Taking a Stand - Saint Benedict Center

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Summer, 2013
From The Center
A Newsletter For Friends and Benefactors of Saint Benedict Center Across The Country
Taking a Stand
Brother Peter Mary receives the Gospel of Life
Award from Bishop Robert McManus in Saint
Paul’s Cathedral, Worcester, MA
Immaculate Heart of Mary School’s marching band did not attend
Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Worcester as scheduled this March.
Why? Because Brother Peter Mary, the band director, discovered the
night before the parade that their assigned sponsor was a pro-choice, progay-marriage politician. Parade organizers had plenty of notice regarding
the school’s compatiblity with sponsors’ beliefs. In a news interview Brother
Peter told reporters, “We’re a pro-life school and we’re against homosexual
marriage. Sure, we can be charitable, kind, and generous to these people, but
you cannot compromise your very principles for which you live and stand.”
“People know we are a Catholic school and they know that it demands
certain things,” he went on to report. “One of them is consistency of Faith. If
you actually say you are a Catholic, you actually believe what the Catholic
Church teaches.
“It’s not a matter of intolerance; we’re not intolerant because we
reach out to these people,” Brother Peter Mary told interviewers, “but in
an official capacity, there has to be some type of line or else people don’t
know the difference between error and truth or morality and immorality, or
any particular thing that would put them in a state of compromise where
we want to actually help them to save their souls or become better or more
virtuous citizens of this country and of the Church.”
Band members and students of IHM stood behind the school’s decision
in interviews. “I’m sure there are plenty of people who would be insulted by
it, but we don’t hate anybody. We hate the sin, not the person,” said Mary
Kate Bohane.
“We’re a Catholic
s c h o o l , ” s a i d Ti m
Alexander. “We have
morals that we have to
live up to. As students,
we have to live up to
the school’s beliefs and
morals.”
Because of his
public stand on abortion
and Catholic values, at
the annual Mass for Life
celebrated by Bishop Robert J. McManus on Monday, April 8 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester, Brother Peter
Mary was honored to be the recipient of the “Gospel of Life Award.” Students from the Catholic Schools in the diocese packed the
Cathedral for this Mass and award ceremony held annually to honor individuals who have shown outstanding witness to the intrinsic
value of each human life. The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of SAINT BENEDICT CENTER • P.O. Box 1000 • Still River, MA 01467
Main House (978) 456-8296 • School (978)456-8877 • www.saintbenedict.com
From The Center
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To Serve Thee Is Liberty
On the feast of the Assumption, Erin Kelly received the white veil of a novice with the
Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, taking the name Sister Marie-Celine. Sister MarieCeline’s profession as a novice on August 15 followed her completion of a six-month postulancy.
She now begins a novitiate of two years after which she will take temporary vows that apply for
the next three years before she will be able to make her final profession with the community.
The two years of the novitiate will be spent in study, prayer and work. It is the
“engagement” for the future “bride of Christ.”
During the Mass of Profession, the
Slaves of the Immaculate Heart also received
a new postulant, Clair Sonnier from Batesville,
Arkansas, who was “drawn to the community
because of their traditional religious life,” and
their devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass.
Clair attended Morning Star Summer Camp
over the past few years and this summer
volunteered as a counselor. Her entry day as
postulant and Sister Marie-Celine’s Novitiate
were chosen to begin on the feast of the
Clair Sonnier, postulant, and
Assumption because, as Sister Marie-Bernard
Sister Marie-Celine get ready to
remarked, “It was the fulfillment of the Blessed
celebrate the day.
Virgin Mary’s life,” being re-united with Christ,
body and soul in Heaven – “something we all
desire, especially as consecrated religious and Brides of Christ.” The Tridentine Mass is the “pulse” of the community’s life and apostolates, “with
its beautiful richness in tradition and liturgy,” Sister Marie-Bernard explained. She
cited the “reverence and sacredness” of its prayer and rites as something that “draws
souls to Christ,” which is “what our world needs now, more than ever.” Sister MarieCeline told a reporter from Catholic News Agency (CNA), “Leaving the world was
Erin Kelly took the habit of a Novice and
like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. Having the privilege of daily Tridentine
the name of Sister Marie-Celine.
Latin Mass, availability of the Sacraments, and the companionship of the community
as a religious, has been the greatest grace of my life.”
