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The Order of Saint BenedictWhat Was NewApril, May, and June 2008
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June 2008
Opening of the Year of Saint Paul
"In the company of Bartholomew, Archbishop of Istanbul, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, Pope Benedict XVI opened the Year of Saint Paul with solemn vespers. 70 persons accompanied the honorary head of the Orthodox Church, and representatives of the Orthodox patriarchates of Jerusalem, Moscow, Greece, and Cypress were also present. Archbishop Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies, represented the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury. Saint Paul belongs to all. Experts believe that Paul was born between 6 and 10 A.D. Two thousand years later, divided Christians came together at his grave" in the Roman Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls on Saturday, 28 June 2008 (Die Tagespost).
Monastic Institute 2008
The 23rd annual Monastic Institute will be held from Sunday, 29 June, to Thursday, 3 July, at Saint John's University in Collegeville and the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. This year's topic, "'Do As I Have Done' (John 13:15) Authority and Obedience in Community" will be addressed by speakers, panelists, and participants from traditional Christian and non-Christian monastic communities and from "new monasticism" communities and other intentional communities.
New Abbot at St. Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate
On Friday, 23 May 2008, the chapter of St. Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate,
Kent, elected Dom Paulinus Greenwood OSB as eighth abbot. The monks learned
of the confirmation of the election by the Abbot President of the Subiaco
Congregation on Saturday morning, 7 June, and in the evening the new Abbot
was formally installed in a private ceremony by
Abbot Emeritus Dom Bernard Waldron OSB, the sixth Abbot of Ramsgate (1988-1996).
Abbot Paulinus, 42, born in Bolton, Lancashire, joined the monastic community in 1994 after teaching for five years in the schools run by the monks in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent. He professed simple vows in 1996 and solemn vows in 1999. The late +Bishop Charles Henderson ordained him to the diaconate and priesthood in 2000 and 2001 respectively. From 2002 to 2005 Abbot Paulinus resided at the Collegio Sant'Anselmo in Rome while studying for the licentiate in patristics at the Institutum Patristicum "Augustinianum." Abbot Paulinus served as prior of St. Augustine's for three years before his election.
Fr. James Cronen OSB Named Prior Administrator
Abbot President Timothy Kelly OSB, with the unanimous approval of the monastic
chapter, has appointed Father James Cronen OSB (left) prior administrator
of Mount Saviour Monastery, a house of the American-Cassinese Congregation. Father James made first vows in 1948 and became a priest in 1954. On Sunday,
15 June 2008, Prior James succeeded Father Martin Boler OSB who had been
prior since
29 October
1969.
Father
Martin followed the
community's charismatic founder, Prior Damasus Winzen OSB (1901-1971).
Prior Administrator Named for Valyermo
Abbot Ansgar Schmidt OSB, Abbot President of the Benedictine Congregation of the Annunciation, has appointed Fr. Damien Toilolo OSB to server for a two-year term as Prior-Administrator of Saint Andrew's Abbey, California. The abbatial term of Fr. Francis Benedict OSB has now ended. Abbot President Ansgar has recommended that instead of electing a new abbot immediately, the monks should spend the next two years in study and implementation of the recommendations that emerged during recent canonical visitations. "The conclusion of Fr. Francis’ term of office has provided the monks of Valyermo with a unique and much-needed opportunity to spend an extended period of time 'taking stock' of our monastic way of life and studying our many apostolates" (News release).
+ Sister Susan Berger OSB
Sister Susan Berger OSB, 63, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, Bismarck, North Dakota, from 1996-2008, died on 12 June 2008 at St. Alexius Medical Center.
"Strong in gentleness and delightful in presence, she inspired all those who knew her with her strength, courage and trust in God during her year-long treatment for cancer" (Obituary). The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, 16 June, at 4:30 p.m. in Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel.
