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NOBTH CAE. COLLECTION
THE LIBBAEY UNC—CH
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Belmont Abbeij Colle3e
VOLUME IV, ISSUE 2
BELMONT, NORTH CAROLINA 28012
DECEMBER, 1975
The Right Rev. Jude Cleary
Abbatial Blessing To Be
Bestowed On Fifth Abbot
ABBOT JUDE CLEARY, O.S.B.
Presented Bene Mereritis Award
The monks of Belmont
Abbey announced on
Wednesday, Nov. 26, the
Abbatial Blessing of the
fifth Abbot of Belmont
Abbey, the Right
Reverend Jude Cleary,
O.S.B., will be held on
Friday, December 19, at
4:00 p.m. in the Abbey
Cathedral. Conferring
the blessing will be the
Most Reverend Thomas
A. Donnellan, Archbishop
of Atlanta. Among the
dignitaries expected for
the occasion are the
Apostolic Delegate in the
United States, the Most
Reverend Jean Jadot,
and a number of bishops
and abbots from various
parts of the country.
Abbot Martin Burne,
O.S.B., President of the
American Cassinese
Federation of
Benedictine Monasteries,
will deliver the homily.
Because of limited space
Father Cuthbert Honored For
Exceptional Accomplishments
On October 18, 1975 the
following homily was
offered by Abbot Jude
Cleary, O.S.B. in
recognition of Father
Cuthbert Allen.
by Abbot Jude
Cleary, O.S.B.
My standing here and
presuming to offer a
homily on this occasion
seems at once a signal
honor for me and an
exercise in futility. It is
honor because my long
and cherished
association and my
genuine friendship with
Father Cuthbert have
been among the great
graces of my life. He has
been for me one of those
rare figures in life who
blend reality and
romance in such wise as
to seem much larger than
life, who have feet
planted firmly in the
possibility of the prac
tical but minds that
embrace with en
thusiasm and daring that
which common men
regard as the impossible.
He has been for me the
man of high
achievement, ever ap
proachable, and a gentle
and able mentor.
Honor, indeed, my task
is, but futile as well, for
how does one in so brief a
time as we have, or in
whatever amount of
time, match words and
phrases to the merit of
life earned over so many
years of dedication to
those virtues most ad
mired and esteemed by
decent and humane men
and women. Rather than
by slipping into hollow
platitudes the occasion
might be better served by
a reverent silence.
However, convention
requires words. So, I ask
your indulgence even as I
disclaim any adequcy in
expressing what each of
us here would dearly
wish, namely by a truly
fitting statement to
recognize and honor an
exemplary man.
It occurred to me that
an interesting approach
might lie in reviewing the
citations we have used in
years past when con
ferring honorary degrees
in the College. Father
Cuthbert has always
(Continued On P. 2)
in the Cathedral, at
tendance is by invitation
only.
The liturgical rite of
the blessing completes
the process of choosing
an Abbot which began at
Belmont Abbey on July
22, when the monks of the
Abbey elected Abbot
Jude. The required
confirmation of the
election by the Sacred
Congregation for Bishops
in Rome was announced
on November 4.
“ABBEY NULLIUS”
TO BE DISSOLVED
The monks also an
nounced “Abbey Nullius”
designation will cease
within the organization of
the Catholic Church. It
will cease following the
centennial celebration of
the Monastery in 1976.
This decision, taken by
Pope Paul VI, has its
origin in the history of the
Catholic Church in North
Carolina and in the basic
purpose of an Abbey
Nullius, which is to offer
pastoral service in an
essentially missionary
territory.
- In 1868, the Catholic
Church was formally
established in North
Carolina, as a Vicariate
Apostolic which, in 1888,
became the respon
sibility of Belmont Abbey
under the leadership of
its first Abbot, Bishop
,Leo Haid, O.S.B. The
number of churches and
of Catholics increased
steadily during Haid’s
thirty-six year tenure. At
his death in 1924, the
Church had progressed to
the point that the foun
ding of a Diocese, the
final stage of
organization, was in
dicated and implemented
as the Diocese of Raleigh.
(Continued On P. 6)
In the Belmont Abbey Cathedral Abbot Walter
Coggin reads and formally presents the Bene Mereritis
Award from Pope Paul VI to Father Cuthbert Allen,
O.S.B., in recognition of his exceptional ac
complishments and more than forty years service.