut off two of the three radiators.

Dinner last night brought four hikers to the table. They were here for the night, not for any participation in the spiritual events of the place. They are some of the many people who take rooms here overnight because of the extensive system of hiking trails and the magnificent nature in this region. In our conversation at table it was clear to me that they have a real love of nature, and while not particularly religious, they had a real desire to seek the inner peace that the beautiful nature in the place can provide. I can understand that perfectly well. My first inklings of faith were in beautiful natural settings as well as the church's rites.
They asked about my vocation and how I came to be a priest. But the best part of the discussion for me came with the discussion about celibacy and marriage. It seemed a bit of a revelation to them that I am not married to God, as one of the men put it (and I think as half the Catholic world thinks). "Je suis epousee aux peuple de Dieu". (Literally, I am espoused to the people of God). And so my life of ministry brings me into the lives of people I serve. We are a family and the rites of the church are our family's rituals. Just like every human family has its own rituals for celebrating events and holydays and holidays, our church family celebrates life and death and everything in between." As I was sharing with them, I was getting the impression that no one had ever said these things to them before. And there was amazement again when they asked about attendance and activities of the church in USA. I told them I won't speak for the whole country but this is what happens at my parish.

By this time the sisters had come in to clear the table and we sat for at least another half-hour. I was glad we didn't have to leave the dining room because I felt that there was real evangelization happening there. They were hearing good news about their church, even though there is marginal association with it. They were fascinated with the idea of a priest off on sabatical and even more about my parish having a website and my blog. They reacted to the retreat time, study time in Rome, the music program, the cooking school, and few weeks of personal travel time with the statement, "You have a good life."
"I have a blessed life."

We left the table and they asked if I was here for petit dejeuner. They asked for contact information so they could follow the blog. I hope they are reading. They mentioned they want to travel to the US to hike next year. "You have to start in New England" I said.
We'll see.

After lunch today, Frere Henri-Dominique stopped me and said that these hikers had shared with him the great time they had and the great discussion at table. Frere Henri wanted me to know that I had made an impression. He said that this is the spirit of the salle de pelerins.

Un message pour mes 4 amis randonneurs nouvelle, si vous trouvez et que vous lisez ce blog: Une derniere chose a vous dire. Ma vocation est d'être un disciple de Jésus-Christ. C'était une joie de partager cela avec vous. Bonne randonnee.

Bonne nuit a tous.
Good night everyone.

DAY 5 - Novena to Ste. Marie Magdalene

Day 5 - Novena to St. Marie Magdalene

Scripture Passages:
Read from the Gospel of Matthew 26:6-16
Read from the Gospel of Marc 14:1-10
Read from the Gospel of John 12:1-8

"Meditation

"This time, Lazarus is alive and celebrating with those assembled at table, Martha is serving without recrimination, Mary is no longer crying and pours her perfume not only on Christ's feet but also on his head.

"'A whole flagon of perfume poured on his body'. Here we have one of the motifs of Jesus' death: for Judas, this is the straw that broke the camel's back! He will seek out the chief priests and arrange with them to hand over Jesus for thirty pieces of silver: ten times less than the perfume he thought would bring three hundred silver pieces...!

"'You annoint my head with oil, my cup overflows' Ps 22:5. Inspired but without fully knowing, Mary has just accomplished in a prophetic manner one of the rites of Christ's burial, and his preparation for Easter. She brought precious perfume as did the Magi at the manger who offered gold to the king of kings, incense to the God-made-man, and myrrh to the crucified.

"'The house was filled with the odor of perfume:' the universal church, filled with the fragrance of Christ, celebrates this royal anointing to the end of time."

(Here are some of my thoughts on this reflection. But again, do your own first before going on.)

I have just returned from Vespers and the Eucharistic Adoration which follows. There is 15 minutes before the dinner bell is rung. But I had to come up and jot a few things down.

