Br Roger Stewart

And now there are six …

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2 brothers with 2 new associates
2 Brothers with 2 new Associates … John de Gruchy AHC, Br Edwin, Isobel de Gruchy AHC, Br Daniel

We once again were pleased to welcome the residential Volmoed community and staff to celebrate the Feast of St Benedict with us. What made this occasion all the more special was that it included the reception of Isobel and John de Gruchy as Associates of Holy Cross. The festal Eucharist at noon in the main chapel was followed by a fine catered meal for all in the Volmoed dining room.

mpumelelo is received as a postulant
Mpumelelo is received as a Postulant

Mpumelelo Khambule was received as a Postulant of the Order on Saturday 15 July. We are happy to have him as a member of our monastic community. His inclusion takes our number to six. Volmoed has helpfully made Faith Cottage, closest to the Priory, available for our use while we work through the process of adding to our own accommodation. Br Daniel has taken up temporary residence there.

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Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

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I like the way today’s gospel reading begins, with Jesus going out to sit beside the sea. I can easily imagine that, as sitting beside the sea is one of my favourite things to do. I generally prefer my own company when I do that, so I would have been less happy with the crowd that gathered around Jesus. He doesn’t seem to mind, though; he just gets into a nearby boat, using it to create a bit of space while he tells the crowd some stories.

The crowd hears only the stories, we are told, while any explanations, such as in the second part of today’s reading, are reserved for the disciples. Perhaps that’s how one became a disciple, by listening to the stories Jesus told and finding oneself sufficiently intrigued by them that one later goes to Jesus and asks him what he’s talking about. Listening is what Jesus asks the crowd to do; hearing what his stories are really about is what Jesus invites the disciples into.

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June 2023 News

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Br Scott met with several clergy on retreat from the Rondebosch Archdeaconry in the days leading up to his departure for the US with Br Roger on 1 June. They attended the annual Chapter gathering of our Order at our Holy Cross Monastery in upstate New York. Brs Edwin and Josias were unable to accompany them due to difficulties with the US visa system. They did well to maintain the rhythm of the life of the Priory here in the absence of the other Brothers.

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May 2023 News

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Br Scott led a retreat for the Postulants from the Cape Town Diocese Fellowship of Vocation. The group attended our chapel prayers, and the Brothers and Rev Wilma met with them individually for conversation about their vocational journeys.

We also interacted with a group from the York Archdiocese in the UK who were in SA to strengthen the link with the three Anglican dioceses in the Western Cape. They joined us for some chapel prayers and we shared conversation with them around a meal.

We attended a gathering of Volmoed residents over soup and bread for conversation around the experiences of life at Volmoed and concerns about the future. It was a time of strengthening the sense of being community together.

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Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Our Gospel passage this morning continues the conversation Jesus has been having with his disciples as he tries to prepare them for life without his physical presence after his departure to return to his heavenly Father, an event we will commemorate on Ascension Day, this coming Thursday. Last week, we heard Jesus talking about the need to believe that he is the revelation of God the Father to his disciples, so that they have come to know the Father as they have come to know Jesus. Perhaps even more startling is that Jesus tells his disciples that those who do believe in him will do even greater works than he has done, while waiting for Jesus to return to take them to be with him in the place he will prepare for them in his Father’s house.

This week, we hear Jesus assure his disciples that he is not abandoning them. The loving relationship of believing and knowing that Jesus has established with his disciples will continue through the agency of one he refers to as another Paraclete, in the form of the Spirit of Truth. The word Paraclete seems to have its origins in a legal context as an Advocate, one who comes alongside to speak on another’s behalf, but it has acquired broader associations as Helper, Guide, Comforter, Teacher, Counsellor. Jesus has been all of these to his disciples, but now the Spirit will continue in those roles, the initiation of which we will commemorate on Pentecost Sunday, in two weeks.

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April 2023 News

News from the Priory / /

A VYLTP Taizé Youth Day was held at Volmoed on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Brs Edwin & Josias participated throughout the day in various ways, while Br Scott led a workshop on an aspect of prayer in the afternoon. All the Brothers attended the evening prayer around the cross together with the young people.

Palm Sunday was of course the beginning of Holy Week. In Br Daniel’s absence, we appreciated Rev Wilma’s availability to preside at the Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday observances. Serghay & Yohane of the Volmoed staff helped Brs Edwin & Josias create the altar of repose in the smaller chapel for use after the Maundy Thursday service in the evening.

It was good to have John de Gruchy with us to preside at the Easter Vigil which began in the darkness on Easter Sunday morning. John then celebrated at the joyful Eucharist which followed while the sun rose after the Vigil.

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Sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter

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This past week, we have enjoyed having Benedict and Sabine Schubert here with us at Volmoed. I have been privileged on several occasions during the week to listen to them telling parts of their story in various contexts. I have appreciated how rich their story is, and how effectively they tell it. By speaking of the ways in which God has been present in the complexity of their lives, they invite their listeners to reflect on God’s presence in our own lives.

I think that this morning’s Gospel reading does much the same for us. The evangelist Luke lets the story unfold much as life does as he tells it, but he understands where the story is going and invites us to bring our lives into the light of the story he is telling. As we relate to the characters in Luke’s story, we can let their experience enrich our understanding of the mystery of our own lives.

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The Clothing of Two Novices

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The month of March opened and closed with significant events for the Brothers at the Priory.

edwin kriel receives the habit
Edwin Kriel receives the habit

Edwin Kriel was clothed as a Novice in the habit of our Order on Saturday 4 March. The ceremony was witnessed by a sizeable congregation of his family and friends from Worcester as well as members of the Volmoed community. It was a happy occasion, and the rain that followed was received as a sign of blessing. Having completed six months as a Postulant, Br Edwin will continue his formation as a Novice for a year. Please join us in prayer for him during this next phase.

josias morobi receives the habit
Josias Morobi receives the habit

Josias Morobi was a member of our monastic community some years ago, at the monastery outside Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape. Having left to continue his discernment elsewhere, he has now returned to us. Br Josias was clothed as a Novice in the habit of our Order at Vespers on Thursday 30 March, in a ceremony witnessed by members of the Volmoed community. We give thanks for two such happy occasions in a single month. Please do include Br Josias in your prayers.

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Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

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Jesus loves Lazarus, and he loves Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha. The evangelist John tells us this, and the sisters remind Jesus of this in their message to him. Jesus himself refers to Lazarus as “our friend” when telling his disciples about Lazarus’ demise. It is clearly a close set of relationships.

Real friendships invoke real responsibilities of caring about and for one another. The sisters, having sent Jesus an urgent message about Lazarus’ severe illness, expect an equally urgent response from him. They also share a confident certainty that Jesus would be able to keep Lazarus from dying if he came in time.

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Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent

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I wonder what Nicodemus was thinking when he went to Jesus that night in Jerusalem. I wonder what he was hoping for.

I find myself feeling quite sympathetic towards Nicodemus. He was an elite member of his society who had a lot to lose. We are told that he belonged to a respected community, that he was a recognized leader and an admired teacher. It would have taken a certain humility for someone with that status to approach a seemingly uneducated upstart from unfashionable Galilee as courteously as he did.

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