Requiem for Dom Gérard

Dear Friends,
Tomorrow, on the 1st of March, we shall commemorate the second anniversary of the death of Dom Gerard († February 28, 2008), our founder at Bedoin and then at Le Barroux, and we shall celebrate a Requiem Mass on that day for him.

Barroux Abbey Church – Dom Gerard’s Funeral

We long with all our strength, here at Villatalla, to live in its purity the liturgical and monastic grace which Dom Gérard received at Bedoin in 1970, which he knew how to protect and pass on by example and by words (for which he had a gift): a grace of founding of which I was a privileged witness, being his first companion and disciple; a grace that was focused in the untiring quest for an interior life fed from the twofold source of the Benedictine Rule and the customs handed down partly by our elders, partly by the traditional and divine liturgy.

“In a spirit of unity within the Community, we do not concelebrate according to Paul VI’s rite, even outside the monastery.” (D. Gérard, April 25, 1997.)

Thirty-five years later, faced with a dispute, he would protest with force: “I repeat that I have never—never—wished to introduce the use of the new rite. Not only have I not wished it, but during thirty years we have held the course, formed the community in the sense of this faithfulness, defying prohibitions on this matter, which are changed now into gracious permissions and congratulations from high up”.
It is through both monastic and liturgical loyalty that the inner life establishes, little by little, its kingdom in our soul. Such was his deepest conviction. It is also by this dual loyalty that we shall testify to an authentic filial devotion. An authentic filial devotion which, as Jean Madiran points out, is not only “to recognise oneself as an insolvent debtor in one’s own being”, but also “to know that the received heritage has to be passed on and not to be used only for one’s own benefit”.

Filial devotion is not a ‘superfluous adornment’ of monastic life but a ‘condition of its survival’. Madiran’s harsh but true words, on the irreligious of the country apply equally and indeed more so, to the religious impiety:

“Because the irreligious person, neglecting or being unconcerned towards the intellectual and moral life he has received, although part of his being, is ungrateful towards those who have fed and armed his soul. He will be as a result unable to pass on in his turn, this immaterial wealth. Influenced, as we always are, more by actions than by speeches, he will pass on his own indifference, his own ingratitude. He will breathe and inspire a spirit of ignorance of the moral heritage of the homeland. If we do not honour, we start to neglect. We become indifferent. We find ourselves helpless in the face of mockery and contempt that sooner or later will move from the background to the forefront, and will speak up without restraint”. (Jean Madiran, Une Civilisation Blessée au Cœur, p. 34.)

“What does the past matter as the past, exclaimed Gustave Thibon then, do you not see that, when I cry on the breaking up of a tradition, it is, above all, of the future that I am thinking of? When I see a root rot I feel sorry for the flowers which will dry up tomorrow for lack of sap. These are the reasons why we must fervently keep the most sacred forms of the Catholic Liturgy.”

Earlier happiness (1977) at Bedoin, fruit of the founder’s grace

It is therefore with a filial gratitude, that this Monday, the 1st March, we will offer the holy sacrifice of the mass for the soul of the one who was for many, a beacon and for us a father and a teacher. He was able to show us the radiant path of the absolute monastic life.

Driven by this filial spirit, we are delighted that, in honour and memory of Dom Gerard, an Italian oblate of Le Barroux has undertaken a translation of his works in the beautiful and noble language of Dante. It can be found on a website (romualdica.blogspot.com). Dear Italian friends, you will find here a treasure for the spiritual life of your soul, and a genuine and eloquent heritage, which has been the background of monastic spirituality since it’s origins.

Brother Jehan, mbi

Prayers for vocations

Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, model of the consecrated life

It is now a year and a half since we were invited by Mgr Oliveri to transplant the monastic life into Villatalla. Thanks to numerous friends and benefactors, we hope to finish setting up house soon. But at the moment, what we need more than material help are your prayers, so that the Lord will send us solid vocations as pioneers of the foundation.

Say an Ave every day for Vocations for Villatalla. Thank you!

We ask you, who are reading our blog with kindness and charity, for this alms of an Ave every day for this intention.