All of life and faith is in this passage. There is family life around the table; there is service, devotion, commitment, love. There is prophetic ritual and personal prayer. There is also jealousy, deceit, betrayal; and there is redemption. Sometimes we forget that faith exists in everyday life. We forget that we cannot bracket faith as our culture demands. Faith is alive when it shapes and forms everything we do in family, community, church. I am finding that this is even a more serious problem here in Europe than in USA. It is not just a weak faith, or alienation of church. It is a conscious rejection of church and an anti-church and anti-clericalism that must now be the center of evangelism in this part of the world.

Closing Prayer:

O Lord, our God,
you who inspired Ste. Marie Magdelene
to pour expensive perfume onto the body
of your Son as a preview of his burial;
grant to us, by her prayer and example,
to seek only to please you
and to pour the fragrance of Christ
upon those around us.
He who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
AMEN!

Visit to the Cistercian Monastery of La Thoronet

Abbey Church of Thoronet.
Note the absence of ornamentation or
a large formal entrance.
There are only two simple doorways,
one for the monks, one for the lay-brothers.

First of all, don't hesitate to "google" Cistercian Monastery of Thoronet. There is a great deal on line. Here are a few of my impressions and my photos.

M. et Mme. Garde arrived to pick me up. At La Sainte-Baume, we are at the western edge of the Vars. That is the name of the departement,  which is similar to our states in the USA. Le Thoronet is located in the eastern part of the Vars. To find it on the map, do a Google Map search <83340 Le Thoronet, France>. I had not been with the Garde's for 15 minutes on my first day when they were already talking about this place. It is clearly one of their favorite places and they were certain I would love it too. They were right.

Although the Abbey of La Thoronet no longer serves as a home to a monastic community, is still imbued with the spirituality for which it was built. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, in the 7th Century believed that the architecture of the abbeys had to reflect the spirituality of the monks and also draw from them their sense of vocation. The Abbey at Thoronet, begun 1157, is deliberately austere, devoid of any embellishments or decoration. What is revealed is purity - purity in style with geometric precision, perfection in design revealing completely the structural elements, harmony of perspective, and acoustics that require disciplined chanting. (I stood in the nave and sang a brief gregorian chant that makes me shiver even now in my room at this computer.)

I am a visual learner. I always have been. I love stories as many of you realize. I cherish the symbols of our spiritual tradition. My visit to this place, while different from the regimented hours of prayer at the retreat center, brought another experience of the richness of our history. I am not speaking economically, because these abbeys were very prosperous. That is sometimes used as a criticism. The abbeys were often the economic anchor, creating production, trade, and commerce in the surrounding region. I had a philosophy professor at the seminary who daily reminded us that "what is said can never be separated from how it is said". This abbey is that idea "carved in stone"

I will post several pictures here with brief captions. Watch for a photo gallery after I email photos to Margaret. 



View towards the sanctuary.
Note three windows in the apse symbolizing the three persons of the Holy Trinity
and the round window above, or occulum, which represents the One God.
Christian Theology is built into the building.



Even a view from an off-center angle reveals the perfect geometric symmetry.

View of the cloister.
This four-sided portico creates an enclosed courtyard and provides a covered passageway to important rooms in the abbey: the church, the dormitories, the chapter room (where the business meetings of the abbey were conducted - it was really quite democratic with abbots elected for life by the community), and the refectory (dining room) and kitchen. 

The lavabo.
Extending into the central courtyard is a six-sided fountain (note the spouts coming out of the circular basin at about my elbow. This is located between the dormitory and the dining room and is where the monks would wash their hands before meals. It is in a small gazebo-like structure. See next photo.

The lavabo from across the cloister.

An interior view of the cloister with chapter room and dormitories to the right.

A View of the ceiling at a corner of the cloister. Note the crossed structural arches, unadorned, revealed as the only design element. 

View of the chapter room. Note the stadium style benches around the room where discussion about the community's life and governance took place. The cross and circle in the upper arch is an 18th century addition.

Detail of the cloister arch

A view from the rear, from the olive grove and orchards behind the abbey. We are looking at the exterior of the apse with 2 of the 3 windows behind the altar and the occulm above.

