Ordinations

Reverend Father Paul Smith Ordained priest on 26th January 2019

Reverend Father Liam Carpenter Ordained priest on 6th July 2019

Reverend Father John Owens Ordained priest on 6th July 2019

Reverend Deacon Richard Beben Ordained deacon on 22nd September 2020

Right Reverend Dom Erik Varden OSCO Ordained Bishop of Trondheim on 3rd October 2020

From a pastoral letter written by Bishop-Elect Erik shortly before his episcopal ordination

To the faithful in the Prelature of Trondheim,

On the feast of St Theodore of Tarsus, 19 September, I was told that the Pope had named me bishop of Trondheim. The Nuncio in London communicated the news. He could not have been kinder. He reminded me that Theodore, like me, had been a monk; that he, too, in the name of obedience had been asked to leave a life and brethren he loved dearly. A compatriot of St Paul, he was appointed to Canterbury in 669. And there, said the Nuncio, he became a blessing—a sign of the Church’s unity, which transcends national and cultural boundaries. Theodore ‘set the Church on a firm foundation’, says the Collect for the day, which continues: ‘[may we too] remain steadfast on the rock which is Christ and be obedient to the calling we have received’.

Here and now, I naturally feel pretty shaky. But I have lived long enough to verify what Paul says: ‘He who calls is faithful; He will do this.’ I place my trust in Him. I invite you to do the same.

And I also look forward to this task with joy! The memory of the hospitality, generosity, and good zeal I found in Trondheim last summer, when I was honoured to lecture at Olsok, the feast of St Olav, is a great comfort to me now, as I realise what it will mean to depart from what has been my home, my family. You have achieved great things in recent years, to the extent of raising a beautiful cathedral. May this building, with its clear focus on the Sacred Mysteries, in a space defined by clear lines that concentrate the mind and raise the heart, a broad and hospitable space, be an image of the communion we are called to build together.

A few years ago, I visited one of our Order’s Irish houses. Recruitment had long been lacking. The future seemed uncertain. In a conversation with an old monk, a good, clear-sighted man I valued highly (and who lay on his deathbed), I asked if it pained him to see his life’s work so exposed? Without missing a beat, he answered: ‘I am not worried about the monastery; what grieves me is that Christ is disappearing from Ireland’. This statement gave me a salutary shock. It has since helped and inspired me. How vital it is to know what really matters!

The situation my brother referred to is the same in much of Europe. In a world, a time, ever more marked by indifference and cynicism, hopelessness and division, it is our task to stand for something different: to point toward the Light that no darkness can overcome, to nurture good will, to let ourselves be reconciled, to enable a communion founded on trust, in peace, to

bear witness that death has lost its sting, that life is meaningful and beautiful, of inviolable dignity. This is a great responsibility, but also a privilege—a source of transformative joy.

May Mary, Star of the Sea, hold her guiding hand over the journey we now embark upon together, enriched by a venerable heritage. In the medieval Sequence for the feast of St Olav it is written: ‘Through strife and hardship, St Olav was quickened by his longing for light and life eternal.’ Now, there’s an example to follow!

I pray for you all. Please pray also for me and for my brethren at Mount Saint Bernard, who are entering a time of transition. We shall meet again in the new year. In the name of Christ!

+fr Erik Varden ocso

Reverend Father Limnyuy Gamsi Ordained priest on 5th December 2020

Reverend Father Nicholas Palmer OSCO Ordained priest on 2nd October 2021

Experiences surrounding my ordination, by Father Nicholas

The first time I thought about being a priest was when my grandfather ‘predicted’ I would be one when I was a child. I do not know how he knew. He said to my two brothers and I: Stephen will be policeman, Craig a soldier, and Nicholas a priest. He was right in all cases.

I was aware of God’s presence in my life from an early age; my young faith being nurtured by various cathedrals, particularly York Minster, Selby Abbey and Wakefield Cathedral, with their stained glass, statues, and choirs. I also remember being struck by hymns at school and Christmas carols. I read a children’s bible as a child which must have sown some seeds, and bought a copy of the Jerusalem bible in my teens. My life changed radically from that time on.

I am from a non-Catholic family, but have found that God is not limited by our circumstances. My parents were and are good people and gave me a good moral upbringing and made me feel accepted and loved.

In addition to the bible, I read many works by the saints, particularly John of the Cross and the desert fathers. I was baptised in 1995 and from then on tried to discern my vocation.

My parish priest was convinced straight away I was meant to be like him, a parish priest, and suggested I look into it. I did so repeatedly over the next 7 years, but was eventually told I did not have a vocation to it. People kept suggesting that I become a priest, however, even though I told them I had discerned it and put it behind me. Eventually, after much prayer, I received a call to become a monk at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, after discerning with them a number of times over the years and then forgetting about them. I entered in 2009.

All went smoothly until a year after my first profession when I developed ulcerative colitis and my final profession had to be delayed for 18 months. Then, further health complications delayed my ordination. People often asked me if I was going to be ordained, perhaps the sensus fidelium or sense of the faithful raising its voice again, and I replied I did not know. Eventually, in 2019, I asked my abbot and he said he had discussed it with his council many months previously and they had agreed to it. I was so pleased to hear this.

I am now the novice master and one of the things we look for in candidates is whether they have a deep desire for the life. Well, I can say that I did have a deep desire to be a priest and could hardly wait to be ordained. Becoming a deacon was a very joyful experience for me and this joy deepened as my ordination to the priesthood approached, along with a deep peace that I still have nearly 4 months later.

The ordination ceremony was very special. My parents and one of my brothers came with his fiance. I was surprised but so pleased when they presented themselves for my first blessing. A group came from my parish in Wakefield and expressed their ongoing support, having prayed