May 1, 2015, Friday — Benedicta
Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
I have written several reports from Norcia, and these reports have always prompted emails from many readers. I find Norcia to be an extraordinary place, and just today I found a way to help you all understand a bit better what it is that is so extraordinary about Norcia… Its beauty, its mountains, its clean air, its simplicity…
Today I received an email from one of the monks of the Benedictine monastery in Norcia where I was staying two weeks ago: “Not sure if you would be interested in posting this, but we’ve got some exciting news about our recent album.”
The monks have just recorded an album of Gregorian chant, dedicated to hymns on Marian feast days (hence “Benedicta,” or “Blessed art thou,” that is, Mary).
And he sent this link:
https://www.demontfortmusic.com/artists/
I went to the web site, and found myself suddenly back in Norcia. There were all the monks, there were the townspeople, even a woman, a seamstress, who sewed a piece of torn clothing for me.
I was moved by this beautifully filmed video of monastic life in Norcia.
And I decided to send out this brief email so that you also could share a moment in Norcia…
The video can also be found at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTQTFW1Gdbs
If any of you would like to travel with me when I go back to Norcia, to share the life of the monks, I would be happy to have you come along…
Take a look at this video, and you will understand the attraction of Norcia, and of a simple, monastic life in the heart of Italy…
Note: For those who would like to travel with us on pilgrimage:
(1) In mid-July 2015, we will travel with a small group of Inside the Vatican readers on our annual “Urbi et Orbi” pilgrimage to Russia, Turkey and the Vatican, to visit eastern Orthodox leaders, shrines and monasteries, and to talk with Vatican officials about ecumenical relations between Catholics and Orthodox;
(2) On December 8, 2015, and again on November 20, 2016, we will be gathering in Rome to be present when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door to begin his Special Jubilee of Mercy, and when he closes the door to end the Jubilee Year. If you would like to join us on one or more of these pilgrimages, email now for more information…
We also often travel to Norcia.
We keep all of these pilgrimages small. Please contact us if you would like your name to be placed on a waiting list, to hold your spot.
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What is the glory of God?
“The glory of God is man alive; but the life of man is the vision of God.” —St. Irenaeus of Lyons, in the territory of France, in his great work Against All Heresies, written c. 180 A.D.
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