DAY 4 - Novena to Ste. Marie Magdelene

Day 4 - Novena to Ste. Marie Magdalene

Opening Prayer (See Day 1)

Scripture Reading:     Gospel of John 11:1-45

Today's passage is a lengthy story. A portion of it is one of the most popular Gospel passages used for the Masses of Christian Burial. In this passage both Martha and Mary make profession of faith in Jesus. Here follows Frere Thomas' meditation.

"Martha seems to have here the beautiful role: It is she who meets Jesus first and speaks with him the most. In his dialogue with her, Jesus leads her to be the first acknowledge in faith that he is the Messiah, able to give life to the dead and to her brother, Lazarus. However, in front the tomb, she doubts: 'There will be a stench. He has already been the tomb four days...'

Mary does not challenge him: she simply throws herself at the feet of Jesus, and she weeps. This is no longer the gesture of a sinful woman, but a gesture of intercession. Rather than the discussions of Martha, it is these tears which touches Jesus, which touches the heart of God and otains the resurrection for Lazarus. This faith is not lip service, but a faith of action, which throws itself totally before God.

By the perfume of her tears, Mary obtains life from death "which has a stench..." She is prostrate on the soil from which the Creator had drawn Adam, and from which the "new Adam" would raise the people broken by sin. The One who unbound Lazarus of his bindings will himself be wrapped in bindings, to break the chains of those dead because of sin, and to set them free."

A few new insights into this story for me. Martha and Mary both approach the Lord with the same words, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." But the gestures are different. The reactions are different. Martha  questions, she confronts Jesus with the realities that she percieves. Isn't that what we all do so often. We ought to pray more, but ... there is the phone, there are appointments, there is a soccer game, there is this and that. We ought give Jesus more room in our lives ... but there is work, family, job, recreation. There are all these things. Martha's gesture and reaction is to let Jesus know, to inform him of what she thinks is the reality of the situation. We too feel the need to let Jesus know what is really important, what the conditions are that keep us from letting Jesus into our lives.  

We do not all have the luxury of 4 times of shared prayer each day, we do not all have the opportunity for daily Mass - or do we? We have families in our parish - we really do - who have ordered their family life so that spiritual things have priority. They will be the first to tell you it is not easy. I think it requires that we choose to be open to the what the Lord has to say to us. 

Closing Prayer:
God of mercy,
you who received the tears
of Ste. Marie Magdalene for her brother, Lazarus,
lead us to recognize in your Son,
who comes to save the world
by offering his life to conquer our death,
to live freely and confidently,
in this world in your love and in your service.
Through Christ our Lord.
AMEN!  

Another beautiful day

Well everyone, it's 8:28 in the evening. (I'm not wearing my watch, Don. That's the time it says on my computer.) Night prayer is at 9:00PM. The monastery is very quiet tonight. Padre Luciano and Padre Angelo left mid-morning. I have Padre Angelo's contact information. After I get to Rome, I hope to connect with him again in the Parma region. As a hermit, Padre Luciano has no digital contact information. But he assures me that if I come to visit, Padre Angelo will notify him. Padre Angelo will also be visiting in the US next year - friends in New York City and in Toronto. I extended an invitation to visit East Freetown.

Tonight, I dined alone here for the first time. There is another young man in his mid 20's who is at prayer everyday, but he is not dining in the pilgrim's hall. Unless he is a guest of the Dominicans, I don't know where he is taking his meals. He's very quiet and had not resonded beyond bonjour and bonne nuit. People come and go here very quickly. I know that at petit dejeuner tomorrow morning, I will probably be alone again because at dinner tonight, the table was already set for 1 for the morning meal.

M. Garde e-mailed me today and confirmed our outing to the Cistercian Monastery of Thoronet for tomorrow. (I bet you can Google this and get pictures before I take any and post them.) It's also a good thing that our outing got moved to Wednesday. Wednesday is the day the Dominicans take off. They all hike up to the residence at the Grotto on the mountain for their day of recreation. There will be no one at the retreat center or the monastery. I would be alone in the whole place.

