Mass on the Feast of the Passing of St Benedict

21 March 2009

Westminster Cathedral

Westminster Cathedral witnessed a unique sight on Saturday, 21st March, the Feast of the Passing of St Benedict, a feast day only celebrated by Benedictine monks and nuns. For the first time in the history of the Cathedral, an entire Benedictine school was present for the celebration of Mass. Over 500 students and staff of Worth School were just one part of the congregation of 1,500 people who joined the Abbot and Community of Worth as they celebrated the 75th anniversary of their foundation. They were welcomed by Cardinal Cormac, the Archbishop of Westminster in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz, representing Pope Benedict.

In his homily, Abbot Christopher Jamison, Abbot of Worth, explained that they had come to Westminster to celebrate all that Worth had received from and contributed to the life of the Catholic Church in England. He reminded the congregation of the great links between Westminster and the Benedictine order, going back over 1000 years to the founding of Westminster Abbey as a Benedictine monastery.  This ancient link had received modern expression in the life of Cardinal Hume during his 23 years as Archbishop of Westminster.

During the Mass, the choir performed one of the feast day texts in a setting by Colin Mawby, specially commissioned for the day, introduced by a fanfare of trumpets and saxophones. ‘Today is a landmark for our community, commented Abbot Christopher, as we come on pilgrimage with our school, our parish and our friends to the Mother Church of the Catholic community in England, to give thanks for God’s grace at work among us.’

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