The British monk at Sobrado

[notion900]

Does anyone know the name of the British brother at Sobrado dos Monxes?

 

[SabsP]

I do not have any idea but you could mail them?

Their website is very informative.

Camino de Santiago

El Comité del Patrimonio Mundial, reunido en Bonn, aprobó en su reunión del 5 de julio de 2015 la extensión del sitio de los Caminos de Santiago de Compostela: Camino francés y caminos del Norte de…

www.monasteriodesobrado.org

 

[trecile]

His name is Lawrence.

 

[SabsP]

His name is Lawrence.

Found him !

 

[Former member 49149]

Found him !

Cum laude, Sabine! I am fascinated by his accent. Where did he learn his Castellano? if it were Scottish English, I would say he learned in Dundee... but then, I am so long out of my own country who am I to say? Anyway, main point: good on you, Sabine, you gave the exact answer to the original question, and bonus was the video.
edit: trecile got it, sorry! Well done, trecile.

 

[notion900]

@trecile @SabineP Thank you! Do you know if he is called Fray, Padre, Hermano, Don.. ???

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

lawrence, but i cannot remember their cat's name

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I will be staying there in May. I will be pleased to meet him!

 

[oursonpolaire]

He's very pleasant; I had a good chat with him and he showed me some of the ancient Cistercian sign language gestures.

 

[notion900]

It takes ages to check in as he loves to have a nice chat with everybody. Even when there's a long line, everyone gets a sit down at the desk and he gives them his undivided attention.

 

[Maggie Y]

Yes it is amazing. He likes a good chat altho isn't it supposed to be a silent order? ! He told me he used to live in Italy. Abandoned UK in late 70's what a good idea. I loved it there and it was good to go to evening prayers altho the formalities were slightly lost on me

 

[notion900]

isn't it supposed to be a silent order

Yes I remember being astonished to read that in a leaflet, the brothers who do the public facing stuff love to chat for Spain. Maybe they have other members of the order who do the being quiet for them.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Maybe they have other members of the order who do the being quiet for them.

I hope this was supposed to be humorous cuz it gave me a chuckle.

 

[Davie Blisters]

Lawrence helped me in 2018 - as I arrived into town he took my backpack, so that I could watch England play a World Cup Football game on TV at the local bar. Post match I got to the Monastery and my pack had already been allocated a bed. Divine intervention I guess!

 

[pelerine]

Yes it is amazing. He likes a good chat altho isn't it supposed to be a silent order? ! He told me he used to live in Italy. Abandoned UK in late 70's what a good idea. I loved it there and it was good to go to evening prayers altho the formalities were slightly lost on me

I was corrected by the monk who looks after the pilgrims that, although cistercian, this monastary was of the trappist variety ie very strict about keeping the silence. However I think the padres are the very strict ones. If this monk is Fra Lawrence, then maybe he does not have to observe vows of silence.

 

[koilife]

I hope this was supposed to be humorous cuz it gave me a chuckle.

Yeah, it's kinda like substitution theology . . . .

Seriously, however, the Cistercians/Trappists are no longer a "silent" order, as in mandatory silence. It is in the DNA of their order, however, to live with a spirit of silence, and so their speaking is still kept to an appropriate minimum. As a result, most of their sign language (which ironically replaced the spoken word and largely undid the value of internal silence) has fallen away now that speech is part of their culture again.

On the other hand, hospitality is a key part of their Benedictine heritage, and the stories of Fr/Br Lawrence's personalized welcoming of pilgrims is classically Benedictine.

 

[koilife]

. . . I think the padres are the very strict ones. If this monk is Fra Lawrence, then maybe he does not have to observe vows of silence.

There used to be a distinction between what were commonly called the "choir monks" and the "lay brothers" as if they were two separate orders with separate rules of life living alongside each other. However, that was collapsed into a single rule and life under the Vatican II reforms. These reforms also led to the emphasis on a spirit of interior rather than formal exterior silence. Thus, whether priest or brother, they have the same obligation for silence. The real difference in speech v silence is their office or job. Those dealing with the public are necessarily more talkative.