Today I slept in. I started with some sinus problems yesterday and with some medication, I slept very well. Tonight that seems to have cleared. My room keeps the heat very well for some reason. All other places in the building are quite chilly. Even the chapel. Some of the Domincans wear scarves around their necks over the Mass vestments. I could see my breath in the sacristy today.



La Sainte-Baume - East end



It was a beautiful day. I read in my warm room all morning. And I posted the Day 3 of the Novena. After Mass and lunch I went out for a walk - about hour and half. Here are a couple of pictures I took. The sun was very bright and warm,  although the air temperature did not melt much of the snow. After the walk, I went into the hall to practice piano for an hour or so. 



Today's feast was the Conversion of St. Paul. The prayers of the Liturgy of the hours and Mass are mostly chanted. Tonight at Vespers, there were six Dominicans and 4 part harmony. In the small chapel with the three shallow domes on the ceiling, stone walls and tile floors, the acoustics are beautiful. Their prayer books include all the harmony so I can read with them and supply some of the parts. Its very inspiring.



Valley of Nans les Pins



And speaking of prayers, the call to worship is ringing. Time for prayers. I'll be back later.

Back after Compline.

I think today is really the first day of real quiet inside. For the first week, it was travel - three locations in the first three nights. The first couple of nights at the monastery I was not sleeping well. That has improved. Today was the first day of a real pattern of prayer, solitude, and comfort with interior space - no outside concerns, worrying about how things are going to work out. I'm getting used to the routine. The prayer times are the only constant,  (Well, of course meal times too.) At the monastery, these are really connected. Prayer and community

I am also becoming very comfortable with the concelebration here. The fathers have been calling me up to pray portions of the Eucharistic Prayer. Today, I had to read the second list of saints in the 1st Eucharitic Prayer. My French is good, but some of these names are tough. The last time I celebrated a Mass in French was 17 years ago - and it was daily Mass. So I never used the 1st Eucharistic Prayer. I think I did ok. Today, I was the last one to receive from the cup. They signaled me to bring the cup down to the sisters. It may not seem like a big thing. And many of you would agree that I am generally comfortable in a sanctuary setting. But this is like being an overnight visitor to someone else's home. There is a concern about not disrupting the established patterns of a family's life. And so, concelebrating Mass is not always as easy as it seems. Every parish has a different sanctuary. Getting the lay of the land is not always automatic.



Hilltop Ruins - Trying to find out what they are.

 Some of the priests who are here on retreat will celebrate Mass alone in the main chapel or in the Domincan's small convent chapel. And while it is certainly valid practice according to the teaching of the church, it just seems to me that celebrating a Mass totally alone, which I have only done twice in my life, has seemed really empty to me. Some of my brother priests would say, of course you have the community of saints and it is really the work of Christ anyway. Intellectually I totally agree with that theology.  But Eucharist is also the joining of the earthly communion with the heavenly communion. And I alone am not the earthly community. When alone, I would rather enter into other kinds of prayer. While here, the Dominican Fathers are very gracious. I will continue to concelebrate every day.

It will be an earlier to bed tonight.

Bonne nuit, all.

DAY 3 - Novena to Ste. Marie Magdalene

3rd Day - Novena to Ste. Marie Magdalene

Begin with the Opening Prayer from Day 1

Read from the Gospel of St. Luke 10:38-42

Meditation: (I decided to translate Frere Thomas' entire meditation. My paraphrase would not do it justice.)

"We often stereotype these two sisters: Martha, the active life; Mary, the contemplative life. It is difficult therefore, not to conlcude that the contemplative life is superior to the active life.

It seems rather that Christ's teaching is about the difference between 'many things' or 'one thing'. Martha is agitated, tense, and held captive by the many things - because of this she is divided, fragmented, and spread thin. Mary chose the 'one necessity': she is entirely at the feet of Christ, listening to the Word, returning to union with God. Martha is anxious, Mary is filled with the joyful blessing of 'those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.' Luke 11:28

(I think the next paragraph is at the heart of this meditation.)