We were hoping soon for the presence of Brother Ansgar Santogrossi, who had come to spend the past two summers with us and had intended to remain with us for good this year. Man proposes and God disposes, and Providence has now decided otherwise. As for Brother Egidio-Marie, who made a six-month trial with the community, he has finally decided to return among his brothers the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.

We find ourselves then only two again, Brother Toussaint and myself, to carry out the daily tasks and chant the entire Divine Office as well as conventual Mass. It makes me remember the beginning of Bedoin in 1970, a beginning which called for always a great generosity and constancy.

With the grace of God, everything is possible, but prudence teaches that it isn’t wise to put too much strain on “Brother Ass” (as St. Francis called the body). Your prayers to obtain vocations are the most necessary and most precious help that you can offer us for the development in number and fervor of this community which is still in the process of coming into existence.

We are expecting, true, three postulants for spring and summer. May Heaven grant that they are made for us! Now then, your Ave! We thank you with all our hearts.

Brother Jehan, mbi

Christmas in Liguria

In spite of the freezing winter which has come over Italy (it is often 5°C—in the forties Fahrenheit—in our church), the sun sometimes puts in an appearance over our land of Liguria and leaves the chastity and beauty of its landscape untouched.


We are able to provide as a witness this wonderful winter sunrise where you can see Corsica and its mountains on the edge of the horizon.


These flaming colours inspired our Christmas card, done by a computer whiz friend, Francine Carpentier, who has by this modern means also come to the defence of the memory and the honour of Pope Pius XII. See these remarkable videos by clicking these links: Première Partie ; Deuxième Partie ; Troisième Partie.

Relics of St. Athanasia at Villatalla

The Poor Clares of Paris have had for more than a century the relics of a young Roman virgin-martyr of the fourth century, whose age, according to a legal statement, was not more than thirteen. The maiden bears the lovely name of Saint Athanasia, from the Greek Athanatos, immortal.

White waxen figure containing her remains. In the right hand, a vase contains her dried blood. Sur la châsse, un second reliquaire contenant le chef.

Her relics, whole, were discovered in the Roman catacombs with the wreckage of an ampoule of Venetian glass where the martyr’s blood had been kept.

At some point now unknown to us, the relics were transferred to Florence and venerated in the basilica of the Trinity. Then, a legal statement of December 30, 1891, signed by the curé, shows us that they were given to the sisters of the Interior of Mary (what a lovely title!) at the Grand Montrouge at Paris.

Placed in 1904 at the home of the vicar of Montrouge, the saint’s body would not return among the Sisters because they had lost hope of re-forming their Congregation. In 1913 it was transferred to the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Amette, who entrusted it to the Poor Clares of Paris, in 5 Villa de Saxe.

At this moment, because of the vocations crisis, the convent must close its doors and liquidate all its goods. With the mediation of a Benedictine-oblate friend, the Mother Abbess offers to the monks of Villatalla the worthy relic, which, while waiting to be transferred to the church here, has been placed in the traditional school CoursSaint-Benoît (www.courssaintbenoit.fr), founded in Fontenay Mauvoisin by Luc Perrouin.

At the request of Higoumene Nikon, the superior of the Russian monastery Saint Pantalaimon at Moscow, Father Jehan gave him the small reliquary containing a part of the skull of the virgin martyr for the church of St Nikita the Megalomartyr at Moscow, and wrote these lines to him:

“We will ask this saint of Paradise, who will henceforth unite us in prayer, to obtain for us the grace of a perfect ecclesial union under one shepherd’s crook. May the prayer of Jesus be heard: that they may be one as We are one”.

At last St. Athanasia’s sacred relic, expatriated for more than a century in France, made her return to Italy on October 23, and comes now to bless and protect by her presence the little monastic community and the parish of Villatalla.

She will rest henceforth at the foot of the altar of Notre-Dame du Secours, at the right side of the church, where monks and faithful come each day to recommend themselves to the power of her intercession.

“Among all the miracles of Thy power, Thou hast given, O Lord, even to weak young women to receive the martyr’s victory. In the day in which we celebrate the heavenly birthday of St. Athanasia, Virgin and Martyr, give us, by inspiring us with her example, the grace to persevere to Thee” (collect of the Mass).