New Prioress General
The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have elected Sister Pat Nyquist
OSB as their new prioress general on Tuesday, 10 June. The decision was
reached unanimously during the Congregation's General Chapter 2008, which
was facilitated by Sister Joella Kidwell OSB and Sister
Maria Tasto OSB. Sister Kathryn Huber OSB, president of the Federation
of St. Gertrude, presided over the election. Sister Pat, a native of Moorhead,
Minnesota, joined the Benedictine Order in 1974 and earned degrees in business administration at College of Saint Benedict and
the University of Notre Dame. Sister Pat has served as prioress of the
Sisters' Clyde community since 2005.
As prioress general Sister Pat will serve as the leader of the Congregation, which includes 93 professed Sisters and four women in formation. Their communities are located in Clyde, Mo.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Dayton, Wyo. Sister Pat, along with Sisters Dawn Annette Mills OSB, Cheryl Morehead OSB and Ruth Elaine Starman OSB, general councilors, were installed during a ceremony held 13 June at the Adoration Chapel in Clyde, presided over by Abbot Gregory Polan OSB of Conception Abbey. All of the Sisters will each serve six-year terms for the congregation.
Election in Ohio
On Tuesday, 10 June 2008, the monks of Saint Andrew Abbey, Cleveland, elected Subprior Fr. Christopher Schwartz OSB, 61, to become 6th abbot. Abbot Christopher professed first vows in 1973 and was ordained in 1974. He succeeds Abbot Clement Zeleznik OSB, 76.
Mariastein Monks Elect P. Peter von Sury OSB
On Monday, 9 June, the 22 chapter members of Mariastein Abbey, Switzerland, elected P. Peter von Sury OSB, 58, as 19th abbot. He may serve, Deo volente, until he reaches 75. The new abbot professed final vows at Mariastein in 1979 after having completed military service and study in law, journalism, history, and philosophy. He became a priest in 1981. After theological studies in Einsiedeln and Sant'Anselmo, he earned a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University. Saturday, 5 July 2008, is set for Most Rev. Kurt Koch, Bishop of Basel, to dispense the abbatial blessing in a festive liturgical celebration that begins at 9:30 a.m.
Touched by God
In 1982 the English Benedictine Congregation brought out A Touch of God, a book in which eight monks and nuns shared something of their personal faith journeys and which has since seemed to speak to seekers beyond the cloister. Twenty-five years later, the appeal of monastic values such as silence, prayer, and community appears undimmed, to judge from the response to the BBC television series The Monastery, filmed at Worth Abbey. An enthusiastic group of young people with an interest in things Benedictine have convinced ten writers in the EBC to bring out another set of journeys. These journeys are offered in the hope that they might, in some small way, help to light the way for others.
Touched by God: Ten Monastic Journeys, edited by Laurentia Johns OSB (Stanbrook Abbey) with a Foreword by Henry Wansbrough OSB (Ampleforth Abbey) was published in England by Continuum (ISBN 0860124517) on 14 May 2008 and will appear in the US on 14 July 2008. "Each story shatters stereotypes by offering a keenly transparent view of life inside both monk and monastery. Whether discussing the shock of shedding the trappings of status and independence or the adjustment required for growing into a life of silence, each author provides an intimate and informative look at the path to monasticism and its continuing journey" (Publishers Weekly, April 2008).
Appreciating the Liturgy
The first session of an international ecumenical colloquium was held on the theme,"Appreciating the Collect: An Irenic Methodology," on Saturday, 31 May 2008, at Sant'Anselmo, seat of the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy. Five papers were given. Over lunch the participants were warmly welcomed by the President of the Institute, Don Juan Javier Flores Arcas OSB, monk of the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos, Spain.
Each of the five papers considered its respective collect or collects primarily in light of its literary structure, and then in light of the historical and cultural context of the origin of the collect. The respective collect's biblical allusions were explored and interpretative keys were presented for understanding the collect. At the end of the colloquium, Ephrem Carr OSB, monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana, USA, offered a summary of the day's presentations. Dom Ephrem is a professor of eastern liturgies in the Institute of Liturgy and at the Patristic Institute, the Augustinianum, Rome. He serves as editor of Ecclesia orans and as a consultor for the Liturgical Commission of the Vatican Congregation of Oriental Churches.