Being emptied of her demons is not enough: Mary must again be filled with the grace of God. Otherwise, the impure spirits will return to dwell there, they will find the empty place and 'there will be seven other spirits more evil than the first; they will enter and live there, and the new condition of the person will become worse than the first.' Luke 11:26."

(The following is my personal reflection on this day. Do your own meditation before reading mine.)

This is such a magnificent reflection on the choices made by the two sisters. Setting at odds the choices of each sister has always been problematic to me. How many times have I heard people say to me, "I don't need to go to confession, I haven't killed anyone"; as though this places us in right relationship with God. To say we have not chosen and committed serious sin does not mean we have in fact chosen God. Mary was freed of her demons. She must now choose to be united with the Lord. Too often I have heard colleagues say - and I am guilty of this too - "My work is my prayer". Frere Thomas is right. It is not action vs. contemplation. Rather it is the beatitude, 'Blessed are the single-hearted, they shall see God'. There is only one choice and that is to keep one's attention on union with God. When we can accomplish this then maybe it does not matter if we are a busy priest or parent, entrepreneur in the world, or cloistered in a convent. Being in union with God, at the feet of Jesus our Lord, hearing his teaching, convinced of his mercy, and trusting in the power of his resurrection - this allows us to put into perspective all the busyness that can leave us anxious and divided in spirit. This is what forms and shapes us as disciples. This is what transforms our daily work into life-giving union with God.

Will this be how I deal with things when this sabbatical is over?
Let's talk later.

Closing Prayer:

God, eternal and all-powerful,
you gave us in Ste. Marie Magdelene
an example of a profound hearer
and perfect acceptance of your word.
Grant us, through her prayer, that we ourselves
may become true disciples
of your Son, Jesus Christ.
He who reigns for ever and ever,
AMEN

2nd Day of the Novena to Ste. Marie Magdalene

This is my second post of this day. Scroll down to read about other events today.

Day 2 of the Novena to Ste. Mary Magdalene

We begin again with the openning prayer found in yesterday's blog.

Scripture: Gospel of Luke 8:1-3.

Meditation:

(What follows is a paraphrase of the meditation written by Frere Thomas.)

The nameless woman who washes Jesus's feet in this passage is now named - Mary. And her town of origin is also named. She originates from Magdala. Hence Mary the Magdalean. There has been a debate among Scripture scholars about the Mary's presented in the Gospel. Is the woman who washes Jesus' feet, the woman named Mary relieved of seven demons, Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and maybe even the woman caught in the act of adultery about to be stoned; Are these also the woman, the other Mary at the foot of the cross and the one who meets Jesus on Easter Morning? There is ongoing debate and this would be a great Bible study for the parish.

Magdala is a town with a reputation. It was a strategic town in the Roman control of the Jewish people. And because of the presence of the army encampment, it had a reputation for bebauchery.  According to rabbinic literature, the women of Magdala, for the sake of survival, had given themselves over to "infidelity." What this infidelity consists of is not clear.  Did it mean outright prostituion? Had they given themselves to legal marriage or concubinage to the soldiers? Or had they simply abandoned the practice of the faith? All of these would have been considered infidelity according to Jewish law. In any case, in that time, any woman known to come from Magdala was looked upon with suspicion at the least.

This is likely the source of Mary Magdalene's reputation she has lived with for centuries. Although there is nothing in the Bible that indicates that she is guilty of the sin of prostituion, it does nevertheless make for vivid imagery in Christian art, teaching, and preaching.

The Mary in this story is relieved of seven demons. Was it the seven capital sins? Were they seven physical demons? The Bible doesn't say. Seven in the Bible is the number for holiness. And so seven demons means totally devoid of holiness. Jesus restores her completely by expelling seven demons and replacing them with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We all have "spirits" which draw us away from holiness towards sin. We may not have the priviledge of having all the evils that taunt us and tempt us removed in a single instant. We don't know that Mary's were either. More realistically is the day to day removal of the evil to be replaced by the good. Mary was likely following Jesus at a distance, or listening to him for a long period of time and gradually came to trust in his compassion and mercy. So it is with us. Conversion of heart is more frequently a day-to-day, even lifetime process where absolute holiness will be acheived on that day when we stand face to face with God.

