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Building Unity: A Monastic Journey
The talk addresses the dedication of a new monastery building, emphasizing its spiritual significance and the collaborative efforts involved in its construction. It highlights the support from the ecclesiastical community, referencing integration within broader Church reforms and noting contributions from benefactors that were pivotal to the project's completion. The discussion underscores how the monastery embodies the principles of the Rule of Saint Benedict and serves as a symbol of unity and spirituality within the Church.
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Rule of Saint Benedict: This rule is central to the talk as it outlines the guiding principles of monastic life, emphasizing stability and community, which the new buildings are intended to support.
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Aggiornamento and the Council: Referenced in the context of Church reforms, this signifies the period of renewal and dialogue within the Catholic Church initiated during the Second Vatican Council, impacting the monastery’s operations and outlook.
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Mount Saviour: The location of the monastery, which is likened to the beloved mountains of Jesus, symbolizing a sacred space of contemplation and spiritual retreat.
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Lyman Stebbins and Gertrude Newell: Noted benefactors whose financial support and generosity made the construction of the new monastery buildings possible, highlighting the critical role of lay support in ecclesiastical projects.
AI Suggested Title: Mount Saviour: Unity in Spiritual Renewal
that the radiological channel that's him and his hearers are going to be loaded on today, and that's the advantage, especially for those who aren't familiar with the text, or at least with one or the other of him, that both texts, indeed it's him and Pierre, the gardener, have the advantage that the first two verses, his lines, are exactly the same. and that while I make very good hands, I'm inverted at the top and I only have two wrists in which I don't have any notes in the dark, I don't know if that's what I'm holding at the moment, I can't take it, I can't take it, it's the ability of this. With that being said, who once said that, well you know, wrists are wonderful, The Lord is with thee, and with thy spirit. Give thanks to him, for he is with thee, and with thy spirit.
[01:07]
Give thanks to him, for he is with thee, and with thy spirit. It's not us, I'm not saying we're wrong, we're just spinning our own legs to the sound of the... When the sadhana is said, the three vows are done by a syllable, an extended syllable where it recurs. In the next it sounds a little bit more significant, more symbolic. But I have one strong guess that all the visions are the same, meaning it makes sense just for me to tell it.
[02:11]
It makes it much easier. Now let's try the second sound there, which I haven't discussed yet. In our Lord, [...] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I'll never let go of your hand and take you with me home.
[03:21]
I'll walk with you for so many years. What a burden we have shifted on our heads! We have sinned, we [...] He wandered off himself, he could not be able to mark what we have for the curse, he could just see the marks, he could put on the curse and look at the last line of the curse, the numeral three, and he could put the Cleanest song.
[04:21]
Now that's where we are. Over the edge of the third syllable. No. Now you've heard all this. We have to move on. So send in over the next half-syllable. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, [...] of the Spirit of the Lord. Glory to God in the highest. Glory to God in the highest. All right, let's go into the anthems. First one. Oh, oh, can't you see? Oh, oh, can't you see? The Spirit of the Lord be with you
[05:41]
So, there's a lot of, you know, wrath. And this is the one where they are having a big ruckus. And some of the ladies go on page 2, they go on page 2. And it's so... And then we go on to the other side of the park, and it breaks out into the light. When I was a little boy,
[08:23]
Where are you? [...] The best of all good speaketh God. I'm always looking for you. I'm always looking for you.
[09:53]
I'm going to do it. May I be the dragon, or may I be the chicken? Mr. Arthur Welliver. Professor Albrecht.
[11:31]
Mr. Lagomegro. Q. I have a question. Questioner 2 What do we have to do?
[16:52]
Well, you just speak right into here. Keep it a distance. Well, just a little bit. Don't get too close to me. Go to the people in the other room. Keep it quiet. I'll follow this here, then. They went here. All right. And I haven't turned up in five minutes. We... We... The ear has... It radiates farther away than it does here. But it sounds weaker than it is. I'll go in the back room and I'll turn it up as much as I can so that everyone can hear. And they can hear it the other way too. So whenever we go to the hospital, I'll take these chairs out of the way when you start and draw it up. Now, um, what about Christopher? He, um, father gave, uh, this year's, uh, year's, year's award.