This colloquium was the inaugural event of a new research project, Documenta Rerum Ecclesiasticarum Instaurata (DREI), arising from a new model of Liturgical renewal called Liturgiam Aestimare : Appreciating the Liturgy, which was first announced at the biennial meeting of Societas Liturgica, Palermo, in August 2007. The DREI project includes three colloquia, study days, and a proposed new series of volumes also called, Liturgiam Aestimare : Appreciating the Liturgy. Fathers James Leachman OSB and Daniel McCarthy OSB, joint directors of the project, explain that "by Appreciating the Liturgy we hope to gain a more detailed and delicate appreciation of the Church's current liturgy." Full news release (PDF; 101 KB).
Ferdinand Benedictines' Election
The Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, announce their re-election of Sister Kristine Anne Harpenau OSB as prioress of Monastery Immaculate Conception on Monday, 2 June. Sister Kristine Anne will begin her second five-year term of office as the community's twelfth prioress on 12 July 2008.
Facilitators for the discernment process were Sister Mary Catherine Wenstrup OSB of St. Walburg Monastery, Covington, Kentucky, and Sister Kathy McNany OSB, of Emmanuel Monastery, Lutherville, Maryland. Sister Jennifer Kehrwald OSB, first councilor of the Federation of St. Gertrude and prioress of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota, presided at the canonical election and the blessing of Sister Kristine Anne.
May 2008
The Oblate Life
Liturgical Press is the North American publisher of The Oblate Life edited by Dom Gervase Holdaway OSB, monk of Douai Abbey. The book will become available in September, and it is featured among the Press's strong selection of Benedictine titles. Also included in the latest catalog is a revised edition of the Ceremonies for Oblates of Saint Benedict. Another revision is the second edition of Esther de Waal's widely popular Seeking God: the Way of St. Benedict that includes a foreword by Kathleen Norris OblSB. Soul Searching: the Journey of Thomas Merton edited by Morgan Atkinson with Jonathan Montaldo is a companion volume to a documentary of the same name. PBS will air the film in December, honoring the fortieth anniversay of Thomas Merton's death on 10 December 1968. Merton is the focus of the biennial convention of the American Benedictine Academy, 7-10 August 2008, at Mt. Marty College. Oblates are always welcome to join the Academy or to attend the convention or to do both.
Monastic Interreligious Dialogue
About fifty Christian and Buddhist monastics have been invited to Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky for a conference on Monasticism and the Environment sponsored by Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (MID), 27-31 May 2008. The goal is "to identify, articulate, share, and publicize the monastic spiritual teachings and practices that manifest reverence for the environment and offer ways to preserve it for future generations." MID has posted numerous MP3 files (3-20 mb), Flash, photos, and video of the major presentations, at the Gethsemani III website.
From 29 August to 1 September 2008 Christian and Buddhist monastic women will share insights about prayer in their own traditions and about how their monastic rule and practices inform their prayer life. Nuns in the West III is also sponsored by MID; participation is by invitation only.
The Poverty of Love
Bradley Nassif, an Eastern Orthodox theologian, introduces the wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers to the readership of Christianity Today, a magazine of evangelical conviction. "If these desert dwellers were alive today, I believe they would tell us that our gospel is too small because our wills are too big. The core battleground, they argued, is the human heart" ("The Poverty of Love," The Christian Vision Project, May 2008).
Downside Goes Coed
The Catholic Herald, Britain's leading Catholic newspaper, offers a feature article about the positive effects achieved by allowing young women to enroll in the once all-male, Benedictine boarding school in Somerset. Will Heaven writes about how Girls bring a 'second spring' to Downside. "Academic results improved across the board in 2007. At A-level, pupils achieved a record 77 per cent A-B grade while GCSE results were recorded at 60 per cent A*/A. Results were, in other words, the best ever" (16 May 2008).
Lectio Divina
Dame Laurentia Johns OSB, director of novices at Stanbrook Abbey, responds to an invitation from Britain's The Tablet, to share a word or two of wisdom about the Benedictine practice of lectio divina. "How our hearts burned within us" is the featured article of the Pentecost issue (10 May 2008).