The beautiful ancient hymn, "Lauda, O Mater Ecclesia"

Praise! O Mother Church,
Praise the mercy of Christ;
Who purifies the seven sins
with a seven-form grace.

Mary the Magdelean is freed from evil and now she freely follows Christ.

That is the grace of pardon, of mercy, of forgivenss - to be able to follow Christ in freedom.

Final Prayer:

Lord, Our God,
you  have consecrated your beloved son
and you have sent him into the world
to anounce the good news to the poor
and freedom to captives.
Grant to us, like Ste. Mary Magdelene,
to be free from the grasp of the Evil One
so that we may follow the Christ
with free and generous hearts.
He who reigns for ever and ever.
AMEN

A demain, mes chers!

New People Every Day

First of all, I must note that my plans today changed. In a previous post, I wrote that M. et Mme. Garde were coming for me today, Monday, to visit the Cistersian Monastery of Thoronet. Yesterday, I received an e-mail from them saying they were having car trouble and the car had to go into the Renault dealership today. So our trip has been moved to Wednesday.

Everyday I meet new people coming and going. First, this morning I learned my two new friends from Italy are leaving tomorrow after petit dejeuner. They are leaving to go north towards Aix en Provence and then to Arles. I have visited both of these cities. Aix en Provence is a vibrant college and market town. Arles is a city dating back to the ancient Roman times with a Coloseum, which is much better preserved than its most famous counterpart in Rome. It also has an ancient theater, which is also extremely well preserved; preserved enough that it is still in use today for concerts and plays.



Padre Luciano, left, Padre Angelo, right

 Padre Luciano is a Franciscan hermit, Padre Angelo is a diocesan priest. They are both from the central region of Italy, near Parma. They go together on retreat once each year. They drove here to La Sainte-Baume and will continue to other shrines before returning to Italy next week.
We are standing in front of a doorway built in 1522. It originally stood at the entrace of the grotto up on the mountain for nearly 300 years. It was removed 200 years ago and was on display in museums and churches until it was placed here in the hotelerie at the entrance of the chapel in 2006.
We had all our meals here together since they arrived on last Thursday, the day after me. It didn't take long before there were comments about the food. They live in the area of Italy which produces some of the world's best olive oil, and of course the famous cured meat, prosciutto di Parma. They realized how much I love my coffee. Many of you know of my reputation for liking strong coffee. 

These two Italians of course are accustomed to the strongest and the best espresso there is. (I can't wait to get to Italy.) Padre Luciano has a joke about coffee. He says there are three kinds of coffee: (Of course you have to hear this spoken in French with an Italian accent.) First there is coffee of St. Claire for women, ('clara' means 'clear'); then there is coffee of St. Philip Neri for men, ('nero' means 'black' in Italian); and then there is coffee of St. Alphonsus 'Liquori' (the saint's name is actually 'Liguori') for clergy. This little joke came up after I refered to liquor in coffee as "sucherro Italiano". (Italian sugar) To my surprise, neither had ever heard of it expressed that way. It must be a Federal Hill thing.



View to the north of La Sainte-Victoire

 Today was also housekeeping and laundry day. Because Monday is the slowest day of the week at the hotelerie, Frere Henri, (who I just learned yesterday is the real name of Frere Hotelier) said that one of the ladies on their housekeeping staff would be at my door at 9:30. If I had my laundry ready, she would take it. That was great because when I arranged for laundry in the first place, I figured I'd be doing it myself. With the staff in my room, it was the perfect opportunity to take the morning for a nice long walk. I walked towards the village of Plan D'Aups, hoping to find a little store for some personal items. Its a beautiful walk, and gave me time to do meditation with spectacular scenery. As I came to the crest of a hill, the view to my right opened up and I saw another mountain range to the north, similar to the cliff of La Sainte-Baume. The shape of it and the features around it looked vaguely familiar. Later I learned that I have in fact been there. It is La Sainte-Victoire, a mountain range made famous by the 19th century artist Paul Cezanne. I had taken a half-day bus tour a few years ago which included his home in Aix-en-Provence, and the places he loved to paint.