 

[Lucy Keenan]

Does anyone know the name of the British brother at Sobrado dos Monxes?

I met him a few years ago. Really interesting man. From South London. Before being at Sobrado he was at another monastery which is now run by nuns.

 

[Lynn C O'Hara]

I met Br Lawrence in 2017. What a fun man! He loves cats, and we had an hour-long conversation on their independence and antics. He let me roam the entire property, and gave me a wonderful tour. Let me see into the small church that is now locked. I felt like an honored guest! I hated to go on my way!

 

[Ctshagr]

Does anyone know the name of the British brother at Sobrado dos Monxes?

I believe his name is Father Lawrence and does he still have his cat?

 

[Ctshagr]

Fr. Lawrence gave me this advice “let the shower run for a while before entering there’s been many screams as pilgrims got hit with the cold water”.

 

[Maggie Y]

I believe his name is Father Lawrence and does he still have his cat?

Yes. He has his cat on Sept 2018!!

 

[Ctshagr]

I met Mr or Miss Kitty in 03/2019 very friendly.

 

[Goran]

The cat's name is Maximilian, also called Max.

 

[Jim Michie]

Interesting this is being discussed, one of the high points of my walk. I was surprised to be confronted by a monk when registering at the albergue. He was very friendly and talked a lot about the monastery. Not being Catholic I wanted to be sure of the correct protocols and asked "How do I refer to you?". His reply was a bit shocking as I was expecting something formal "Lawrence".
Jim Michie

 

[Maggie Y]

Unfortunately when attending the evening ceremony I was presented with a bowl as I was leaving. I thought it was for collecting donations and had missed the point it was holy water for cleansing of hands.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Wow, 25 positive replies about Father Lawrence and his cat! I can't wait to meet them both in early May!

 

[Goran]

Do not miss to visit evening ceremony, it is something special, when father Lawrence play organ and other priests singing.

 

[Ctshagr]

The cat's name is Maximilian, also called Max.

Yes that’s it, thanks.

 

[notion900]

Is Lawrence father or brother, officially?

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Cistercians are a reform of Benedictine spirituality and rule. I am a Benedictine, and can tell you the Rule dictates all those in the monastery keep a “great silence” from the end of nighttime prayers until after breakfast the next morning, speaking only in urgent situations. Speech is limited throughout the rest of the day, but the cellarer (who does the shopping and inventories), the abbot and prior (who are in charge) and the porter - the doorkeeper - have special dispensation to talk as needed. Their jobs are described in great detail by Benedict, the privileges come with extra responsibility, too. So wonderful to spend time in these communities dedicated to prayer.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Cistercians are a reform of Benedictine spirituality and rule. I am a Benedictine, and can tell you the Rule dictates all those in the monastery keep a “great silence” from the end of nighttime prayers until after breakfast the next morning, speaking only in urgent situations. Speech is limited throughout the rest of the day, but the cellarer (who does the shopping and inventories), the abbot and prior (who are in charge) and the porter - the doorkeeper - have special dispensation to talk as needed. Their jobs are described in great detail by Benedict, the privileges come with extra responsibility, too. So wonderful to spend time in these communities dedicated to prayer.

Near where I live in northernn Illinois, we have one of the last Poor Clare convents in the USA. The nuns take a vow of silence, new recruits are dwindling, and the aged have their funerals and are buried on the property. A fascinating book was written in 2014 by author and filmmaker, Abbie Reese, "Dedicated to God; an oral history of cloistered nuns". She formed a rapport with the Mother Superior over many months and was then granted permission and allowed to interview the nuns one at a time.
I really enjoyed the book and also heard the author speak about her experience.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

"Into Great Silence," a 2005 documentary, goes deeply into daily life at a Trappist monastery in the Alps. Beautiful.

 

[SabsP]

"Into Great Silence," a 2005 documentary, goes deeply into daily life at a Trappist monastery in the Alps. Beautiful.

Slow watching.
It is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.

Into Great Silence :: Zeitgeist Films

Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen...

zeitgeistfilms.com

 

[koilife]

Into Great Silence is actually about the Carthusians up at the Grand Chartreuse. Their life makes the Trappists look soft and inviting.