Dear Friends,
The monastery has been kept busy during the month of August simply because of the number of guests we have
welcomed both to the South Lodge and to the monastery guest house. The Lodge is booked almost every weekend
now by families or individuals wishing to stay, and the guest rooms of the monastery are full of
seminarians, deacons, and priests from various countries.
The seminarians cleaned and decorated the church for the Solemnity of the Assumption. The presence of so
many Latin Americans this year was a reminder to us of the depth of devotion of these young Brazilian and
Mexican seminarians to the Blessed Virgin. The Lady statue from the crypt, originally in the Abbey Church,
was carefully brought to the upper church and has remained there since.
Dom Alcuin saw his parents and other members of his family in Australia for the first time in some years.
He stayed with his old friend Bishop Jarrett (left) of Lismore, who stayed with us some years ago.
We asked you in the last edition of Laudetur for help in raising the money needed to pay for the new
vestments we acquired for feasts of Our Lady. I am delighted to say that the outstanding amount was cleared
within ten days of the appeal. This beautiful High Mass set was worn on the Solemnity of the Assumption. We
are very grateful to those of you who helped us in this way.
We are about to publish a number of new books. The first, already available, is A Beginner’s Book of Chant.
This is an introduction to the chant for those who wish to know more about it, or to sing it. It has been
written by a Benedictine monk and has in mind small choirs for whom Gregorian Chant is uncharted territory.
A review of this book appears in this edition of Laudetur.
As has been the case for the last few years, Christmas has dominated much of August. We have put our guests
to good use in preparing and packaging our Christmas cards in good time for the ‘Towards Advent’ gathering
in London in November and in good time to build up stock for the large orders we receive from various
shops. Our main retail outlet now is Saint Paul’s Bookshop by Westminster Cathedral. In addition to The
Beginner’s Book of Chant, we are also publishing, Looking again at the Liturgy with Cardinal Ratzinger,
and our new edition of The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described.
At the end of September we will celebrate as usual the Solemnity of Saint Michael, patron of our Abbey.
This year the feast is of particular significance in that it marks also the centenary of the Abbatial
Blessing of Abbot Cabrol, the first Conventual Prior and Abbot of Farnborough. One hundred years on we
still feel his presence and inspiration, and are planning various events to help celebrate this important
landmark in the history of our community.
Sincerely in the Lord,
rchived 
ews