Visit to Mons. Guido Pozzo

A few days after our annual retreat, another event — important for us and the traditionalist world —, was our visit to the new secretary of the Pontifical Commissione Ecclesia Dei, Mons. Pozzo, who had only been recently installed.

Together with Brother Ansgar Santogrossi and Brother Toussaint we were received in a most cordial manner.

We simply and directly mentioned our situation in Villatalla and Mons.Oliveri’s welcome in respect of our own right, which foresees the exclusive use of the traditional rite of Mass.
Then we talked about the interpretation of the conciliar documents in the light of the imminent discussions between the Vatican and the priestly fraternity of St Pius X.

So herewith a short resume of the meeting which certainly marks an opening and a step forward towards the recognition of the values defended by the traditional movement, even if we do not share all points stated by the new secretary of the Ecclesia Dei Commission .

1. Mons. Pozzo told us that according to the letter accompanying the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, the roman rite exists under two forms and that no priest “can refuse to celebrate in principle, in either form». In practical terms it means that, in his opinion, a priest who normally celebrates in the extraordinary form and who finds himself in a situation of pastoral necessity where the competent authority demands a celebration in the ordinary form, should accept to do so.

Mons. Pozzo listened on the other hand to the opinion Mons.Stankiewicz, dean of the tribunal of the Rota, had expressed to Fr.Jehan after having read carefully the constitutions of Le Barroux and according to which a monk-priest of Le Barroux does not have the right to celebrate according to the Novus Ordo Missae, be it inside or outside the monastery. So the obligation to celebrate according to the ancient rite should be a particular right/obligation for the monks of Le Barroux, wherever they might be.

Mons.Pozzo said he knew Mons.Stankiewicz. He simply added by saying that if the pontifical letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum states that priests celebrating according to the ancient rite cannot refuse as a matter of principle the celebration of the newer form, this nevertheless leaves the possibility of a right proper to certain societies of which the members are to celebrate according to the ancient rite exclusively.

2. Concerning the Second Vatican Council, for Mons.Pozzo, the problem has less to do with the actual texts than with their abusive interpretation and application, according to that well known “spirit of the Council”. But after so many years of a quasi-monopoly of public expression in the media and in the Church, it has now become very difficult indeed to separate this “spirit of the council” from the actual texts. We must then explain this difference to the FSSPX (Fraternity of St. Pius X) and, therefore, its members will now be able to accept the texts of the Council.

When he was responded to that the FSSPX knows this line of thinking very well but continues to state there are serious problems within the conciliar texts themselves, Mons.Pozzo altered his view:
* It is true, he added, that there are badly formulated and unclear parts in these texts. This is due to the fact that the conciliar fathers wanted to avoid the classical theological language, in order to speak in a way “more accessible to man at that time”. This of course, can bring up ambiguities, but it does not mean a deliberate intention to change or deny Catholic traditional doctrine. On the contrary, the fathers considered catholic doctrine to be indisputable. Only the manner of expression was altered for pastoral reasons. In this view it is therefore legitimate to criticize unclear parts of the texts from a doctrinal point of view, as taught before. But one should not give them a heterodox meaning, as there was never any intention to change traditional doctrine. According to a healthy hermeneutic, the lines of Vatican II giving difficulty are to be understood in a manner not going against the previous constant Magisterium, as it is the same Magisterium teaching in and for all times.
* Thus are to be distinguished in the documents, an indeed in every document, the re-affirmation of dogma and traditional faith, proposals taught as doctrine from the authentic Magisterium of exhortations, directives and finally of opinions and theological explanations brought forward by the Council without any pretention to bind (pretesa di vincolare) the catholic conscience. The pure and simple acceptance of opinions the Council itself did not impose with the pretension of demanding intellectual consent are therefore not to be imposed on Catholics. Concerning this point, it would be useful to go through the theological notes that theology and the Magisterium brought together over the centuries. Unfortunately, even bishops today are not capable of making such nuances in the documents of the Church.