Feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Fr. Bernard in the sacristy after Mass

On the Feast of St. Bernard this August 20th, the community Mass was celebrated by Fr. Bernard Do, one of our long-term guests from the Cistercian monastery of Our Lady of Grace in Vietnam. Fr. Bernard was ordained on June 26, 2010, in the abbey church of his monastery in Vietnam by Bishop Thomas, along with several of his brothers.

Fr. Bernard incensing the altar

Since this was his first Mass in our abbey church, Fr. Bernard blessed each of the brothers following Mass.

At the Opening Prayer used by Cistercians for the Feast of St. Bernard we pray:

Almighty and everliving God, 

Our Father St. Bernard was 

on fire with zeal for your 

house, enlightening and 

warming your Church.

By his prayers,

may we, too, be aglow with 

that spirit and ever walk 

as children of light. 

Let us pray for our new priest, Fr. Bernard, and for all of us, that we may ever be aglow with the fire of grace in the service of Christ and his Church.

Feast of the Assumption

Our Lady and child surrounded by a wreath made by one of the monks

The Feast of the Assumption is especially dear to the hearts of Cistercians because it is the patronal feast of our Order. Every community of the Order is dedicated to Mary under the title of her Assumption into heaven. At the beginning of Mass, before the community began its procession through the cloisters singing a litany of Mary in honor of her Assumption, Fr. Damian, our abbot, shared some reflections on the meaning of today's feast:

Today's feast celebrates the ultimate fulfillment of Mary's journey as God's faithful and humble servant. As we reflect on this joyful feast, we hopefully realize that she is inviting us and teaching us to sing the Magnificat [the text for today's Gospel] along with her as we continue along our own journeys, however near or far the fulfillment of our journey remains. We too are invited to proclaim in joy and humble service the compassion and justice of our God. Today's feast assures us that like Mary, in serving the reign of God, we too will one day share in her destiny.

At the reading for the second nocturn at Vigils this morning, St. Bernard, in a sermon of his for today's feast, also counseled us to rejoice:

Dearest brethren, this is a time when all flesh should shout for joy, because the Mother of the Word made flesh is assumed into heaven; nor should human mortality desist from singing songs of praise on this glorious festival, when the nature of man is elevated in the Virgin to solitary eminence, high above all the orders of immortal spirits.