Benedictine Exhibition in Nairobi
"With our Hands, but with Your Strength" is an exhibition on the works of the Benedictine monastic tradition that was first seen in Italy. Members of Communion and Liberation have brought the exhibition to the Nairobi National Museum where it is freely open to the public from 16 to 29 May 2008 from 9 to 5. In light of the recent post-election crisis in Kenya, the exhibition offers an invitation "to learn from history the way towards real peace." Prior Florian OSB and the Ottilien monks of King of Peace Priory gladly serve as guides to the exhibition, in addition to their usual assignments, hoping thereby to contribute to the healing process in Kenya.
Affligem Monks Elect Dom Rik De Wit OSB
The monks of the St. Peter and Paul's Abbey of Affligem, Belgium, announce with joy that
on 29 April they
elected as abbot their confrere, Dom Rik De Wit OSB, 71, as successor of the Rt. Rev. Father Dom Benedikt
Verschelden OSB who, according to the Constitutions of the Subiaco Congregation, had attained the age limit.
From 1974 to 1999, Abbot Rik served at St. Benedict's Abbey, Polokwane, South Africa. The community
celebrated the official installation of Abbot Rik, Monday, 5 May 2008.
Abbatial Election at Lambach
On Wednesday, 7 May 2008, the monks of Lambach Abbey elected Father Prior Mag. Maximilian Neulinger OSB to become their 59th abbot for a term of 12 years. He succeeds Abbot Gotthard Schafelner OSB who will reach 70, the suggested age of retirement in the Austrian Congregation, on 2 June 2008 when Abbot Maximilian assumes office. Abbot Maximilian was born in 1967 and entered Lambach in 1990. He professed final vows in 1994 and was ordained a priest in 1996. He served as teacher in the school and assistant priest in the local parish. His work as novice master, archivist, prior, and business manager kept him occupied within the abbey. Most Rev. Dr. Ludwig Schwarz SDB, Bishop of Linz, will impart the abbatial blessing in the abbey church on Sunday, 8 June 2008, 3 p.m. Es lebe hoch!
April 2008
Faith and the Arts and Crafts
Suzanne Harker announces the Craft World Peace Day to be held on Trinity Sunday, 18 May 2008. The purpose of the online observance is for crafters and non-crafters to join in prayer for a quick and peaceful end to all conflict within and among countries and families, and for a kind and loving end to all abuse and discrimination among families, races, religions, and nations.
The 2008 schedule of Sacred Art Workshops is online. "Early Christian Byzantine Iconography," 18-24 May 2008, and "Crafting the Illuminated Image," 10-17 August 2008, will be hosted by Conception Abbey, Missouri.
ARTCUREL: Art, Culture and Religion is a website that, in concert with the Abbey of the Most Blessed Trinity, Cava, Italy, is sponsoring an ecumenical, triennial encounter that fosters dialogue between art, culture and Catholic, Christian religion. The gathering will run from 14 to 16 July 2008. The theme is "God is Love, Love is Art." More information is available at the festival website.
+ P. Basil Studer OSB
On the feast of St. Mark, 25 April 2008, Prof. P. Dr. Basil Studer OSB, shortly after turning 83, died in Canton Hospital Sarnen after a serious illness. He professed vows in 1947 at Engelberg Abbey, Switzerland, and was ordained in 1951. After study in Rome, in 1957 he was called to teach at the inter-diocesan major seminary in Otélé, Cameroon, Africa. Further study in Paris prepared him to assume the Chair of Patrology and Church History in 1964 at S. Anselmo, Rome. From 1968 to 1974 he served as rector of the university. He became professor emeritus in 1999, but continued as a member of the core faculty of the "Augustinianum" Patristic Institute of the Pontifical University of the Lateran until 2006. The internationally acclaimed scholar and specialist in Saint Augustine leaves an extensive body of work; the titles of his last publications reflect the emphasis of his research and the passion of his life: Through History to Belief: Exegesis of the Church Fathers' Teaching on the Trinity (Rome 2006) and Church History as Theology (Münstser 2007). The monks of Engelberg will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, 30 April 2008, at 11 a.m. Die Chöre der Engel mögen dich empfangen und dich führen in die heilige Stadt Jerusalem.
