From The Isle Of St Joseph
As Fr Julian Tennyson Woods called it, Tasmania is the “Isle of St Joseph”. An extra reason for us, who have St Joseph as secondary patron of the Priory of which his Immaculate Spouse is the principal patroness, to invoke this extraordinary man on his feast day. From my 32 years at St Joseph Abbey […]
Of Pilgrimages And Vineyards
Over the weekend aspirants David and Matt were privileged to take part in the first pilgrimage organised by Archbishop Porteous from the historic church of St John’s in Richmond to the equally historic church of St Patrick’s in Colebrook. A good group of pilgrims joined the archbishop, including several religious sisters from the diocese. We […]
“My Eyes Are Always To The Lord” (Psalm 24)
19 March, 3rd Sunday of Lent The anguish felt by the patriarch Joseph when he was sold into slavery by his own brethren, the distress of the heart of our Blessed Lord pursued by the malice of the elders of his own people, the dark fear of those who are still under the power of […]
Retreat Over, Back To Work!
After a week of deeper prayerful reflection on the mysteries of our faith under the guidance of St Benedict and St Ignatius, the monks are now gearing themselves up for the work that lies ahead. Two things in particular are going to keep them quite occupied in the coming weeks. First and foremost, the search […]
One Step At A Time, And At Last The Retreat
Slowly but surely the small community of Notre Dame Priory is settling in. Our temporary accommodations in Lindisfarne are gradually taking on the appearance and atmosphere of a Benedictine monastery, with the sound of the bell punctuating our existence seven times day. The aspirants now each have their allotted “obedience”, meaning their specific task within […]
Lent And St Joseph
Every year Lent overlaps with the month of St Joseph, but every few years the beginning of Lent coincides with the beginning of the month: an invitation from Divine Providence to look up towards this extraordinary man whom the Son of God Incarnate chose to call “Papa”, seeing in him the image of His Eternal […]
30 Day Novena
On this first day of March, the monks of Notre Dame Priory are starting a Thirty Day Novena to St Joseph for the very important intention of finding the spot in Tasmania chosen by Almighty God for the definitive establishment of our monastery. We are provisionally located in Lindisfarne, a suburb of Hobart, in a […]
A Day That Will Long Be Remembered
Wednesday 22 February 2017, feast of the Chair of St Peter, saw a crowd of 150 people make their way to a small, but exquisite neo-gothic church in the town of Colebrook Tasmania. They came to take part in a Solemn Mass of Inauguration for a new Benedictine Monastic foundation in Tasmania. The Solemn Mass […]
Back To The Burgundy Of The Antipodes
Yesterday, 20th February, Fr Prior returned to Hobart where he was met by several young men, candidates to monastic life. Their first task, after thanking Divine Providence for bringing them to these shores, was to move into the provisional accommodations provided for them by the archdiocese of Hobart (see photos). The house, a former presbytery, […]
