Wednesday, May 31, 2023

BENEDICTINE ART DECO

 


In my Blog on Pentecost I used a painting by a Benedictine nun from Stanbrook Abbey in England and was curious to find more of her life.

DAME WERBURG WELSH  was born in 1894, in CheltenhamGloucestershire.  She grew up in an artistic family and attended school in Kidderminster run by nuns exiled from FranceHer father, John, had been raised Protestant, but converted to Catholicism after reading Cardinal Newman's works.

Her mother was an Irish Catholic from Dublin and through her, the family met Desmond Chute, future artist, priest and follower of Eric Gill. He encouraged the talented girl in her artistic endeavors. She would go on to study at Bournemouth and Bristol art schools, where she excelled in life drawing.

However, by age 20, she felt called to a spiritual life and joined the Benedictine nuns at Stanbrook Abbey in Worcester.

She had expected to give up art but was actually encouraged to continue it as an expression of her faith, and her talent flourished across a range of forms paintings and woodcuts to designing priests’ vestments.

The abbey also ran a printing press, producing prayer cards, service booklets, book plates and theological publications, largely decorated by Dame Werburg, which gave needed income to the Abbey.

 As an enclosed order, access to the outside world was limited, concentrating instead on a life of prayer and contemplation. Through Desmond, she had connections with the Ditchling Community, a Roman Catholic group of artists and craftsmen founded by Eric Gill. In 1921, she met Eric when he visited Stanbrook with Desmond to learn about Gregorian plainchant. Recognizing her talent, Gill furnished Dame Werburg with appropriate wood carving tools and both men corresponded with her over a number of years about contemporary engraving techniques. 

While Gill’s influence is evident, she also developed her own distinctive variation of the Art Deco style. Echoes of Byzantine art, her favorite artistic period, are also visible as is the influence of Ernst Barlach, the German Expressionist sculptor (who is my favorite modern sculptor).

 Her art was displayed in Catholic journals between the 1920s and 1940s. However, it was only ever attributed to “A Benedictine at Stanbrook” because Dame Werburg was not seeking notoriety. In those days this was the acceptable monastic method. Even our mother Abbey in Connecticut did this with art and writings.

During World War II, she took on the role of managing orchards, becoming an expert on fruit trees, a hobby she carried on until her 80s. She was the sub-prioress of Stanbrook Abbey from 1956 until 1968. 

Dame Werburg continued to be a prolific artist into old age. She was clearly an extraordinary woman. She suffered a severe stroke in November 1989 and died February 1990 at Stanbrook Abbey.


N.B.  St. WerburgAnglo-Saxon 7th Century saint and patron saint of Chester


Saturday, May 27, 2023

WOMEN AT PENTECOST

We know women were at the foot of Jesus’ cross, when most of the men had fled and they were there when they laid Him in the tomb.

It was the women who walked through the desolate graveyard, hours just before dawn, carrying spices to anoint Jesus’ dead body for proper burial.

 And it was to woman that Jesus first appeared  after His resurrection. To them He gave the message to carry back to His apostles and disciples, that He truly was alive.  And what of Pentecost?  Were women present? Why would the Lord exclude them, when they placed such an important role in His life here on earth?

 We know that Jesus’ Mother, Mary, was huddled in the upper room praying with the other women and the rest of the disciples in the days following the resurrection. Luke notes that, upon their return to Jerusalem after Christ’s Ascension, “they were joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus …” (Acts 1:14, which argues for her inclusion among the “they” (2:1) who were “gathered together in one place” on Pentecost.  

The above painting is by the Benedictine nun from Stanbrook Abbey in England, Dame Werburg Welsh. Her painting shows us Jesus’ Mother robed in red, a sign that she was filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment she consented to be the Mother of God. Mary Magdalene is there, too, robed in white like the apostles. She is considered to be  the apostle to the apostles, the one whom Jesus chose to announce His resurrection. Surely she would not be excluded from this gathering!. There is simply no indication in Acts that only males prayed as the 120 disciples were gathered in one place (Acts 1:15). 

In the Acts of the Apostles, which we have daily been reading at Mass throughout this Eastertide, we see there are many more women who played a significant role in the life of the church. They participated in all the activities of the church.

