Today we celebrate the Solemn Consecration of the Belmont Abbey Cathedral.
On March 28, 1965, Abbot Walter Coggin O.S.B. consecrated the newly renovated Belmont Abbey
Cathedral. To the Abbot, the need for renovation was clear, due to the increasingly obvious decay and
dilapidation of the church. According to a 1964 report, “The walls were dingy; the floor was close to
collapsing; the beauty that was once the Cathedral was faded.” It was thus incumbent upon Abbot
Walter to rectify the situation.
Jarring though it was, the renovation simplified the original design. The ceiling became cedar, while the
plaster on the walls was replaced with plain brick. The floor was laid with undyed flagstone and the
altars and ambos were cut of Georgia marble. Yet the painted windows, Stations of the Cross and the
venerated statue of Maryhelp all remained. To the exterior of the building, however, the narthex was
added and the granite arch surmounting the original doors was moved to this new location. Additionally,
before the entrance, an expansive piazza was created. Facing west on the piazza in front of the church,
the Italian-made statue of Saint Benedict was placed, obtained and blessed by Leo Haid in 1924. As has
been noted, the “evocative simplicity was soon understood as an authentic expression of the monastic
values that underscored the Cathedral’s use” (Baumstein 14).
As we celebrate our Solemnity today, let us reflect on the words of our late great Abbey historian,
Father Pascal Baumstein.
In his “A Carolina Basilica” pamphlet, he writes:
“The beauty and history of the Abbey Basilica of Maryhelp testify today to the reality that resided in the
dream of her Benedictine founders. More importantly, though, to her many worshippers through the
years—the succession of monks who have sought God there, the sequence of Abbeymen (and in more
recent times, of Abbeywomen) who have studied in her shadow and prayed there, and to the
generations of the faithful, clergy, and guests who have been invigorated and comforted amid her
spiritual atmosphere and liturgies—the Abbey Basilica is an enduring symbol of the reality of God’s
grace, bountifully given and felicitously enjoyed” (Baumstein 16).
Let us pray in thanksgiving, then, to God for the gift of our Abbey Church and all the blessings He has
bestowed upon us through this sacred place, and all the graces that continue to flood into our lives
through it, today and in the years to come.
NB: In 1910, our church become a cathedral when the Abbey was elevated to the rank of a nullius
‘diocese,’ the only Abbey Cathedral ever erected in the country. The Abbey Cathedral was then
enhanced with a new distinction in 1973 with its entry into the National Register of Historic Places.
However, when the nullius was suppressed the Abbey lost its classification as a cathedral and was
reclassified in 1977 as an ordinary monastic church. In 1993, however, the church gained a second listing
on the National Register, this time as part of the Belmont Abbey National Historic District. Finally, on July
27, 1998, our church received what seems to be its greatest honor when “(now Saint) Pope John Paul II
recognized the spiritual, historical, pastoral, and aesthetic significance (of the Abbey Church)…by naming
her a Minor Basilica. Belmont is only the third abbey in this county to be elevated to this dignity”
(Baumstein 16).
Work Cited: Baumstein, Pascal. “A Carolina Basilica.” North Carolina: The Southern Benedictine Society,
1999
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The Solemn Consecration of the Belmont Abbey Cathedral
On March 28, 1965, Abbot Walter Coggin O.S.B. consecrated the newly renovated Belmont Abbey Cathedral. To the Abbot, the need for renovation was clear, due to the increasingly obvious decay and dilapidation of the church. According to a 1964 report, “The walls were dingy; the floor was close to collapsing; the beauty that was once the Cathedral was faded.” It was thus incumbent upon Abbot Walter to rectify the situation.
Jarring though it was, the renovation simplified the original design. The ceiling became cedar, while the plaster on the walls was replaced with plain brick. The floor was laid with undyed flagstone and the altars and ambos were cut of Georgia marble. Yet the painted windows, Stations of the Cross and the venerated statue of Maryhelp all remained. To the exterior of the building, however, the narthex was added and the granite arch surmounting the original doors was moved to this new location. Additionally, before the entrance, an expansive piazza was created. Facing west on the piazza in front of the church, the Italian-made statue of Saint Benedict was placed, obtained and blessed by Leo Haid in 1924. As has been noted, the “evocative simplicity was soon understood as an authentic expression of the monastic values that underscored the Cathedral’s use” (Baumstein 14).
As we celebrate our Solemnity today, let us reflect on the words of our late great Abbey historian, Father Pascal Baumstein.
In his “A Carolina Basilica” pamphlet, he writes:
“The beauty and history of the Abbey Basilica of Maryhelp testify today to the reality that resided in the dream of her Benedictine founders. More importantly, though, to her many worshippers through the years—the succession of monks who have sought God there, the sequence of Abbeymen (and in more recent times, of Abbeywomen) who have studied in her shadow and prayed there, and to the generations of the faithful, clergy, and guests who have been invigorated and comforted amid her spiritual atmosphere and liturgies—the Abbey Basilica is an enduring symbol of the reality of God’s grace, bountifully given and felicitously enjoyed” (Baumstein 16).
Let us pray in thanksgiving, then, to God for the gift of our Abbey Church and all the blessings He has bestowed upon us through this sacred place, and all the graces that continue to flood into our lives through it, today and in the years to come.