We were joined at Mass by a group of young priests who belong to a "pious society" called La Societe d'Emmanuel. A pious society is a kind of religious order but it generally includes not only priests, but professed men and women, single laity and even married couples and their children. This group was the priests of this society who meet together every two months for prayer and reflection. They are here for 24 hours. They travel and give retreats, and their focus is evangelization with the "emmanuel" message - "God is with us". Today, a young couple were seated next to me at dejeuner.  I introducd myself. She said, "you are the American priest, you are here for a month and then you travel to Rome to study. Turns out her mother was at table last week.

I Skyped with Pastor Don Bliss today. Learned it's just as cold in East Freetown as it is here. We had a nice chat about what I'm doing here. He challenged me to take off the watch and go with the flow of the prayer time here. He understands what this is all about. It's been 4 days and I'm just now getting into the slower pace. There is really something about living by the bells. We used to joke about it at the seminary as though we were giving up some kind of control. But I see these priests, brothers and sisters living here by the bells. Everything gets done. And the whole life is governed by the prayer time. It forms and shapes all that is said and done. My wallet and the cell phone are in the room. I don't carry them around. At Don Bliss' suggestion, from now on so will the watch.

Ah! Speaking of bells - it's dinner time. Be back later.

Well I thought I would have time to write more between dinner and night prayer. But I've been chatting with an interesting young man who arrived for a week-long retreat. He is in between jobs and wants to do some spiritual discernment. Now its time for night prayer. I will be back to resume later.

Day 1 - Novena to Ste. Mary Magdalene

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE

I found myself watching the time today. At 2:00pm, I knew that the "8:00am parish" at St. John Neumann was assembling for Mass. At 3:35pm, I knew that the 9:35am bus was just pulling in and that the "9:30am parish" was running in scrambling for seats. (I described this to the folks at the dinner table. They are still amazed at the numbers.) And as I write this, the "11:00am parish" is about to form the procession to receive Holy Communion. This was the first sabbath day of my sabbatical. It's been the best day yet!  It occured to me, as I went downstairs for Mass at 11:45, Provence time, "How often can I make Sunday a real day of rest?" I am taking advantage of it!

Sunday at the monastery is a special day. The schedule changes slightly to make it a more relaxed time. I concelebrated this morning at Mass with the Dominican Fathers and my two new Italian friends, Fathers Angelo and Luciano. There were about 40 people from the area who were at Mass - which means the chapel was almost full. Also, there were three tables full, about 24 people in la salle de pelerins for the dejeuner. Aparently the local people who come here for Mass on Sunday also stay for the noon meal. The pilgrims' dining room is open to the public by reservation. And why not! It's a great meal - 4 courses with wine - for €15.00 (or about $19.50) for those not staying in the hotelerie. For me and those staying overnight, it is even a better deal. It is €45/night (about $57.00) for a two room suite with bath, and 3 meals a day. Can't beat it.

As I was writing this, an e-mail from my brother Normand popped in. I was surprised because he is, as he claims, barely computer literate.  He said it was the first e-mail he had written in 6 months. (I'm honored, Norm.) He told me that he and his wife Colette are taking my mother to my sister Murielle's and her husband Joe for lunch. They hope to connect with me there. I'm not sure if they have Skype or exactly how this is going to happen. We'll see.

I did the 3rd day of the Novena to St. Marie Magdalene today. It is a wonderful prayer and reflection. I received permission from Frere Thomas Michelet, o.p., the author of the novena to translate and post a few lines. Let me fill you in. (Italicized text is my reflection and observations; Frere Thomas's text is in quotations.)

"Opening Prayer:" (recited daily)

"St. Mary Magdalene,
you who were pardoned by Jesus,
you who greatly loved;
Show us the way to true conversion
and purity of heart.

