Children of clergy -- Fiction; Clergy -- England -- Fiction
"Brethren, I scarcely dared to hope, when, now nearly ten years ago, I
received the vows of your Father Superior as a novice, that I should one
day be privileged to be present at this inspiring ceremony. Nor even
when five years ago in the far north-west of Canada I professed your
Father Superior and those two devoted souls who will soon be with you,
now that their work in Malta is for the time finished, did I expect to
find myself in this beautiful Oratory which your Order owes to the
generosity of a true son of the Church. My heart goes out to you, and I
thank God humbly that He has vouchsafed to hear my prayers and bless the
enterprise from which I had indeed expected much, but which Almighty God
has allowed to prosper more, far more, than I ventured to hope. All my
days I have longed to behold the restoration of the religious life to
our country, and now when my eyes are dim with age I am granted the
ineffable joy of beholding what for too long in my weakness and lack of
faith I feared was never likely to come to pass.
"The profession of our dear brother this morning is, I pray, an earnest
of many professions at Malford. May these first vows placed upon the
Altar of this Oratory be blessed by Almighty God! May our brother be
steadfast and happy in his choice! Brethren, I had meant to speak more
and with greater eloquence, but my heart is too full. The Lord be with
you."
Now Brother Anselm was clothed in the blessed habit while the brethren
sang:
_Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,_
_And lighten with celestial fire._
The Father Superior of the Order gave him the paternal kiss. He begged
the prayers of his brethren there assembled, and drawing the hood of his
cowl over his head prostrated himself again before the Altar. The Mass
proceeded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account