Community life and fraternal visits

Bose, June 2013
from the Letter to our friends n° 56
From 2 January to 12 February, as usual, the community was without the presence of guests, thus it could live a different kind of time, which permitted us to cultivate especially fraternal life and community exchanges

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Bose, June 2013
from the Letter to our friends n° 56

From 2 January to 12 February, as usual, the community was without the presence of guests, thus it could live a different kind of time, which permitted us to cultivate especially fraternal life and community exchanges. The annual chapter was held on 29–31 January, with the presence also of our brothers of Ostuni and Assisi, in which we could once more experience how good it is for brothers and sisters to be together (Ps 133,1). The chapter had us look more closely at some fundamental dimensions of our monastic life: community life in Bose and in the fraternities, work, hospitality, church relations, liturgy.

As a result of the chapter, some changes have taken place in the composition of the fraternities. Br Sabino has been named responsible for the Ostuni fraternity in place of br Daniele, who transferred to Assisi. Br Davide has left San Masseo and now lives in Ostuni. And br Domenico has moved from Ostuni to be a member of the new fraternity in Cellole. We thank the Lord for having us live the days of the chapter and the changes in the communities in a climate of peace, of reciprocal obedience, and of fraternal charity.

The last few months have seen a brother and three sisters experience monastic life a month each in French communities especially close to us by ties of communion: br Giandomenico at the Benedictine monastery of En Calcat, sr Annachiara and sr Silvia at the Trappist monastery of Echourgnac, sr Laura at the Trappist monastery of Blauvac. In the same period br Fabio spent a month and a half in London taking a course of English; he stayed at the Anglican parish of St Martin in the Fields. Natalia spent a week with the Orthodox monastic community in Maldon, England. In this same period monastic relations have been strengthened by other visits. In January br Guido went to the French abbey of La-Pierre-qui-Vire, invited to preach the spiritual exercises to the Benedictine community, with which we have old and strong ties of friendship. In Bose we have welcomed for a few days fr Michel van Parys, Benedictine of Chevetogne; br Eric, Norwegian Trappist monk from the English monastery of Mount Saint Bernard; br Bartholomew from the English Benedictine abbey of Downside; fr Luigi Gioia, Olivetan monk, at present resident at Sant’Anselmo, Rome; fr Cesare, prior of the Cistercian community of Pra’d Mill; mother Maria Pia, Benedictine abbess of Civitella San Paolo; br Antoine, Olivetan monk from the French abbey of Maylis, who spent a month of apprenticeship at our carpentry workshop; br Matteo of Camaldoli with two novices; br Andrea, Benedictine of Dumenza; br Cesare, Camaldolese of Fonte Avellana; mother Angela, sr Carla, and sr Micaela, Poor Clares of Urbino; fr Ruiz, Coptic monk from St Paul’s Monastery, and fr Simon, the new pastor of the Coptic community of Turin, accompanied by our fr Danyal, a Coptic monk who has been spending long periods with us; sr Pierrette, prioress of the Reformed monastic community of Grandchamp, Switzerland.

We wish also to recall the visits of several bishops, thanks to which we have been able to revive church ties. Besides our bishop Gabriele Mana, who with his visits never ceases to show his loving care for our community, we welcomed bishop Romano Rossi of Civita Castellana; bishop Francesco Lambiasi of Rimini; retired bishop Adriaan van Luyn of Rotterdam; the Lutheran bishops Martin Modéus of Linköping, Martin Lind, retired bishop of the same town, and Karl Gustav Hammar, retired bishop of Uppsala, Sweden.

A special occasion for this desire to feel with the Church was the day of reflection on Vatican Council II and its reception led by cardinal Walter Kasper. This was an occasion to examine especially from the angle of ecumenical dialogue the last fifty years in the Church. The presence of Luigi Bettazzi, retired bishop of Ivrea and an old friend of the community, was especially significant and appreciated, since he, as one of the last surviving council fathers, was able to offer a pondered recollection of the council event.