In the common vocation

Bose, September 2007

This year at the September ecumenical conference, perhaps to some extent because of the theme we had chosen — since the Lord’s Transfiguration has always been very dear to the monastic tradition both in the East and in the West — the participation of those who share the same vocation with us was unusually numerous and varied.

This year at the September ecumenical conference, perhaps to some extent because of the theme we had chosen — since the Lord’s Transfiguration has always been very dear to the monastic tradition both in the East and in the West — the participation of those who share the same vocation with us was unusually numerous and varied. We have had the joy, thus, of having with us monks and nuns from Greece (Athens, Karditsa, and Preveza), from Romania (Ia?i), from Russia (Holy Trinity-St Sergius lavra, Danilov monastery in Moscow), from Mount Sinai (Monastery of St Catherine), from Italy (Poffabbro, Valserena, Pra’d Mill, Dumenza, Montaner), from France (Mont-des-Cats, Tamié, La Pierre-qui-Vire, Taizé, St Antoine le Grand), from Belgium (Wauvremont, Clerlande, Chevetogne), from England (Maldon) and from Germany (Skete St Spyridon of Geilnau). Other monks and nuns have visited us at other times during these months. Of Italian monks and nuns we wish to mention fr. Mauro, abbot of the Subiaco monastery, and fr. Augusto, abbot visitator of the Italian province of the Subiaco Benedictine Congregation; fr. Michelangelo, abbot of Monte Oliveto; br. Cesare, br. Zeno, br. Isidoro, and br. Amedeo of Pra’d Mill); br. Antonio of Dumenza; br. Matteo of Camaldoli; fr. Roberto from the Camaldolese hermitage of Bardolino; fr. Filippo of the St Giustina monastery in Padua; fr. Marco and fr. Nino, who recently have settled in the St Joseph hermitage by Fiesole; sr. M. Clemente and sr. Antonietta Maria of Viboldone; sr. Daniela of Poffabbro; sr. M. Pia and sr. M. Gabriella of Civitella S. Paolo (Roma); sr. Stefania, Capuchin Poor Clare nun from Fabriano; sr. Cecilia of the Little Family of the Annunziata (Montesole). From foreign monasteries and monastic communities we have had the visit of: fr. Victor, abbot of Tamié (France);