Luke, the author of the  Acts,  shows how the status of women would be greater in the church than in their previous position in Jewish culture. There are twenty-three women or groups of women mentioned in the book of Acts. Not only do we have Jesus' Mother and friends, but also widows, professional women, other prominent women, and relatives of other disciples. We read that they all joined in with the task of the mission of the church in various ways.

To mention a few:  The disciple named Tabitha (Gk. name of Dorcas)  was singled out for her acts of kindness to her community. The primary focus of her ministry was to poor widows, for whom she made tunics and other items of clothing.

Priscilla with her husband, Aquila,  ran a small business in Corinth making tents. Unlike her husband, Priscilla likely wasn’t Jewish but a Roman woman from an upper-class family, judging by her name. After meeting and working with Paul, the well-traveled couple  became valued members of the apostle’s missionary team. Unusual for the time, Priscilla and Aquila are always mentioned together, suggesting they were equal partners in life, business and ministry. Even more unusual, Priscilla is almost always named first, indicating hers was perhaps the higher-profile role within the church. 

Both in his Gospel and in the book of Acts, Luke took great effort to portray women in all their diversity from the rich to the servants (perhaps because he wasn't Jewish?). He shows us real women of warmth and wit and intellect, who played essential roles in the spread of the new faith.

Today, we see a new Pentecost with more and more women taking an active role in the Church's mission to spread the Good News of Jesus' mercy and love.



Wednesday, May 24, 2023

COOPERATOR FOR THE EUCHARIST

 

 

Another laywoman being considered for canonization, also related to the Salesians (see Blog April 19), is  SERVANT of GOD VERA GRITA,  an elementary school teacher, born in Rome in 1923. After being trampled on by a crowd fleeing a bombing in Savona on the 4th of July 1944, her injuries marked her irreparably. She was 21 years old. Despite her condition, she accepted to teach in schools in the Ligurian hinterland. In Savona, in the Salesian parish of Mary Help of Christians, she participated in parish life. From 1963 the Salesian Fr Giovanni Bocchi was her confessor.  When she became a Salesian Cooperator in 1967), she entrusted herself to the guidance of Fr Gabriello Zucconi.  These are Catholics who are living the Gospel message in the spirit of Saint John Bosco while choosing to live in the world.

On September 19, 1967, a mystical experience began inviting her to live the joy and dignity of a daughter of God in full, in communion with the Trinity and in Eucharistic intimacy with Jesus.  . "We are the wine and water: you and Me, Me and you. We are one thing: I dig in you,  dig, dig to build myself a temple: let Me work, do not set me obstacles. ..The will of My Father is this: that I remain in you, and you in Me. Together we will bear great fruit."

It was the first of the messages that make up the "Work of the Living Tabernacles" that Vera, struggling with the fear of being the victim of deception, wrote in obedience to Fr Zucconi.

The messages explicitly refer to Don Bosco and his "da mihi animas cetera tolle" that tend to renew in the Salesians the sense of union with God and trust in Mary Help of Christians, to give God through a tireless apostolate that cooperates in the salvation of humanity. The Work, by the will of the Lord, is entrusted in the first instance to the sons of Don Bosco for its fulfillment and diffusion in the parishes, in the religious institutes and in the Church: "I chose the Salesians because they live with the young, but their life of the apostolate must be more intense, more active, more heartfelt."

The cause for the beatification of the Servant of God Vera Grita was launched on 22 December 2019, the 50th anniversary of her death, in Savona.

Antonio Boccia, the World Coordinator of Salesian Cooperators, then spoke, expressing his joy and emotion at this new Cause of a Salesian Cooperator.

 “Vera's heart and life was the Eucharist that she lived daily. The Eucharist was everything to her. Just as Jesus had given His life out of love, she gave her life for those she met in her work with a smile, gentleness, and kindness, so much so that she aroused awe and admiration in her colleagues at the school. She had a special concern for the less gifted students or those who suffered from their family situations... The Holy Spirit continued to make the Salesian charism breathe through her life.”

Saturday, May 20, 2023

PRIESTS TODAY

 

Perhaps there is some encouraging news regarding new priests in our country. While numbers are not that much higher, the quality of the men is certainly something to be proud of. Not only is training in seminaries concentrating more on the Eucharist as opposed to “social apostolates”, but the men themselves say that they regularly partook in Eucharistic Adoration (75%) before entering seminary, according to a survey conducted by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).