[18:00]
Uh, yeah. Who could turn him down? Hmm? Better to keep it over this way, and that thing, uh, matches. Actually, I'm playing back, and to raise or lower, like, it's a Is it working? Can we start? You have to get kind of close, like this. How long ago was that? I didn't say how long ago. How are you? Give me a hand. Here. But maybe somebody, you know, make a little noise or something like that.
[19:47]
Over here. Not just some people still taking. We have to be quiet. We have to give them some signal. We just have to pay attention. Now I'm glad that we're restarting soon.
[21:18]
Would we stop? Yes. May I have your attention, please? May I have your attention, please? Your attention. If you could go to the outside. To the other room, sir. They are in the other room. We have, dear friends, you realize that this buffet supper here this afternoon has a certain character of informality about it. And therefore we decided to keep it kind of informal and not to have long and solemn speeches. But of course it is indispensable that we have two of those, one the choir to welcome you and the other a good word from our beloved Bishop.
[22:55]
The background of today's informality I try to put into a little poem that I read it to you. When on our hill we laugh and wept Time crept. When over plants we dreamed and talked, time walked. When all the digging work began, time ran. And later, when the buildings grew, time flew. Today we found, while rushing on, time gone. And may your kindness overlook what be left undone. Thank you.
[23:58]
I take it that my wish is granted. And of course, you know, you see many windows unwashed Some give too much light and others not enough, maybe. And then there is also the water problem. You know, we have a very dry summer and we had to dig another well. And the water is not yet in here in these buildings, so the ceilings could not be put up. The floors, that is a completely different problem. we had a chapter meeting on it and in the chapter meeting the center of attention were the high heels of our dear ladies and it was said that the weight even of a middle-sized lady comes down on this tip you know with the force of an elephant
[25:03]
and is able even to demolish marble floors. Now here these buildings are planned to have tiled floors. So we decided we'd leave the rough cement until the ladies are definitely out and gone. So that's the reason. I hope you understand. Now, but today, my dear friends, of course, our theme is really what has been accomplished And you can imagine that we are full of joy on this beautiful day. And I wanted first of all to thank our most reverend and beloved Bishop for all the kindness and the fatherly love he has shown to this monastery.
[26:14]
He came here for the first time in 1951 on August 6th to bless St. Peter's building. And I tell you, the route was much shorter. He was just, you know, circulating through three rooms, and the blessing was over in no time. And therefore, we added the ceremony of breaking ground for a chapel in the future. Just to make it really episcopal. And then our bishop gave us at that time a wonderful homily, and I want to remind him and all of us on the hills that Jesus loved. And really we can see in the history of this monastery, we owe everything to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[27:18]
Because there are no, I assure you, there are no financial geniuses here in this house community. And there are no great, now any kind of other earthly wisdom. But I must say that everything we have is therefore purely the gift of the Lord's love who loved our hill, the hill of the Transfiguration, Mount Saviour. And now today we are so happy and so grateful that we are able to greet in our bishop the representative of Christ and that again he blesses this building. The blessing of the Father builds the house of the children. and we wanted to thank him on this day for all the sympathy and the understanding also for the life which is being lived in this monastery.
[28:25]
We realize very well our own poverty and the fact that we do not assist in the active works of apostolate in the diocese. in the way in which the secular clergy helps him and in which other orders help him. But we know that he still understands deeply this place. as a place of prayer and as a place of meditation and as a place in which we try to live a life which has no other purpose but closer union with our Lord Jesus Christ in the specific setup that the rule of Saint Benedict provides for us. And together with our bishop, we greet our brother priest, represented by Monsignor Schwab, and so many others who are here today to share our joy.
