anglomedved

I what seems to have become an annual pilgrimage, I found myself Tuesday last week at the monastery of Bose in northern Italy. For the uninitiated, this is a Roman Catholic monastic community (men and women) founded over 40 years ago in Northern Italy, which is heavily involved in the search for Christian unity. For four days a year they pretty much hand over the facilities to Orthodox and friends, themselves staying rather in the background, for what is probably one of the most mixed, and therefore, useful, Orthodox conference on the circuit. No pictures, you can find masses on their site http://www.monasterodibose.it/, including, in the changing banner, me with Mother Mary, a hermit from the Shetlands.

It was intense, to put it mildly. Over a dozen lectures on the “Ages of the Spiritual Life” over 4 days, in English, French, Greek and Russian, lots of personal encounters, and some good prayer.

The lectures were of varied interest and quality: 8 out of 10 for the Anglo-American group, 7 out of 10 for the Greeks (including the best lecture of all) and 4.5 out of 10 for the Russians/Slavs (would have been 3 out of 10 but for the second best lecture of all – in fluent English - by a younger Serbian bishop). Russian lecturers are good on detail, but it is all rather undigested and not in context.

The personal encounters were good, a couple very good indeed and too personal to report here. Russians clergy tend to open up away from Russia and their bishops, and I picked up some useful informal info from the Vatican and Lambeth. I had arrived pretty raw, having blown yet another fuse the week before with the ROC in Belgium, and found at Bose some much needed spiritual fresh air and perspective. The most ‘fun’ moment was the visit to the carpentry workshop with the same equipment as we have where I am learning right now, and the ceramic workshop, not unlike to the one I worked in as a novice monk thirty years back in France. It was certainly the best meeting point with the community.

God willing, I shall be back next year…..