01/21/08
In general, monks do not celebrate birthdays. Instead the whole community honors the monk on the feast day of the saint’s name which he receives when he makes simple vows (3 year long vows). On September 3rd one of our novices took the name of St. Anthony of the Desert. This year on January 17, feast of St. Anthony, we had extra cause to celebrate.
The town of Norcia is small (perhaps 3 square miles within the walls) but has 12 churches. One of these is the Church of St. Anthony of the Desert, attached to the Benedictine convent of nuns. Every year for their feast, the Archbishop offers a Pontifical Mass and the monks serve and sing. Then the nuns invite all to a very festive Pranzo (see photo). Our Br. Anthony is the head cook so he never has to worry about making Pranzo on his name’s day.
In Umbria St. Anthony has always been known as the patron saint of shepherds and farm animals. His feast day attracts all the men involved in agriculture in the valley surrounding Norcia. They attend the Mass and Pranzo and greet the Archbishop. In the afternoon, they each bring a few of their animals inside the city walls to the piazza in front of the Church. There, the chaplain of the nuns imparts a solemn blessing on the famers and their animals. Locals also bring their dogs and cats. One young boy we know brought his fish bowl.
The feast is also a good occasion to see the Archbishop and arrange for upcoming events. It was decided that I would be ordained a deacon on April 1, the transferred feast of St. Benedict (normally March 21 but this year that falls in Holy Week). I seek your prayers.
More news after the feast of S. Scholastica (Feb. 10)
-Brother Subprior Benedict Nivakoff, OSB