[29:34]
This is the time in the Church of Aggiornamento and of the Council, and more than ever we feel in these difficult times and where also many divergent opinions appear, many divergent schools of thought. We feel more than ever, also as monks of our Savior, the unity, the unity in our faith and in our obedience and in our reverence for the ecclesiastical authority represented in our Bishop, who himself is the representative of our Holy Father. i also wanted to say is address the special word of greeting to the benedictine abbots that are here today to our abbot bonaventure to abbot gerald to abbot charles dom jerome from our lady of the genesee of the cistercian order when speaking
[30:41]
And then this February, the beginning of March this year, to the Holy Father in Rome about Mount Saviour becoming an abbey. The Holy Father said that he himself was delighted, but then in his very characteristic, cautious way, he remarked but I wonder what the other abbots in this United States are thinking about it. So I'm glad to convey this little message to the abbots here present, you know. And I see in their presence the expression of the Pact, you know, that now I spoke this morning to Father Archabbot Bonaventure, He said, my four years ago I came here and all you had to show me was a cow barn. And maybe a cow barn is not really a qualification to become an abbey.
[31:49]
But now we can show him the monastic buildings. I wouldn't say that they are exactly abatial, but then abatial is a relative concept and maybe In our days, you know, all these things, you know, take on a little more simple form than they had in the Middle Ages. And I wanted to address also a word of welcome, naturally, to all our friends. And among the first today, naturally, are those who have built this place. And there I wanted first to remember in gratitude Joseph Shanley, architect of New York, and Oblate, who has built the original octagonal chapel. And then I wanted to thank Ronald Cassidy and Harold Hirsch, who are here with us today, and also Art Veliver, the contractor.
[32:57]
Now, I must say that the history of building this place is a history really of great mutual understanding and cooperation. There were some changes in plans here and there, for example, when we discovered this whole difficulty about the tile floors and so on, and to leave them undone. And there are other difficulties that turn up always in the history of a building like this. And sometimes even the community and the chapter has certainly a different idea about this and that. But I must say that the fact, you know, that we have those who build this building here in the town of Elmira, and therefore were able to consult and every time you know with them and how generously they have consented to doing this and we're here all the time we needed them.
[34:01]
So we are really deeply grateful for the patience and the understanding in which especially Ronald Cassetti was able to give our ideas, which are naturally abstract ideas, to give them a concrete, beautiful, architectural, simple form. As you can see it here in this refectory and in the other buildings and comparing this building to the other one on the other side, and the understanding of the different character of these buildings, which, as you can imagine, are so important for our monastic life, and not so much from an aesthetical point of view, but from a spiritual point of view. These buildings are the form of our spirit and the expression of it. and they will carry this spirit to other generations. And in that way we make for the continuity of a true, genuine monastic tradition here at Mount Saviour.
[35:11]
Then my thanks also go to all the innumerable benefactors, and among them I wanted to mention, first of all, a dear friend who unfortunately today could not be present, and that is Lyman Stebbins, also an oblator of this place, and we have given him the title of Pundato, founder of the monastery. because from the first beginnings on he has, with the greatest spirit of sacrifice, of understanding and sympathy, helped us in a material way to make this possible. And in him I greet all the other friends, oblates and friends of the monastery who have helped us. Without their help we could not have built this place, because unfortunately the soil on which we live is very stony and doesn't produce in that way buildings, so to speak.
[36:14]
Then I wanted to thank also and remember today Gertrude Newell. Gertrude Newell, who had visited here at this place several times, was also in contact with our oblate group. And through her generosity in her last will, she made it possible for us to even think of the construction of a monastery in this dimension. And I'm very glad to see here present her niece, Mrs. Connolly, and her husband, Mr. Patrick Connolly, who came here from Minneapolis today to be present. And I'm sure that all those who have visited the buildings today will remember, gratefully as we do through the years, Gertrude Newell, and may the Lord give peace to her soul. Then, I wanted also to thank all those who, in the work, our workman, Bob Voorhees, and all those who have worked here.