MacIsaac Hall Update
Visible signs of progress were slow this summer at MacIsaac Hall while details on the inside began. After the building was
painted by the Brothers and a team of volunteers, they installed the huge window on the north side. Then the slow and tedious job of
installing a sprinkler system, heating, lights and plumbing began. Our goal of finishing this academic year is still hopeful as donations
of memorial bricks keep steadily trickling in. Most of the construction so far has been done by the Brothers and volunteers, but we
are forced to hire licensed workers now for the fine details. While larger donations would speed the work, we are grateful to all our
benefactors who have and still are making this long-needed facility possible.
From The Center
Saint Anthony’s Day Pilgrimage
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An exciting event marked the Feast of Saint Anthony, June 13, 2013. Hosted by the Sisters, fifty-seven ladies and girls made
a pilgrimage by bus to Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where the tallest church in New England stands. Dating
back to the late nineteenth century, Saint Anthony of Padua Parish Church originally started as a small wooden structure, which served
as the parish church and grammar school. In 1902, plans for today’s
cathedral-like church were completed by the Montreal architect, Joseph
Venne, and construction of the building began in 1904. In less than ten
years the church was finished and dedicated on Thanksgiving Day,
1912. Saint Anthony of Padua Church still stands today as a testimony
to the fidelity and love of the Catholic immigrants who sacrificed so
much to build it. Anyone who visits this church will be amazed at the
magnificent artwork and the detailed carvings which fill its interior,
such as the church’s apse, which contains artist Castinoli’s sculptural
masterpiece, “The Vision of Saint Anthony,” surrounded on either side
by fifty foot windows. Thirty-two carved angels are mounted on pillars
throughout the church: six stand at ten and a half feet tall; twenty-six
measure about eight and a half feet. The 117 stained glass windows
of Saint Anthony’s offer many themes for meditation, portraying the
fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, as well as images of the saints. Finally,
the grand phenomenon of New Bedford’s parish church is seen in the
5, 500 electric lights strategically placed throughout the building, thus
adding the finishing touch to the hard work of many skilled artists.
The second stop of the Ladies’ Pilgrimage was the Shrine of Saint
Therese of Lisieux in Nasonville, Rhode Island. This beautiful and quaint shrine, built in 1923, was the first ever dedicated to the
Little Flower in the United States. Over the years many additions, including a replica of the holy stairs, an outdoor altar, Stations of
the Cross, a fifteen decade rosary, and many statues of Our Lady and the saints were added by dedicated supporters. The Sisters and
the ladies were happy to receive an extensive tour of Saint Therese’s Shrine from Mr. Jerry Finelli, who with his wife, is co-chairman
of the shrine.
It was a unique and thrilling experience to step back in time, as it were, and see the dedication and workmanship that existed in the
hearts of the Catholic laborers of the early 1900’s. What they lacked in machinery, finances, and technology, these honest and simple
people made up for in their persevering labors to honor their saints and build fitting abodes for Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
From The Center
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The Camp that Mary Built
Since the purchase of the initial 58 acres in Washington, New
Hampshire, to become “Montfort Retreat,” Mary’s blessings have been
almost physically manifest through donations of work and materials. A
DVD created by Brother Anthony Marie called “The Miracle of Montfort”
chronologically displays the building of the facility with pictures from over
a two-year period. Shortly after its commencement, an 85-acre adjacent
tract of land was miraculously offered and purchased at a reduced price,
placing the three-quarter-mile road of the camp, no longer on the edge of
the property, but now in the center. These new acres include a beautiful
landscape of hills and streams that lead to Lake Ashuelot where the facility
is located.
But that’s not all…Our Lady wasn’t finished yet. Last summer a company
logged a piece of land on the other side and offered the somewhat cleared
fields to Montfort, bring the present site to a total of 200 acres and protecting
it from developers.
Another miraculous manifestation of Mary’s blessings has been the help
sent to the camp by way of volunteers. Lt. Colonel Thomas Taylor, retired
Air Force, residing on the shores of the lake, has spent hundreds of hours
blazing trails at the camp, making shrines, bridges and resting places that
would rival any state park. Steve Hassen, Colonel Taylor’s trusty colleague,
helped him on all the trails as they carried lumber, chopped brush and trees.
“Saint James’ Trek” and “Saint Kateri’s Trail” are among the hiking trails
encircling the property, complete with breathtaking landscapes and multiple
shrines.