Quarr Abbey Welcomes Abbot Finbar
Dom Philippe Dupont OSB, Abbot-President of the Solesmes Congregation, announced on Wednesday, 23 April, that for a term of two years Dom Finbar Kealy OSB, a monk of Douai Abbey in the English Congregation, will become Abbot Administrator of Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight, a monastery of the Solesmes Congregation. Abbot Finbar, 60, was Abbot of Douai from 1990 to 1998. Until 15 May 2008 he serves as superior of Douai Abbey's dependant monastery, Maison St-Benoît in Douai, France. In 2007, with the consent of the General Chapter, Dom Richard Yeo OSB, Abbot-President of the English Congregation, named Abbot Finbar titular Cathedral Prior of Canterbury. Brother David Hayes OSB, a monk of Quarr, will take up residence with the community in France, and Father Peter Bowe OSB succeeds Abbot Finbar as superior at Maison St-Benoît.
Austrian Monastic Philately
The Austrian Philatelic Society of St. Gabriel, maintains a website that specializes in Benedictine and Cistercian motifs. The society is named after the Archangel Gabriel, patron of mail and philately. Dr. Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, serves as protector of the world federation of St. Gabriel guilds in Europe and overseas. The Austrian website offers a wide range of services for Christian stamp-collectors including a comprehensive catalog, by country, of stamps that depict Saint Benedict.
Monastic Celibacy East and West
Liturgical Press recently published Demythologizing Celibacy: Practical Wisdom from Christian and Buddhist Monasticism by Father William Skudlarek OSB. In September 2007 the Abbot Primate appointed Father William, a monk of Saint John's Abbey, General Secretary of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Drawing on the monastic interreligious dialogue, Father William considers the Buddhist view of celibacy, which is not mythologized as a response to a divine call or as a superhuman way of life. He examines their regard for it as simply -- and profoundly -- a path to freedom, peace, and happiness. As Christians become aware of the benefits of celibacy for monks who observe it without reference to the Gospel, they may be able to appreciate all the more its importance and value for those who wish to follow Christ as celibates, and in this way come to share in the freedom of the children of God.
Beuronese Elect Abbot President
On Wednesday morning, 16 April, the general capitulars of the Beuronese Congregation, led by Theodor Hogg OSB, Archabbot of Beuron, elected P. Albert Schmidt OSB to become abbot-president of the congregation. The abbatial blessing is set for Saturday, 19 April, at 10:30 a.m. in the church of Beuron Archabbey. Most Rev. Archbishop Dr. Robert Zollitsch will preside. Father Albert is the former rector of Sant'Anselmo and will continue to serve as editor of Erbe und Auftrag.
Forecasts for Papal Visit
Manya A. Brachear and Margaret Ramirez see the visit to the United States by His Holiness Benedict XVI as a "microcosm of his papacy." Writing for the Chicago Tribune on Sunday (13 April), they predict that in response to the sexual abuse crisis, "In Washington, the pontiff will remind American bishops of their mission to serve God by easing victims' pain and tending their flock. In New York, he will deliver a message of 'trust and hope' to clergy in an effort to restore confidence in the church."
Dr. Stephen Minnis, the president of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, is no stranger to papal audiences. By the end of the Pope's visit, he will have attended four. One of those will be at Catholic University with other leaders in Catholic education. Richard Yanikoski, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, expects the Pope will say, "'I understand what you do because I am one of you. I appreciate what you do. I know it is difficult in a modern world with so many distractions. I call you to do the best you can'" (Kansas City Star, 15 April 2008).
Benedict on Benedict
On Wednesday, 9 April, the Holy Father resumed his series of teaching on the Church Fathers. Today's subject was his namesake, Saint Benedict, the Patriarch of Western Monasticism. He contrasted the Benedictine way of life, one of withdrawal, seclusion, and prayer, with the public role of a Benedictine monastery in the life of the Church and society. (Full text.)