[37:27]
And I wanted to thank the members of the community, too, because it is, as you can realize, a difficult step for us to go from the old and simple buildings into these. And I must confess, you know, that we had some, how would I say, some very lively discussions, you know, about the problems involved with buildings, as you can imagine. And, however, I think, you know, that in many ways we regret, really, to be forced by the circumstances to leave the buildings in which we were living up to now. But it is, on the other hand, absolutely impossible. You see, for example, there is no room for a library. There is no room really for the community life. of a group of about 40 to 50 people as we plan it here, without having these accommodations, because it is so important for a Benedictine community, because of their stability, to have their spirit expressed in their buildings, and to have the buildings giving them the opportunity for the monastic community life.
[38:50]
Then I wanted also to address and welcome those who have this day, for the first time, have been here, not all of them, but as a representation of all, and that is the Protestant clergy. And that, I think, I also greet that as a wonderful opportunity for us to express our own eagerness to cooperate and to enter into the spirit of the ecumenical movement that in these last years and through the Council has taken such a firm hold in the Roman Catholic Church, And as a result, in these last month or year and month, you know, very often we had groups of Protestants, Lutherans, Presbyterians, so on, visiting our chapel. We also had some very fruitful gatherings and conferences and discussions.
[39:56]
And all that is really for us as monks Saint Benedict, as you know, goes back to the 6th century, but then still he is always young. And now we want with him, we want to be young. And we ask the Lord to give us the grace and the wisdom and the love and charity to participate in the new spring of Christianity that has originated ever since our incomparable Pope John XXIII ascended the throne of Saint Peter and has opened the windows and has started, really, what we can call in all gratitude, a new era for not only for the Roman Catholic Church, but for the whole of Christianity. So, my dear friends, I want it now to give the word to our beloved Bishop Kearney, not without saying again how much we appreciate his presence here. My dear friends, my first thought is the thought that is in the mind of all of us, and that is our sincere congratulations to Don Winston and his community for the realization of a great dream.
[41:30]
Thirteen years ago, I came down here, and he had at that time a great dream in his heart. One of the poets has written these very impressive lines, Let me dream as of old by the river, And be loved for my dream all way, For the dreamer lives on forever, A worker can die in a day. And being a dreamer, One of the most gracious gifts that his friends could do was to make that dream come true. And we are very happy here today because the dream of a very zealous and a very devoted and a very pious priest has been made a reality. Because what we have attended here today has been God's magnificent gift of making
[42:36]
a holy dream come true. Needless to say, personally I'm very happy to have the privilege of blessing this building and hanging the crucifix of our Divine Lord upon the wall. Today, as you know, is one of the feasts of the Holy Cross. I can think of no more beautiful way of celebrating that feast than by hanging a cross of Christ in a new spot. I have often said that in the life of a bishop there are two great rewarding experiences which are outstanding rewards for any responsibilities or problems, and that is the opportunity to build a new tabernacle and the opportunity to hang the cross of Christ on another building. Whether it be a church, a school, a hospital, a home for the ages, any of these works in which we are engaged, the hanging of another crucifix means another opportunity for Christ to make his influence felt in the community.
[43:55]
The evangelist tells us that when he went about the streets of Galilee, goodness went out from him and touched everything. The erection of this monastery is a very significant thing for the whole diocese because the power of the Holy Spirit cannot be confined within its walls. But like the power of our Divine Lord, it will go far beyond these and influence every element in this community. As has been pointed out, I have been always impressed by the devotion that our Lord had to the mountains. It was to the mountain that He used to retire to talk to His Eternal Father. It was on the mountain that He was transfigured. It was on the mountain that He lamented the unfortunate destiny of Jerusalem. It was on the mountain that he sacrificed his life for the sons of men, and it was from Mount Olivet that he returned to the bosom of his Eternal Father.
[45:04]
But the mountains ran all through the story. He loved the mountain, and at the day that we laid the foundation here, I made so boldness to say he will love this mountain very much. The ceremony that we have seen is to me a very graphic expression for which I and all the people of this diocese are very grateful. He has loved Mount Saviour as he loved the mountains of Judea. We couldn't ask any more. May the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost send upon all of you, and remain with you forever.
[46:33]
Amen.
[46:34]
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