Father Joel Keifer, FSSP, offers the Holy Sacrifice
Yes, the camp that Mary built is kept alive by those who love her. This
of the Mass during the Morning Star Camp
spring new curtains made and donated by Maureen Swink of Washington, DC,
program. Note the new corpus above the altar.
were hung in the dining facility. Joe Luca of Long Island, New York, made a
new corpus
for the chapel crucifix, painted in such a touching and devotional
manner. The Huslin Family donated 50 life preservers last year and a
new projector, cart and screen this year, a wonderful and long needed
item. Pat Battis built a puppet stage and he, Jim Rock and Oliver
McMahone made Inkle Looms for the art classes. Charlie Fields of
Washington, NH, donated a bell for the dining facility which was
mounted by Jim Rock.
Above: Sisters guide young crafters in the art of weaving on looms
made by friends.
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From The Center
Most of the food is donated by local
companies, and during camp, families also sent
food: 200 ears of corn, jams and homemade
breads, just to mention a few. Many more generous
donations have shown the support of families who
love Montfort and Morning Star Camps.
Enrollment this year doubled at Morning Star
Leadership Camp and maxed out in the other two
weeks. Montfort Retreats also met their quota of
young men campers. Both programs thank the
volunteers who staffed it so wonderfully.
Now the last phase of the Retreat facility
isin the works with the building of a Priest’s
cabin, a Trading Post for registration and a First
Aid station. May the Morning Star, Our Blessed
Mother, bless all those who made it possible and
keep it going!
Please consider helping complete the
last phase of the building of Montfort, by
contributing to the expense of the new buildings
needed for the facility!
Brother Anthony Marie instructs young boys in how to rig a sailboat during
the 2013 session of Montfort Boy’s Camp.
Above: Blackrobe Crossing, a creative pass across the stream of Saint James Trek, is one of the works
of friends of Montfort, Thomas Taylor and Steve Hassen.
Above: The last phase of the facility is in the works! The Trading Post (above left) will be put into use with the 2014 programs, as
well as the Chaplain / Security Guard Cabin, which is in the first stages of building (above right.)
From The Center
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Morning Star Goes
West
The “Lone Star State” once again welcomed Our
Lady, The Morning Star, whose presence was felt during
the mini-camp at the Latin Mass community of Mater
Dei Parish in Dallas, Texas, on April 12-13, 2013.
Five Sisters, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, flew from Boston to provide the program which
started on Friday, April 12, with an array of morning
activities for boys and girls and then an afternoon walk/
hike for families at the nearby Campion Trail. That
evening, a dinner in the Parish Hall gave parents and
college students a chance to meet the Sisters and learn
The Sisters lead a sing-a-long with campers and
families before the hike.
Privilege to Serve
Sister Magdalene Marie’s group shows off their arts and crafts
projects.
about the work of the Slaves of The Immaculate Heart at Saint Benedict
Center and True Devotion to Mary.
The second day was a Morning Star day for girls only, with a colorful
program of prayer, catechism, singing, dancing, crafts and games. It was
a great day of fun and faith mixed together in the spirit of True Devotion,
“To Jesus through Mary.” That evening the Sisters joined the parish Youth
Group at a talk by Father Wolfe, FSSP, and other activities.
It was a wonderful experience to be with such an enthusiastic Catholic
group of young people and their families at Mater Dei Parish!
Morning Star “mobile” has already been invited to a few more parishes
across the country for youth group gatherings and mini-camps. We are
so happy to have this opportunity to share a little of the fun and spirit of
Morning Star, and spread devotion “to Jesus through Mary” across the
country! Let us know if your parish is interested.
Here at Saint Benedict Center we are blessed to have the
Latin Tridentine Mass daily. Serving at the altar of God is
something almost every young boy in the school is privileged
to be a part of. Under the tutelage of Brother Matthew,
the boys rise from torch-bearer and acolyte to Master of
Ceremony; enjoying the honor of the closest place to Our
Lord during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, processions,
benediction and the most glorious feast days through the year.
From The Center
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Beautiful
Monastery
Grounds
The over twenty acres that
make up Saint Benedict Center’s
grounds are blessed as some of the
loveliest acreage in New England.
But it’s a lot of work to keep the
grounds looking their best!
During the summer months
there are a couple of hours of
lawn mowing at least once a
Brother Christopher Isaac starts the
week, and there are always
mower up for the job.
gardens to be weeded, shrubs to
be clipped and a variety of shrines
throughout the grounds to be attended to in order to keep things looking their
very best.
With the newly stone-faced bell mounted on the convent grounds, and
plans for renovating the Sisters’ vegetable garden and the picnic area, visitors
may find themselves in different settings for the May Procession and August
picnic in the next year or so!
