Eucharist Gone: Benedictine Nuns Enjoy Self-Led Liturgies

en.news2 years agoedited

The twenty nuns of the Benedictine convent in Fahr, Switzerland, have been celebrating their own liturgy instead of the Eucharist for years, prioress Irene Gassmann, 58, told Katholisch.de (25 November).

The community was founded in 1130 and is linked to the famous Benedictine monastery of Einsiedeln, whose abbot is also the abbot of Fahr.

There has been no priest in the convent since 2006 and the Eucharist is celebrated only twice a week.

On three days of the week, the nuns receive communion at noon. On the other two days there is a common reading of Scripture, and on Saturdays there is Eucharistic Adoration.

Prioress Gassmann finds it "great" that the Benedictine monks of Einsiedeln Abbey "trust" them to invent "new ways and forms of prayer".

"It is encouraging that we, as a community of women, can celebrate the Liturgy of the Word ourselves".

But: "Some older sisters found it difficult".

It was a "deep break in monastic spirituality".

Sister Gassmann wears a tunic and stole for special celebrations or public services, such as the Good Friday liturgy or Ash Wednesday, and also when she preaches in parishes.

She has been leading the Good Friday liturgy at the monastery for years.

A little surprising point of the interview: There are currently no candidates to join the community.

Picture: Fahr © wikicommons CC BY-SA, #newsWhuovcqolm

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Orthocat2 years agoedited

If one reads the whole article, it states Mass is offered twice a week. I assume by a priest, but I figure he doesn't reside as a chaplain on the premises [I take that is why they said "There has been no priest in the convent since 2006."] Three other days they have a that dreaded N. O. invention of "communion services" where pre-consecrated hosts are given out in a bare bones 'liturgy' which has Bible readings & the Our Father - but no Eucharistic canon. Unfortunately, modernist nuns like to tinker around with the format - as we can see here by the quotes from the sisters, so the mind boggles at what they include.
This is related to a funny incident that happened to me. Once I stayed as a retreatant at a progressive community of nuns - I had no idea they were so when I made the arrangements. I had already paid so, I thought I'd 'offer it up' and at least go to Mass, eat lunch, then leave quietly citing some type of emergency. Well at Mass the sister superiors (called "leadership team") sat in the sanctuary while poor father had to sit in the nave with me and other visitors. It was obvious this was done to emphasize it was their space for women only! They were some offshoot of the Franciscans, but did all sort of strange readings from eclectic sources like Gandhi, etc. It was in June on the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. At lunch I asked the guest mistress why they didn't celebrate this great Franciscan saint. She said they didn't have the right readings. I pulled out my Roman missal & breviary and showed her the text. She was not amused.

Hound of Heaven2 years ago

It doesn't sound 'catholic' to me. "There has been no priest in the convent since 2006..." could mean that there was purposely no priest assigned to do so, that there was a clerical error and no priest was assigned and no one at the monastery informed the local archdiocese of this, or that the monastery specifically requested that no priest was needed. There are other variations, but it beggars belief that any nuns worthy of the name would not wish to attend the mass and to receive the consecrated eucharist as often as possible. I suppose this item is on Bergoglio's desk under all of the more pressing matters like synods, James Martin invites, and such.

doghouseriley52 years ago

Clerical error.

SonoftheChurch2 years agoedited

O Sisters, how sad that you have betrayed your Spouse and abandoned the Faith. You have chosen spiritual whoredom over fidelity, worldly pride over purity of soul. The canker of your blasphemies bleeds profusely upon all that you do, and in your unrighteous ignorance you have drunken copiously from the putrid and poisonous cup of rebellion, profaning the altar of Christ and forsaking your most holy Vows. May you return to obedience and to the fount of holiness and be cleansed from the stain and stench of your iniquities. Else, the fierce and severe punishment of your sure and invincible judgment will be both grievous and disastrous, falling upon you suddenly at a time you know not. O Sisters, turn from your wickedness and recover yourselves from the clutches of the Evil One before it is too late.

Father Karl A Claver2 years ago

God will not be mocked by such garbage.