ACTION ITEM: Prayers after Earthquake near Norcia, Italy

UPDATE:

Dom Cassian Folsom has some reflections on the earthquakes which shook the monastery at Norcia. HERE

UPDATE:

For the time being, the monks of Norcia have moved down to Rome and are at the Benedictine community on the Aventine Hill, Sant’Anselmo.

Today the Great Roman Fabrizio texted to say that they will be singing for Mass on Sunday at SS. Trinità dei Pellegrini!   This is the traditional Rite, FSSP parish in the City.

Apparently the monks left a couple guys behind to look after things.

SAVE THE BEER!

Last night as I was turning in another friend in Rome texted that he could feel aftershocks… again.

UPDATE:

A couple photos from inside the church.


I’m told that there is damage to the bell tower.

UPDATE:

16_08_23_earthquakeFrom the Norcia Benedictines:

Dear Friends,

Many of you have by now heard of the earthquake that struck us during the night. The quake was a powerful one with a magnitude of 6.2. We’ve taken the past few hours to assess the situation.

First: We are OK. We are alive, and there are no serious injuries to report. Sadly, there are many injuries to report among the people of the region, especially those in small mountain villages. Please pray for them. We monks will do what we can to contribute here on the ground, but we’ll need your spiritual support in a special way during this period.

Second: We, as many others in Norcia and surrounding areas, suffered a lot of damage to our buildings and especially to our basilica. It will take some time to assess the extent of the damage, but it is very sad to see the many beautiful restorations we’ve made to St. Benedict’s birthplace reduced, in a moment, to disrepair.

Third: What can you do? Please, pray for us, for those who have lost their lives, who have lost someone they love, who have lost their homes and livelihoods. We will need your help, as always but now in a special way, to start the project of rebuilding. Please consider making a gift to help us get started.

The Monks of Norcia

UPDATE:

From someone in situ:

There is property damage, and damage in the churches, but all human lie is well.  Reports are that my house is fine.  They’re all standing in the piazza eating today’s cornetti, and praying the Rosary with the monks.
You might make a post that everyone in Norcia is fine, although the aftershocks continue.

However, it sounds like Amatrice got hammered.  This is the place that gave the name to the famous spaghetti all’amatriciana.  People are, as I write, trapped.  I have Sky going.

In Norcia, there was some damage in the monastery church, to the St. Benedict altar.

_____

I have been getting texts from friends in Italy.  There was a series of earthquake – one at least 6.5 – near Norcia, Italy, where the wonderful Benedictine Monks are.

Keep them and all those in the area in your prayers.  Pray against aftershocks, which do so much damage.

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui réspicis terram et facis eam trémere: parce metuéntibus, propitiáre supplícibus; ut, cujus iram terræ fundaménta concutiéntem expávimus, cleméntiam contritiónes ejus sanántem júgiter sentiámus. Per Dóminum.

Almighty and everlasting God, who by a glance dost make the earth tremble, spare the fearful, be propitious to the suppliant, that we may feel Thy mercy healing our afflictions; whose anger we fear rending the foundations of the earth. Through our Lord.

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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20 Comments

  1. Fr are the monks and the monastery ok? [From the little that I have heard, yes. See UPDATE]

  2. Robert of Rome says:

    Town of Amatrice, near epicenter Accumoli, totally destroyed. Still difficult to get reports of victims. Prayers needed. Great fear in the people of central Italy, Norcia, Cascia.

  3. Bosco says:

    God preserve them! Is this anywhere near Assisi?

  4. bernadette says:

    Prayers for the Benedictine monks. Hilary White, a traditional Catholic blogger lives in that area also. I pray that she is OK too.

  5. excalibur says:

    Coincidence?

    Last week, while walking the Cammino di San Benedetto, I visited the church of San Francesco in the centre of Cascia, famous worldwide for its daughter Saint Rita. The church was recently deconsecrated and for the town’s summer festival an exhibition was shown in the 12th century church, famous for its beautiful frescoes.

    I was amazed and disturbed to see the exhibition had graphic pornographic images, and even more disturbed to learn that the local bishop, Archbishop Renato Boccardo of Spoleto-Norcia, has said nothing publicly to oppose it. The organiser told me he will have known as it was public knowledge, and tried to justify the exhibition by saying it was all for a good cause: proceeds went to the destitute, people with Downs, disabled etc.

    Ah, August in Italy! A time for small towns, rural tours, and … pornography in churches?!?…

  6. robtbrown says:

    Bosco says:

    God preserve them! Is this anywhere near Assisi?

    Google Maps is your friend.

  7. robtbrown says:

    Destructive earthquake in Assisi, the home of St Francis–1997.
    Destructive Earthquake in Norcia, the home of St Benedict–2016.

    Hmmmmmmmmm

  8. The Masked Chicken says:

    Hilary White is okay. She posted about the situation.

    http://www.onepeterfive.com/earthquake-strikes-central-italy-norcia-monastery-damaged/

    The Chicken

  9. JARay says:

    It does appear that there has been quite some loss of life. Indeed I will keep the people in my prayers, but one has to have more than a little question in one’s mind. Excalibur’s comment about the pornography comes to mind. May God have mercy on them all.

  10. That Guy says:

    I will pray, and I have bought my first 6 pack from Birra Nursia, and encouraged others to do likewise.

  11. scholastica says:

    We visited Norcia and Cascia last summer. I kept wondering why such beautiful, tranquil towns were hit this way. Makes more sense now. Cleansing His temple? Still a tragedy for these holy sites and those who called it home. I haven’t heard how Cascia fared, especially Roccaporena area.

  12. Matilda P says:

    In the BBC reporting from Amatrice thus far, it seems there was a small convent where some sisters and old ladies (whom I presume they may have been caring for) were trapped. Some of them have been rescued, and here is an interview with a Sister Marianna who was rescued from the rubble: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37176202

    It’s good human-interest journalism that the reporter asks if she knows their names, and so I relate them here for special prayers, as best I can fudge their spelling: Sister Cecelia, Sister Agatha, and Sister Anna, and Gilda, Anna, Maria, and Matilde.

  13. Matilda P says:

    ‘Their’ names being those of the ones still trapped, that is.

  14. I wrote to my diocesan weekly back in April, after the earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan and a national daily’s piece on it, encouraging Priests to use the Mass “In Time of Earthquake”. Cf. “A Mass for tremors?” (p. 2), 1 May. If it helps, I reiterate the gist, even if the details need changing. And I first pray that the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace; then, per our gracious blogger: a subitanea et improvisa morte: libera nos, Domine.

  15. acricketchirps says:

    I’m told that there is damage to the bell tower.

    Was it untolled damage?

    I am SO sorry for that, Father. Really I am.

  16. Semper Gumby says:

    Prayers for the monks, sisters, and all. That Guy: good idea. semperficatholic: thanks for the link.
    Save the beer!

  17. Semper Gumby says:

    Fr. Z and The Chicken: Thanks for the posts of Fr. Cassian and Hilary White. Very inspirational. And the humor of the monks at one point toward Hilary was a nice touch. (I think it was: “So it takes an earthquake to get Hilary up for Matins.”)

    I forwarded their posts to several fine people living well within both the New Madrid and the Cascadia fault zones. Email-by-email, so to speak.

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