PORTSMOUTH — Brother Benedict Maria, O.S.B., who has been preparing for the priesthood at the St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Florida, returned to Portsmouth to begin his ordained ministry, being ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons, by Bishop Richard G. Henning on May 3.
Midway through the Ordination Mass, Bishop Henning began his homily by addressing Brother Benedict Maria directly.
“You become today an oblation. You are not just offering your service to God: you are offering the entirety of yourself,” he said.
“And these privileged months that will follow are months where you will prepare to be that man who stands at this or any other altar and prays those words of Jesus in communion with Him: ‘This is my body given for you, my blood poured out for you’. We hope and pray that those words will never be mere words on your lips but words that shape you and that find expression in the way in which you minister to, and love, God’s people. Place your trust in the Lord Jesus who Himself now entrusts to you a share in His ministry.”
The choice of Friday morning, May 3, for the occasion of the ordination of Brother Benedict was not made accidentally. It ensured that the entire school body, both boarders and day-students, would be able to participate and be witness to it. Intermingled among the students were faculty members, parents, the Board of Directors, oblates, and friends of the Abbey from near and far – from down the street as well as from up and down the coast. The respect and love for Brother Benedict was made all the more evident by the presence of many staff members at the Mass, including the men from the Information Systems department, the hockey rink workers, the kitchen cooks and servers, the landscaping and grounds crew, the maintenance workers and the housekeeping personnel.
Brother Benedict’s parents, Anthony and Geetha Maria, along with his sister, Pricilla, made the long trek from India for their second visit to Aquidneck Island. He was also supported by a large group of personal friends who had all made lengthy trips to share this day with him. Following the weekend activities surrounding the ordination Mass, his family joined Brother Benedict in a trip to Florida where Brother has one more year of theology studies at the St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, before his priestly ordination in 2025, deo volente.
The seminary’s vice rector, Father Gregg Caggianelli, served as concelebrant at the Mass, as was Abbot Gregory Mohrman of Saint Louis Abbey where Brother Benedict spent a year during his initial formation as a novice. Rev. Mr. Paul Saint Laurent of the diocese of Providence, a familiar figure around Portsmouth, had the honor of being the Vesting Deacon, while the Deacon at the Altar was a close friend and classmate of Brother’s, the Rev. Peter Jutras.
Bishop Henning was accompanied by Father Nathan Ricci who served as the Episcopal Master of Ceremonies. The liturgical music for the Mass was beautifully sung by the Schola consisting of students from Portsmouth Abbey School, under the direction of Michael Carnaroli, the school’s director of Music. And as they have done throughout this academic year, the student servers were instrumental in assisting at the altar, more fully integrating the student body into the celebration of the Mass.
When the time came in the Mass for the abbot to respond to the bishop’s crucial question beginning of the ordination rite – “Do you know him to be worthy?” – the abbot’s voice was as clear as our St. David bell, which pealed from the rooftop during Mass: “After inquiry among the Christian people and upon the recommendation of those concerned with his formation, I testify that he has been found worthy.”
Brother Benedict made his solemn profession as a monk of Portsmouth Abbey on the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 2021, and began his philosophy studies the same year at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. Besides his interest in philosophy and theology, he has a decidedly artistic and culinary bent, both of which have come to fruition during his formative years at Portsmouth.
Once, as he was preparing one of his delicious Indian meals for a Sunday evening dinner for the community and guests, he was asked by a curious monk whether he was following written instructions or perhaps a recipe. Brother answered gleefully, “NO!” He knows what he knows and does what he does having watched his mother tend to the family cooking back home in India. And he knows enough to have supervised the professional kitchen cooks in planning and preparing dinners for our entire school.
As for his artistic talent, he developed an interest in mosaics while in formation in St. Louis, where he learned the necessary skills from Brother Symeon Gillette, O.S.B., now retired but the founder and long-time director of the Medieval Arts Guild at Saint Louis Priory School. Brother’s own fascination with and study of medieval arts enabled him to create beautiful stained glass works that bless our monastery.