With love you followed Jesus to serve him;
Teach us to freely offer our lives
for our brothers and sisters.
You stood at the cross of Jesus
with Mary and John.
Obtain the grace of faith and hope
in our sufferings.
On Easter morning, you received from Jesus
the mission of announcing the resurrection
to His disciples.
Help us to believe that life is stronger than death,
that love triumphs over all.

Through your intercession, we trust in the Lord,
Amen."

Day 1: Gospel of Luke 7:36-50.

"Meditation:"
"This 'woman of the perfume' does not have a proper name; she is 'the sinful woman", identified only by her sin."
(How often have we identified another person, or a group of persons, by their sin, or by their percieved sin?  How often, like the Pharisee in this story, have we held ourselves above another because of our self-righteousness. Mary recieves forgiveness because she throws herself at the feet of Jesus, and weeps out her sin. The beginning of conversion is penance and reconciliation; to allow Jesus to forgive us through the voice of the priest and the ministry of church. When we too cry out our sins at the feet of Jesus, will hear His words to Mary Magdelene, "Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!")

"Closing Prayer:
O God, most powerful and gentle,
who brought life-giving water from the rock
for your thirsty people;
draw from our hearts the tears of repentance,
so that we, like St. Mary Magdelene,
may cry our sins at your feet;
and like her, through your great mercy,
we will merit your pardon.
Through Christ, our Lord.
AMEN"

Blessings everyone.

Introduction to St. Mary Magdalene



View of La Sainte-Baume from my room



This Retreat House is the center of the devotion to St. Mary Magdalene. This was not especially a factor in deciding to come here for the beginning of my retreat and sabbatical. I made my decision because I wanted to return to my Dominican roots. My home parish of Ste. Anne in Fall River was staffed by the Dominican Friars from the Montreal Province. They were in Fall River for 90 years and throughout all my formative years. The parish returned to the diocese my second year in the seminary. I was clearly influenced by the preaching and teaching of the Dominicans, both priests in the parish and religious in the school. It was a Dominican friend in the US who gave me the lead on La Sainte-Baume. It was a good choice. My program here is entirely of my own making. I am following the hours of prayer of the Dominican community




La Sainte-Baume

 

The following order of prayer is the Liturgy of the Hours which is the tradition of the church for about 1800 years. It is based on the psalms, scripture and readings from the ancient Christian writers of the Church.

7:30am - Morning Prayer,

11:15am - Mid-day prayer followed by Mass,

6:00pm - Vespers followed by adoration until 7:00pm,

9:00pm - Night Prayer

I am taking meals in the salle de pelerins, (pilgrim's hall)

Meals are on this schedule:

8:00am - Petit Dejeuner

12:45 - Dejeuner
7:15 - Dinner

I have been doing my own reflections and readings. Yesterday I began a novena to St. Mary Magdalene. The devotion here is so powerful. In France, where faith is rare, and the practice is rarer, to realize how many people have a devotion to this "apostle to the apostles", as she is called, deserves some investigation.




Trail to the Grotto

 

The location is significant too. There is a grotto which tradition says is where Mary Magdalene lived after she traveled from Israel proclaiming the gospel. This grotto is hundreds of feet high in the face of the cliff known as La Sainte-Baume. It has been a religious site since the early 400's. And except for a couple of decades, has been continually staffed by religious orders for 1600 years. The walk to the grotto is beautiful. I made the hike for the first time today. I was in the grotto for the second day of my novena. Better planning tomorrow. I arrived at the terrace in front of the grotto several hundred feet above the valley floor and the battery ran out in my camera. So I posted a good picture of the trail and will post more tomorrow. 

Today I also received the key to the grande salle (the grand hall). There is beautiful concert grand piano and I have permission to practice there. Its a great diversion and of course, if I am going to be playing in the Ischia Festival in May, I need to keep the muscle tone in my fingers in good shape.

I received an e-mail from the Garde's. They are coming on Monday morning at 9:00am to pick me up for the day. We will be visiting the Cistercian Monastery near here. I have not learned the exact location, but will post that as soon as i know.

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God bless.