Mission: “To Be”
Joe and Mike Maney put the finishing touches on
the bell mounted near the cemetery.
Two MICM Sisters spent a grace-filled week on mission to Ecuador
from April 27 to May 2. The mission was among the poor in the towns
of Arbolito and Monte Sinai and was organized by a priest from Boston
for students—not to work in Third World countries, but to be in Third
World countries. The giving in this program was done by the poor to the
visitors, not the other way around! The trip was sponsored by a friend
of the Sisters in order
for them to observe
this very unique and
successful approach to
instilling in American
youth a compassionate
way of understanding life
without comforts.
Sister Marie-Jean helps a student at an after school
The Sisters
program for local children.
experienced first hand the
warmth and hospitality of
the Ecuadorians and the simplicity of their everyday life. They spent time talking with
the people there, eating their food, listening to their sufferings and teaching the children
in an after-school program for the poor. Many children gravitated to the Sisters, happily
joining them in singing a simple round of the “Ave Maria.”
One of the other programs they participated in was a visit to the Padre
Damien House in Guayaquil where patients afflicted with Hanson’s Disease
(leprosy) are well cared for by a dedicated staff. Another highlight was visiting
Madre Lucille at the Saint Phillip Neri School in Monte Sinai. As principal, Madre
is determined to provide a much-needed Catholic education to students in Grades
1-6, in spite of governmental moves to close private schools.
It was an incredible experience that illustrated well that our American
Ecuadorian children gather around Sister
materialism is not what makes you happy; many of these people had nothing but
Miriam Teresa during the program.
the Holy Catholic Faith—and it was enough!
From The Center
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Rest in Peace
“Bob” Gillin – Close
friend and benefactor, Robert
Gillin, peacefully passed into
eternity on February 16, 2013
surrounded by his family. He
was 82 years old. “Bob,” as he
was known, was born and raised
in Vermont. He proudly served
as a Naval Aviator before retiring
from active duty as an Aviation
Instructor, but continued with
the Naval Reserves.
He and his family moved to Saint Benedict Center
from Illinois in 1975. Bob participated in the many
spiritual and educational opportunities offered here
and he and his wife, Virginia, became one of the first
couples to join the Third Order of the Slaves of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1977, when it began. All
of his daughters, Elizabeth, Ann, Kathleen, and Eileen,
attended school at the Center, and one of them, Sister
Mary Elizabeth, RN, joined the community in 1976.
Bob graciously lent his cabin on Isle la Motte,
Vermont to the community for many years as a retreat
for the summer and other families from the Center, also
enjoyed it through his generosity. Even in his resting
place Bob is still close to the Center, as he and Virginia
are buried in the cemetery in Harvard less than a mile
from the monastery. May he rest in peace.
Please pray for the repose of his soul.
Please Also Remember…
Chet Tremper – died on August 28th after a four and
a half year battle with liver cancer. His educe baffled
doctors but was attributed to his prayers and those of his
family. He was a faithful attendee at IHM chapel and will
be missed by all. He leaves behind his wife, Maryellen,
and their two sons, Charlie and Joseph who attended
IHM school.
Eternal rest grant unto him.
Pauline Dion – mother of past IHM teacher, Dr.
John Dion, and mother-in-law of Maureen, his wife and
present teacher at IHM, passed away on the eve of the
Assumption. Pauline fought for years for the return of
the Tridentine Mass and was a faithful attendee at IHM.
She was pre-deceased by her husband but leaves behind
grandchildren, Matthew and Yvonne who attended IHM
and Paul, Mark and John who are still students here.
She will be missed by family and friends alike. May
she rest in peace.
Loretta Lemlin – Loving wife of Joe and frequent
visitor and supporter of SBC, passed into eternity on July
5th after a long battle with cancer. Her happy face and
frequent visits will be missed. Rest in peace, Loretta.
Our Catholic Future
The woods of New Hampshire have been alive with activity
this past summer! Morning Star Leadership Camp for Catholic
Girls started off the season in June, followed by the week of
Montfort Boys Camp, directed by the Brothers, and two weeks
of Morning Star Girls Camp, directed by the Sisters. Montfort
Youth Retreat for high school and college-aged young men
finished up the “year” at Montfort.
It was wonderful to see campers from as far away
as Alaska, California, Texas, Indiana, Arkansas, Virginia,
the Carolinas and all along the East Coast, come to claim
their bunk in the cabins of Montfort Retreat, don their camp
tee-shirts and participate in a week of fun activities “to Jesus
through Mary.”