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Easter Season |
A view from the garden...
The Nomination of a new Guest
Master
On March 31st, the Chapter Council named Dom Clemens to the office of Guest Master (Gastmeister). The Constitutions of the Austrian Congregation remind us that "we see ourselves bound in love to our guests and visitors, and offer them hospitality." The Guest Master not only arranges accommodations for our guests , but greets them on their arrival and introduces them to the Community at meals. The Abbey is fortunate to be able to host a large number of guests from all over the world; we also host conferences of religious, academic, and political significance (e.g., the International Catholic-Methodist Dialogue, the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union, etc.) We are certain that Dom Clemens will continue and enrich our tradition of hospitality.
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of the Benedictine Abbey of Norcia and Adam White from the Franciscan University of Steubenville's study abroad program in Gaming, Austria.
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For six years, Dom Clemens has been welcoming guests to our website...
perhaps it was an omen?
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We congratulate Dom Clemens on this exciting and important new office!
Institution of an Acolyte
At the Chapter Mass on White Sunday (Dominica in albis), the Provost instituted Dom Rudolf as an acolyte, thus conferring on him his next step toward the priesthood.
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The Blessing of an Acolyte
God
of mercy |
Acolyte is one of a number of steps that mark the way to the priesthood. For a diocesan seminarian, these are candidacy, lectorate, acolyte and the diaconate. For a novice of Klosterneuburg, the steps are the same, save the first one. Since his clothing as a novice manifests his intention to seek holy orders, candidacy is thereby rendered redundant.
In the past, a seminarian would receive the minor orders -- tonsure, porter, exorcist, catechist and the subdiaconate -- before ordination. Pope Paul VI, however, altered this sequence as part of the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. In line with his desire both to encourage the laity in their liturgical service and to make clear the distinction between the priesthood and the laity, the Pope issued Ministeria Quaedam, an Apostolic Letter given Motu Proprio ("on his own initiative") on first tonsure, minors orders and the subdiaconate in 1972. Consequently, the ministries of lector (or reader) and acolyte assumed the functions of the suppressed minor order of the subdiaconate, at least in the Latin Church.
No longer known as an ordination, but an institution, the conferral of these ministries on a seminarian occurs usually during the liturgy and includes a prayer of blessing. On this change from ordination to institution, the Pope wrote "Only those who have received the diaconate, however, will be clerics in the true sense and will be so regarded. This arrangement will bring out more clearly the distinction between clergy and laity, between what is proper and reserved to the clergy and what can be entrusted to the laity. This will also bring out more clearly that mutuality by which 'the universal priesthood of believers and the ministerial or hierarchic priesthood, though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, are nonetheless interrelated: each of these in its own special way is a sharing in the one priesthood of Christ' (Lumen Gentium 10)."
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The acolyte is appointed in order to aid the deacon and to minister to the priest. It is his duty therefore to attend to the service of the altar and to assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations, especially in the celebration of Mass; he is also to distribute communion as a special minister when the ministers spoken of in the Codex Iuris Canonici can. 845 are not available or are prevented by ill health, age, or another pastoral ministry from performing this function, or when the number of communicants is so great that the celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged.
In the same extraordinary circumstances an acolyte may be entrusted with publicly exposing the blessed sacrament for adoration by the faithful and afterward replacing it, but not with blessing the people. He may also, to the extent needed, take care of instructing other faithful who on a temporary basis are appointed to assist the priest or deacon in liturgical celebrations by carrying the missal, cross, candles, etc., or by performing other such duties. He will perform these functions more worthily if he participates in the holy Eucharist with increasingly fervent devotion, receives nourishment from it, and deepens his knowledge about it.
As one set aside in a special way for the service of the altar, the acolyte should learn all matters concerning public divine worship and strive to grasp their inner spiritual meaning: in that way he will be able each day to offer himself entirely to God, be an example to all by his gravity and reverence in church, and have a sincere love for the Mystical Body of Christ, the people of God, especially for the weak and the sick.
-- Ministeria Quaedam
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Institution
Take these vessels with bread and wine for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of his Church. The acolyte answers: Amen.
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Coming Up...
In the next update we will report on the preparation for the approaching Jubilee of the abbey (1114-2014).
On April 25th a new stone altar will be consecrated in our church to mark the 900th anniversary of the first historical record of an altar on this site. This event opens up the period of the proximate preparation for the Jubilee of the abbey in 2014. Next year we expect to realize a new vision of our abbey gardens including the restoration of our cloister garden. Numerous construction projects are underway throughout the abbey grounds.
On May 8th the Chapter meets to vote on Dom Daniel's and Dom Alipius' requests for admission to solemn vows and on the novices' requests for admission to temporary vows. Please keep them in your prayers.
On May 13th the members of the Austrian Congregation of Canons Regular of St. Augustine participate in the annual "Chorherrentag", held on the Tuesday after Pentecost. This year's meeting will take place in Stift Vorau.
On May 14th our community will begin to pray the Office of Sext (midday prayers) in the Stiftsbasilika, Monday through Saturday. The House Chapter decided to accept this proposal, which is part of an Austrian-wide movement to make religious life more visible in this abbey-rich, "Kloster-reich", land. The renewal of the daily choral office in the basilica is a positive step forward for our abbey since it underscores one of the core values of the canonical life: the public celebration of the liturgy.
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