How much does education and family structure influence the decision tp become a priest?  Bishop Earl A. Boyea of Lansing, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (CCLV) said:

 “Surveys of men recently ordained to the priesthood show that families and encouragement from the parish priests alongside Catholic schools provide optimal environments for a vocational call to grow. On this day, let us thank God for continuing to call men and women to serve him and his Church as priests, religious, and consecrated persons. We pray that all families, teachers, and priests will continue their essential work of instilling the faith and love of Jesus in our children.”

A large portion of the incoming ordinands attended Catholic institutions for their education, with the highest rates (43%) attending Catholic primary school. A further 34% attended Catholic high school and 35% went to a Catholic college.

The vast majority (84%) cited having two Catholic parents. Nearly two thirds reported their vocation being supported by family members, parish priests, and the community. 

I know I have said in the past, we are seeing young men come, either before ordination or after, who have a great devotion to the Eucharist.  There is much hope for the future of the Church.

"Nourish the faithful on Christ's Body and Blood and nourish yourself daily by meditating on the mystery of the Real Presence of Christ, which you are privileged to make physically present in the Eucharist."  Bishop Peter J. Jugis, Charlotte, N.C. Aug 2016, to newly ordained priests.


 

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

ASCENSION

 



Mykola Rybenchuk- Ukraine


Ascension

John Donne - 1571-1631

 Salute the last, and everlasting day,

Joy at the uprising of this Sun, and Son,

Ye whose true tears, or tribulation

Have purely wash'd, or burnt your drossy clay.

Behold, the Highest, parting hence away,

Lightens the dark clouds, which He treads upon;

Nor doth he by ascending show alone,

But first He, and He first enters the way.

O strong Ram, which hast batter'd heaven for me!

Mild lamb, which with Thy Blood hast mark'd the path!

Bright Torch, which shinest, that I the way may see!

O, with Thy own Blood quench Thy own just wrath;

And if Thy Holy Spirit my Muse did raise,

Deign at my hands this crown of prayer and praise


Tuesday, May 16, 2023

BIRDS AND WATER

 

This year’s theme for the May Migratory Bird Day (Global Bird Day)  is WATER: Sustaining Bird Life. Jim and I once again traveled our small island in search of the number of species still around after migration, especially of the water birds and the arrival of summer species.

 While so much of the world is suffering from lack of water, we in the Pacific Northwest are blessed to have such an abundance of this vital resource.

Water is fundamental to sustaining life on our planet. Migratory birds rely on water and its associated habitats—lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, swamps, marshes, and coastal wetlands—for breeding, resting, refueling during migration, and wintering. Yet increasing human demand for water, along with climate change, pollution, and other factors, are threatening these precious aquatic ecosystems.

Headlines around the world are sounding alarm: 35 percent of the world’s wetlands, critical to migratory birds, have been lost in the last 50 years. Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and used by more than a million shorebirds, is in danger of disappearing within five years.

Across the Amur-Heilong Basin in Asia, climate change is amplifying the impact of habitat destruction by depleting natural water systems and depriving migratory birds of vital breeding and stopover site. Lake Chad, one of the largest water bodies in Africa in 1960, lost 90 % of its area, depleting water resources for local communities and also for many migratory birds.

 Reports are sobering examples which reveal that 48 percent of bird species worldwide are undergoing population declines.

 World Migratory Bird Day serves as an international call to action for the protection of migratory birds, whose ranges often span multiple countries, and are facing many different threats worldwide.


Saturday, May 13, 2023

TENDER MOTHER AND LOST CHILDREN

 


Virgin of Tenderness- Ukraine

As we remember our own Mothers this day- alive or with the Lord- let us continue to pray for all mothers in the Ukraine, especially those who are separated from their children, either due to evacuation, defending their country, or death.  May the Mother of God, who is also our own Mother,  who  experienced human struggles of her own, losing her only son, give comfort to the people of Ukraine and may she comfort  all mothers in Russia  also suffering great loss.  May  she bring hope where there is no hope and a lasting peace now and future generations!

"Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine.  Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love.  Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world.  The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace.  We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more.  To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.

 Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days.  Our Lady of the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God.  May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the dryness of our hearts.  In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion.  You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace.  Amen."    Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary- March 2022

N.B. Also called "The Eleusa"  (Greek:  tenderness or showing mercy) is a type of depiction of the Virgin Mother in icons in which the Christ Child is nestled against her cheek.