M ichael S mith
God, and
the favour of the A postolic S ee
by the grace of
Bishop of Meath
^
DE CREE
Bp. Michael
Smith
T
St Finnian of
Clonard
Diocese of Meath has a rich monastic heritage, made luminous by the memory of such holy men as our patron Saint Finian (†549), Saint Columba (†597),
Saint Ciarán (†775), and Saint Féichín (†665). In the ancient abbey of Fore in
Westmeath, Benedictine monks sang the praises of God by day and by night, and
this until its dissolution by the King’s commissioners in 1539. Saint Oliver Plunkett was himself a Benedictine Oblate; he went to his martyrdom wearing the scapular of Saint Benedict’s
own sons. When I was approached on 19 October 2011 and asked if I would permit a new
monastic foundation under the Rule of Saint Benedict in the Diocese of Meath, I saw that
such an undertaking could become for many, and especially for priests, a sign of continuity
with the past and of hope for the future.
The Benedictine Monks now living at Silverstream Priory in Stamullen came to our
diocese from the United States where, in 2009, with the blessing of the Most Reverend
Edward J. Slattery, Bishop of