May Easter Blessings
Fill you and yours
With Peace and Love
This
Joyful Easter Time
Alleluia!!!
Easter Friday
Dear Friends,
Easter Greetings from all here at Nunraw!
Good news! On Palm Sunday I printed the last page of the master copies for the Antiphonary. Well not quite, the printer started from the last page but after some pages the ink cartridge dried up. I guess I can expect this sort of thing to happen if I work on Sunday!
Good Friday. I’m sorry for the delay in keeping you up to date. However I’ll not send this off until next week in order to give you my impressions of the Holy Week and Easter liturgy here. It is fascinating for me and you might find it interesting. On his return from Nsugbe, in January, Dom Raymond said that their liturgy was out of this world, far better than Nunraw, he modestly added. I suppose he would say the same of Bamenda? The singing here is not bad considering their fewness of numbers. Most of the monks certainly give out their voices.
Most of the community are also involved in liturgical functions. One of the priests acts as cross-bearer! Today, Donald was celebrant and took Christ’s part in the reading of the Passion, At the Prayers of Intercession, The deacon read the introductory paragraph and then the celebrant sang the prayer. This arrangement made life easier for the celebrant. The Abbot played the organ. A lay woman was narrator and a Poor Clare nun took the part of individuals. The congregation took the part of the crowd. During the reading, at certain points, the Refrain of the Good Thief was sung and repeated by All. It was very impressive. The church was packed. Fifty Guests, resident for the weekend, swelled the ranks. Only the celebrant and readers made full prostration at the ‘Eloi lama sabachthani’. The community need the cooperation of the Faithful, but it does give a great sense of solidarity and homeliness in God’s House. Hymn books etc. are provided on Sundays and Feasts. On Holy Thursday the Celebrant washed the feet of monks and a group of lay people, including men, women and children, but not priests. We were not in bare feet, fortunately, as there is still ice on the puddles! Alas! On waking up for the Easter Vigil at 10 pm I woke up with a bad cold. Thus I missed the Easter Vigil that I so much wished to attend.
I’ve been preparing the master copies for printing but, alas, I do not have the ‘Psalms and Third Nocturns for Feasts’. Nor do I ha
ve the ‘Ordinary of the Mass’. I think Br Luke sent me one or other of these, or maybe both, but neither have reached me??? If they are ready, please send me hard copy by post, also by email attachment and flash drive or floppy diskette. Only two computers here have floppy drives and neither are reliable so a flash drive is the best option. I will forge ahead hoping that the missing items will arrive in reasonable time. The Bishop’s House will know if some missionaries are going on home leave.
It is a great relief to have finished the editing and be able to follow the Paschal liturgy with a free mind. I was looking forward to attending the Paschal Vigil but when I woke up at 10.00 pm I had my first cold since my arrival so I had to stay put. The weather turned bitterly cold and we had a white Easter Sunday with plenty of snow and sleet. With renewed Good Wishes for Paschal Time and Pentecost to you and all the Brethren. With St Bernard, ‘I miss you all but you only miss one of the family’!
Yours in the love of Our Risen Lord
Br Nivard
4th April. PS. Spring time at last with a fine warm week. We have begun to reduce our winter clothing. However they are still on hand as snowy showers are expected on Sunday!
No news from Bamenda Abbey, no emails, no blogs and no web site update. I do hope your Internet is OK or soon will be. I'll also send this by snail mail to be sure. N. My Blog address: www.fathernivard.org.uk/
