I wonder if my readers, whose erudition never ceases to impress me, could help me to get to grips with Dom Aelred Sillem, Abbot of Quarr. I am interested in his views on Liturgy and in his role as a member of the
Coetus Internationalis Patrum at Vatican II.
Unfortunately, Father, that is above my paygrade. However, Quarr does figure in to the book 'Father Joe', which I am reading aloud to my wife as time permits.
ReplyDeleteDom Aelred Sillem was originally a monk of Downside Abbey, where he was part of the 'usque movement', centred around Dom David Knowles and hoping for a more observant form of monastic life. Following Dom David's departure, most of the usques also left. Many of them, like Dom Aelred, had been denied solemn profession. Dom Aelred always, however, claimed that all he knew about prayer he had learnt at Downside, with the spiritual tradition of Dom Augustine Baker, which Knowles saw as being a continuation of the mediaeval English Tradition of the Cloud of Unknowning.
ReplyDeleteawayonenpusI wouldn't have thought that he was a great liturgist I thought more a philosopher or theologian. There is a good essay by him about Dom David Knowles in the book of tribute essays. He writes about Dom David's "conversion" to pure mystical prayer and the universal call to holiness taught well before V.II by Arintero and Garrigou-Lagrange. Under Abbot Sillem Quarr went from having a quite splendid Novus Ordo all Latin Gregorian Mass every day (c.1976)until is collapsed both in numbers and liturgical observance. I went again in 1984 and we all had to stand in a circle round the altar and the Blessed Sacrament was passed around.Now Quarr is a tiny community.
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