5/5 Shamindra J. 9 years ago on Google
“Benedict
wooed
the
mountains,
Sylvester
loved
the
woods”
Would
it
then
be
surprising
that
way
back
in
1927,
exactly
seventy
five
years
ago,
the
sons
of
Saints
Benedict
and
Sylvester,
led
by
their
Superior
Major,
Very
Rev.Fr.
D
Bonfilius
Galassi
OSB,
who
was
also
the
Vicar
General
of
the
Kandy
Diocese,
chose
to
move
into
surroundings
which
would
have
gladdened
the
monastic
hearts
of
both
St.
Benedict
and
St.
Sylvester.
The
purchase
of
this
land
was
no
easy
affair.
However,
with
the
help
of
God
and
the
assistance
of
the
then
Ordinary
of
Kandy,
Bishop
Bede
Beekmeyer,
himself
an
eminent
son
of
St.
Sylvester,
who
took
a
keen
interest
in
the
affairs
of
the
congregation,
the
Superior
Major
was
able
to
purchase
a
secluded
“Walauwa”
and
gradually
move
in
with
his
small
cenobitic
band.
Situated
on
the
outskirts
of
Kandy,
in
a
typical
rural
setting,
Monte
Fano,
the
Mother
House
of
the
Sylvestro-Benedictines
of
Sri
Lanka,
stands
in
perfect
harmony
with
its
surroundings.
Simple,
yet
majestic
in
appearance,
it
does
lend
enchantment
to
the
landscape.
Its
remoteness
from
the
city
provides
the
seclusion
and
peace
necessary
for
prayer
and
study,
which
the
monks
seek
and
its
salubrious
climate
and
fertile
soil
keep
the
inmates
healthy
and
vigorous.
Visitors
to
the
monastery
have
found
the
atmosphere
awe-inspiring,
but
to
the
monks,
it
is
their
home
on
earth,
in
which
is
found
a
truly
fraternal
spirit
and
the
near
hundredfold,
which
Christ
promised
to
those
who,
having
left
their
homesteads
and
their
possessions
chose
to
follow
Him
in
a
life
of
dedicated
service.
The
House
was
blessed
on
the
25th
November
1927,
by
the
Prior
Major,
and
the
next
day,
which
happened
to
be
the
feast
of
the
Founder
of
the
Sylvestro-Benedictines,
St.
Sylvester
Guzzolini,
Fr.
D.
Hildebrand
Van
Reyk
OSB,
the
Master
of
Novices
celebrated
Holy
Mass
for
the
first
time
and
brought
into
being
“Monte
Fano”,
a
haven
for
the
sons
of
St.
Sylvester.
Today
Monte
Fano
stands
as
the
Mother
House
in
Sri
Lanka
of
the
Sylvestro
Benedictine
Monks
of
the
Order
of
St.
Benedict,
a
Religious
Order
in
the
Roman
Catholic
Church.
