St. Benedict was born in Italy about the year 480, and died there in 543. He is called the "Patriarch of Monks" and "Father of Western Monasticism," due to the fact that the Rule for Monks which he wrote was the one which became most generally adopted. It inspired nearly all other monastic codes in the West. In a sense, the rules of all religious orders since his time owe sonething to the Rule of St, Benedict. Historians agree in attributing also to it a very great influence on the development of Western civilization and Christian culture. The Holy Rule, as it came to be called, gives directions for the life of the individual monk and for the organization of the Community. Its forcefulness, spiritual wisdom, and practical character are attested by the fact that it has been observed for fifteen centuries and is as applicable in the Twenty-first Century as it was in the Sixth.
St Gregory the Great (540 - 604) became patron of Portsmouth Abbey as a reflection of its founding monastery Downside Abbey in England.
St. Gregory's contributions to the Church have had a significant impact on its character, many of which can still be felt in the present. To the administration of the Church, both in its spiritual and temporal affairs, he brought a degree of order and efficiency which was to serve as a model for the medieval church. For Portsmouth and the Benedictine Order, Gregory's significance derives especially from his monastic interests, both prior to his pontificate and during his reign as pope. In addition to donating his family home for use as a monastery, he established six monastic houses in Sicily. On his return from Constantinople he wished to resume his monastic life but yielded to the pressure which made him an advisor to the pope, paving the way for his succession to the Roman See.
As pope, he was a prolific writer, providing what was to become a textbook for instruction of bishops in their office (PASTORAL CARE) and another book, his DIALOGUES, a work of edification recounting lives of holy men, one book of which was devoted entirely to St Benedict. It is from this work that we have all that we know of Benedict apart from his RULE. (read more)
There can be little doubt that Gregory was deeply influenced by this Rule, and it was therefore natural that he turned to the monks for the conversion of England under St. Augustine of Canterbury whom he sent thither with forty monks under the patronage of the Catholic wife of Ethelbert, the Anglo-Saxon king, soon to be baptized with thousands of his subjects. Christianity had reached England more than two centuries earlier, but the native clergy were discouraged from proselytizing the barbaric Anglo-Saxon tribes, leaving the southern part of the country largely pagan.
Under St. Augustine, who led his band of monks to Kent, England was firmly established under papal jurisdiction, with Canterbury raised to archiepiscopal status, Augustine becoming the first monk-archbishop in England. The work of conversion had regained new impetus, and this time, under monastic auspices, it was to achieve success and remain one of Pope Gregory's most important accomplishments.
His contribution to plainsong, which came to be called Gregorian Chant, ultimately became the standard medium for church music, especially fostered and perpetuated by Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries. Recognition of his voluminous doctrinal works resulted in Gregory's being named one of the four great Doctors of the Western Church, ranking with Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo and Jerome. To this day he is remembered as a teacher through the sermons included in the current revised Roman breviary. Few popes have been able to exert such an impact on their own age as Gregory the Great; he continues to be a towering figure in our own time, a man who can inspire and instruct the faithful, both high and low.
Portsmouth Abbey Monastery is located on Aquidneck Island. The word "Aquidneck" is a native Indian term which means "Isles of Peace." It is highly appropriate since Our Lady is the Mediatrix of All Graces and is also the Mother of Monks.
We have a devotion to Mary, Queen of Peace, and give her a special place in the community by keeping up this tradition of love and honor. She is our patron and guide. Most of our Saturday Masses are devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We also have a special devotion to Mary, on every first Saturday. To make this day more special and to showcase our honor to Our Lady, we have a couple of First Satuday Devotions. For this, Abbot Mathew leads us into a devotion soon after morning Mass. Secondly, we have a beautiful time of Rosary after Compline (Night Prayer) in the Abbey Church. All are welcome.