Cella Pax Clemens
Høsterkøbvej 5B
DK-3460 Birkerød
Tel 0045 28 74 39 94
brodercaesarius@gmail.com
Dear friends.
Undskyld, Ursäkta, Entschuldigung, Pardon, Desculpe, Excuse, my use of English (and my way of trying to use it those who do know English) instead of my and your own languages, but I think that most of you understand English and will understand that I have some need to save some time, when it is possible. And if you do not know English I dare refer you to that excellent (in my experience) Translator EU on line.
Well, so many friends with their congratulations to November birthdays here (myself 84, br Poul 93) asked about health and situation, many undoubtedly for intercession, and again I see that I will not be able to answer before the need of the next report, unless I do it in this somewhat less personal way.
This day was great for us: Br. Anders (71) returned – and that to his cell on the second floor what we initially thought would be impossible - after almost two months in hospital and rehabilitation after his stroke on Sept 25. He seems to move easily in the stairs and the rooms. Remaining problems now are the speech (although in his visible joy of being back in the cenobitic life with us may have helped to-day – to-morrow he will have a session with the logoped) and his problem of swallowing.
And I continued on the day of the Vietnamese martyrs, birthday of br Poul, who has been returning to life, consciousness, dialogue during the almost five months since all of us from the Cella with some close friends gathered around him, singing those Danish hymn he loves, for the last sacraments and prayers in Catholic tradition, according to the recommendation of the responsible doctor at the hospital – but it was not the “Extreme Unction”, as the doctor said, but Holy Unction for the infirm. He fell into a very peaceful sleep, as we prepared for a night vigil with him, and we returned, a fortnight later br Poul too. A few days after that there was a repetition, however : the nurse visiting him expressed her fear that he was in the process of dying and indeed he was breathing like that. Hoiy unction was given, but we started the mass according to the plan and gathered around him for his communion after ours. But during the mass I could see a doctor, friend of ours through the window and I asked her to come and asked for her judgment. “Not immediately now”, she said, “the process is very slow”. Hardly half an hour later he was seated in the kitchen, brought there by the home helpers, a wonderful varying, mostly Moslem, often male, a single Christian convert, inter- or non-religious group of committed patient care takers and friends of him and of us.
Now a week later, St Andrew’ s day, fifth anniversary of the blessing of our Cella Pax by our bishop. Czeslaw of Copenhagen, we bring our deep gratefulness for his daring openness towards the two old men starting here and those joining in 2019, Anders, especially for him this day of his apostle patron, in his continuing struggle under the Gospel for his Benedictine life with us, and Anselmo, for some six weeks now in Brazil for a course of lectures at his old faculty of Rio
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So far I wrote in rather due time for Christmas and New Year. But with bad pain in what was felt as stomach next morning and some suspicion of a kidney stone, an old experience I was brought in ambulance to first one hospital (Hillerød), where I spent most of the day and in the evening to another, with more urology (Herlev) to apply a catheter for the fourth time that day and was sent home with different urine bags to combine with the catheter and rather limited instruction on their use – maybe I said too much about my earlier experience of now soon nine years ago …. So I had a night accident, destroying a mattress and got a urinary tract infection. And when I got back to working possibilities there were computer problems …. And those solved I had to give priority to the preparation of our liturgy during the Çhristmas-Epiphany period. The ordinary year now gives me an opportunity to write this. And the week of prayer for Christian Uniiy is a good occasion for our reply to all your good wishes for Christmas and New Year, often with valuable reports on your 2022, which expressed your will to communion with us.
Through our br. Anselmo with two visits in his homeland last year, after the unexpected long pandemia break 1 – as also with our sisters of Vor Frue Kloster – we have come close to Brazil and its agonies, indeed a widened horizon.
The good service of those who practice the care of this so privileged Danish society for the old and sick citizens and residents actually also broaden our perspectives, since the majority of them perhaps come from Iran, Afghanistan, other Near Eastern, i.e. mainly Moslem, or even more distant countries, a Tamil Hindu Sri Lankan company helping us to clean the house.
And such a contrast to that murderous silly, terribly primitive, nationalism, which with the shameful, nauseating support of the Patriarch of Moscow exploded over the Ukrainian people on Febr 24 – but certainly also triumphed in many other parts of our globe in the past year as so often before!
Our dear oblate Inga, married to oblate Bjørn, both such a support for us, especially with our move to Denmark, was taken from him, their family and us in our earthly existence, as another Danish Östanbäck oblate, the pilgrim Torsten Junge, in the end of March 2021. The requiem Mass for Inga on the fortieth day in our chapel with Bjørn and Birgit, one of their daughters, expressed our communion across the barrier of physical death in the risen Body of Our Lord and the Cup of salvation.
A young student of theology was admitted into the period of test for oblation, actually as a first step on the way of testing the monastic life with us, according to his explicit wish, while he finishes his studies for the examination as a bachelor of theology at the university of Copenhagen and until he can really share our daily life.
So maybe, in spite of what may seem to be an obvious judgement on this old men’s community there might be a future of our Cella. Our God is a God of surprises.
And that is also a foundation of our hope and trust expressed in our prayer which I hope many of you have shared especially the week ending now for the unity of all Christians that the world may believe.
PAX
Your brother Caesarius with Poul. Anders and Anselmo OSB
