I'm Visiting The Motherhouse!

[NonNovi]

Maybe I already mentioned it somewhere, but next weekend I'm visiting the motherhouse of the greatest congregation in the world, the Servi Jesu et Mariae! Saturday they have ordinations (1 priest and 1 deacon if I'm not mistaken) and a friend of mine, their only Belgian priest, wanted to go. But not alone, so I had to come

And the best thing is, we leave at 3 AM (okay, that's not so great, I need my sleep) so friday I have to spend the night at the brand new SJM-monastery in Belgium. Saturday we stay in the motherhouse in Austria and we're returning on sunday, again spending the night in the Belgian monastery because it will be too late to catch a train home. I'm so excited!

I visited the motherhouse once, in december. But there weren't many religious present, because a lot of them accompanied boyscout wintercamps (it's an active congregation). But for the ordinations, most of them will be there I expect, it will be so nice to meet more of them (they might be my brothers in the future you know). I'll definitely let you all know how it was when I return.

This is where I will spend the night on saturday, the SJM-motherhouse in Austria.

[img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384014_10150498461056740_1233561223_n.jpg[/img]

[PhuturePriest]

[i]A[/i]wesome! I'm so happy and excited for you!

[inperpetuity]

Oh, how exciting for you! They look like a good community. Seems like Europe has a lot of really good commuities. Prayers for your discernment

[i<3franciscans]

Congrats!!! I am so excited for you.


Prayers.

[NonNovi]

I'm back, it was amesome! (we really need a little priest doing this)

Friday afternoon I went to the SJM-monastery in Brussels (it's not completely theirs yet, there's also a little secular community of 4 "sisters"). A wonderfull building, I love the chapels (there are 2) and the long hallways. My friend, father G. lives there in one wing, the sisters in another one. He celebrated Mass (forma extraordinaria) at 3.15AM in the little chapel, I served Mass. You can't imagine how beautiful that was, the whole monastery asleep, everything still dark and silent, and then a priest at his altar, the altar bells ringing at consecration... Magical

After Mass we left for Austria, wich is a very long trip (10 hours driving). We arrived at 14.15 PM. Alas the ordination Mass started at 14.00PM, and the (Belgian) organ player was in our car... Luckily they found someone else to play the beginning. Because we where late, I had too stand in the back and I wasn't the only one.The basilica where the ordinations took place was completely filled, young people and families everywhere! The Mass itself was Novus Ordo in Latin ad orientem, celebrated by cardinal Brandmüller. Father superior was one of the concelebrants (I received communion from him). It was beautiful.
You can see some footage on [url="http://de.gloria.tv/?media=340157"]GloriaTV[/url] (0:39). The news anchor was at the ordinations herself, father G. knows her very well.

Then we went to the motherhouse for dinner. I finally met a facebook friend, it was kind of funny because we didn't know the both of us would be there. Some of the postulants, novices, scholastics and priests already know me and greeted me warmly.Unfortunatly, too many of them where present for the occasion (after their ordination most of the priest are send somewhere do to apostolate), all the rooms were taken and I had to sleep in the presbytery of the village (the parish priest and vicar are SJM-priests). But anyway, right before dinner we crossed the cardinal in the hallway and greeted him. He knew the city where I live and how to pronounce it! After dinner the students of the SJM boarding school performed "Joan of Arc" in the courtyard, [url="http://de.gloria.tv/?media=177654"]a play they already did in their school[/url] earlier this year. It was pretty spectacular. The evening ended with the cardinal's blessing, time for confession and people could subscribe for an hour of adoration. The list of subscribers would decide how long the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed in the big chapel. But I didn't go to adoration, it was already late and we were tired from the journey.

The next day (sunday) father G. celebrated his daily Mass in the little chapel of the motherhouse at 7.15AM. Of course I served Mass. When I carried around the missal to the other side for the Gospel (in the extraordinary form, the missal switches sides) I suddenly noticed the cardinal sitting in the chapel! His private Mass was at 8.00, but he came early to pray and thus attended our Mass. A nice surprise

After breakfast we had to miss the First Mass of the newly ordained priest to leave for Belgium again. At noon we made a little detour to visit Germany's most known pilgrimage place (Altötting). In the car we prayed the rosary and arrived back in the monastery in Brussels at 11PM. This morning we had Mass in the little chapel with the sisters (forma ordinaria, ad orientem in the vernacular) and brought communion to a sick sister. When I said goodbye to them to return home (had to go to school this afternoon), they didn't want me to leave. Normally they don't have altar servers for a weekday Mass. This morning they were touched by the beauty of Mass, it was a "Novus Ordo Mass with the sacredness of a Tridentine Mass". One sister said she had tears in her eyes when she heard us pass with the blessed sacrament afterwards for the communion of the sick (I rang a bell every few meters). They wished I could serve Mass every day. Very nice compliment, isn't it?

Edited October 1, 2012 by NonNovi