The followers of St. Benedict, following his famous Rule, combined prayer and reflection with active work, because "Benedict's spirituality was not an interior life divorced from reality," the Pope said. Carefully distinguishing between what is important and what is unimportant, the Rule "maintains its illuminating power up to today," he said. (Catholic World News)
Featured Golden Jubilarian
Br. Kevin McGuire OSB, a monk of St. Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, Oklahoma, is featured in a special section on vocations in the 13 April 2008 edition of Our Sunday Visitor. The article pictures Brother Kevin in the abbey church, in a hallway, on the motorcycle that he built, and at work. St. Gregory's Abbey is a community of 27 monks that sponsors the only Catholic college in Oklahoma, St. Gregory's University. The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art on campus is the oldest museum collection in Oklahoma. In 1875 the first monks came to Oklahoma from the French Abbey of Pierre-qui-Vire. Br. Kevin and his classmate, Fr. Maurus Jaeb OSB, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of monastic profession on 11 July 2008.
Pope Accepts the Saint John's Bible
Photo © 2008 by Photographic Service,
L'Osservatore Romano
In Rome, on Friday morning, 4 April, Abbot John Klassen OSB, Brother Dietrich Reinhart OSB, and others presented the St. Peter Apostles Edition of The Saint John's Bible to Pope Benedict XVI. While perusing a deluxe facsimile of the handwritten and illuminated book commissioned by Saint John's Abbey and University, the Holy Father said this is a great work of art, "a work for eternity" ( St. Cloud Times). "The 'Wisdom Books,' a limited edition reproduction of one of the Old Testament volumes of the 1,150 page-Bible -- measuring 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide when open -- was presented to the pope during a private audience. He will receive the remaining six volumes over the next four years" ( BBC). A generous grant from the Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst Foundation of Philadelphia made possible the gift to Pope Benedict from the abbey and university. View a brief video of the presentation or read a comprehensive news release.
BBC Religion
On Sunday, 6 April, BBC Radio 4 (Listen) will broadcast Sunday Worship from 08.10 to 08.50 BST (2:10 a.m. CDT) from the Basilica of St-Paul's-without-the Walls, led by Father Gregory Collins OSB (Glenstal Abbey) with a homily by Abbot Edmund Power OSB.
Later on Sunday, from 16.00 to 17.00 BST (10 a.m. CDT) BBC Radio 3 (Listen Live) will broadcast Choral Evensong from St Paul's led by Abbot Edmund and sung by Pilgrim Consort with a homily by Father Gregory.
Monk Writes Chant for Pope Benedict
Father Samuel Weber OSB composed the chants that will be used during Evening Prayer on 16 April 2008 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with Pope Benedict XVI presiding and at the Holy Father's private Mass the next morning at the Apostolic Nunciature. Father Samuel is a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey and teaches in the Divinity School at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Chant melodies composed at Saint Meinrad are widely used in the Benedictine monasteries of North America. The Evening Prayer service is expected to be televised worldwide. Father Samuel is associate professor of early Christianity and spiritual formation at Wake Forest. (WFU News Release.)
Transitus of Saint Benedict
Because
of the early date this year for Easter and its privileged
Octave, the Feast of Saint
Benedict on 21 March that commemorates his death has been
transferred to 1 April. The serenity of his death among his
confreres, depicted at right in a window at Sacred Heart
Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota, makes him a special
advocate for the dying.
On the margin of the Benedictine Medal, encircling the figure of Benedict, are the Latin words: Eius in obitu nostro præsentia muniamur (May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death)!
Pope St. Gregory's account of St. Benedict's death ca. 543 A.D. makes much of Benedict's ability to forecast the day of it, but even more of his ability to communicate the news of it remotely by signs.
Six days before he died, he gave orders for his tomb to be opened. Almost immediately he was seized with a violent fever that rapidly wasted his remaining energy. Each day his condition grew worse until finally, on the sixth day, he had his disciples carry him into the chapel where he received the Body and Blood of our Lord to gain strength for his approaching end. Then, supporting his weakened body on the arms of his brethren, he stood with his hands raised to heaven and, as he prayed, breathed his last.
--Gregory the Great, Dialogues, book 2, c. 37.
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