NB: In 1910, our church become a cathedral when the Abbey was elevated to the rank of a nullius ‘diocese,’ the only Abbey Cathedral ever erected in the country. The Abbey Cathedral was then enhanced with a new distinction in 1973 with its entry into the National Register of Historic Places. However, when the nullius was suppressed the Abbey lost its classification as a cathedral and was reclassified in 1977 as an ordinary monastic church. In 1993, however, the church gained a second listing on the National Register, this time as part of the Belmont Abbey National Historic District. Finally, on July 27, 1998, our church received what seems to be its greatest honor when “(now Saint) Pope John Paul II recognized the spiritual, historical, pastoral, and aesthetic significance (of the Abbey Church)…by naming her a Minor Basilica. Belmont is only the third abbey in this county to be elevated to this dignity” (Baumstein 16).
Work Cited: Baumstein, Pascal. “A Carolina Basilica.” North Carolina: The Southern Benedictine Society, 1999
the Sacred Triduum at Belmont Abbey
Experience the Sacred Triduum at Belmont Abbey
A Monastic Retreat: April 1 – 5, 2026
Step out of the world and into the rhythm of the Abbey. Join the Benedictine
monks of Belmont Abbey for a unique four-day retreat during the holiest days of
the Christian calendar. This is more than a visit; it is an invitation to live, pray, and
walk alongside our community as we journey through the Passion, Death, and
Resurrection of Christ.
What to Expect:
The Monastic Rhythm: Join the monks in the Basilica for the Chant of the
Divine Office.
The Sacred Triduum: Participate in the beautiful liturgies of Holy
Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Easter Vigil.
Community & Silence: Experience the balance of communal prayer and
quiet reflection in our beautiful and peaceful monastery.
Personal Connection: Opportunity for spiritual conferences, spiritual
direction, and conversations with the monks to learn about the Benedictine
Way of Life.
"All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed like Christ." — Rule of Saint Benedict
Retreat Details
Open to: Male students of Belmont Abbey College
Dates: Wednesday, April 1 (begins with Vespers at 5:30 pm) – Sunday,
April 5, 2026
Location: the Monastery at Belmont Abbey
Registration: Email Fr. Elias (eliasosb@bac.edu), Br. Gabriel
(gabrielosb@bac.edu), or Br. Edward (edwardosb@bac.edu). Or sign up on the
sheet in the Narthex of the Basilica.
Belmont Abbey Annunciation Post
Belmont Abbey Annunciation Post
Today The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation, when “St Gabriel the Archangel told
the Blessed Virgin Mary she would be the Mother of the Son of God. She gave her fiat (“be it done”),
upon which she conceived the Savior by the power of The Holy Spirit” (RM 1785). Regarding the
Solemnity, The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates ‘the
fullness of time,’ the time of the fulfillment of God’s promises and preparations. Mary was invited to
conceive him in whom the ‘whole fullness of deity’ would dwell ‘bodily.’ The Divine response to her
question, ‘How can this be since I know not man?’ was given by the power of the Spirit: ‘The Holy Spirit
will come upon you’” (CCC 484).
When the monks from St Vincent Abbey come to Belmont (then Garibaldi) in 1876, they entrusted the
monastery to the protection of The Virgin Mary under the title Mary Help of Christians, enfolding the
place into the tradition that all monasteries are under the protection of Our Lady.
So let us pray with Universal Church today that we may imitate The Blessed Virgin Mother in her
humility, in her “fiat” in doing God’s will, and trust in His plan for us, our monastery, our College and the
world. Mary Help of Christians, pray for us! Amen.
Does Classical Education need Christianity? Truth, Goodness, and Beauty from a Christian Classical View
When we talk about classical liberal arts education, it can be easy – in our enthusiasm for what is surely an antidote to so many of the ills of contemporary pedagogies – to invoke the transcendentals almost automatically. Most people are unlikely to object to the True, the Good, or the Beautiful, even if we might disagree, in practice, over what these entail, so it’s tempting to toss them around in unexamined – albeit well-intentioned – ways. But when we say that classical education seeks Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, what do we, as a Catholic and a Christian institution, mean?
By setting them as ideals and ends of education, we affirm the universal and distinctive qualities of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, while also acknowledging their necessary interrelations. For the sake of clarity – and with apologies for the reductive nature of such definitions – we might understand each as some character of the real: Truth as that to which our intellect is drawn, Goodness as that to which our will is drawn, and Beauty as that to which our appreciation – we might even say our wonder or gratitude – is drawn. We find Truth, Goodness, and Beauty at work in the world, and we can meaningfully seek them, but no worldly reality perfectly captures what they are. They belong properly only to God as the source and summit of all being.
When we say that classical education seeks the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, this is not a noble abstraction but something infinitely more urgent and profound. We mean that the aim of classical or liberal arts education in developing and exercising our human capacities – our critical thought, creativity, empathy, humility, intellectual honesty, memory, and discipline – is ultimately to seek God, our Creator. As Christians, moreover, we embrace the essential mystery of the Incarnation, whereby the Word of God takes our humanity as His own and divinizes it without effecting its dissolution. We know that God is present to His creatures in a vividly personal way, and that seeking Him – seeking Truth, Goodness, and Beauty – should absorb our entire, redeemed humanity and all of human experience, alive in sacrament and Scripture but excluding no part of the life He gives.
In fact, authentic education invites us to participate in God’s creative work by embracing our continued formation, applying our will and effort to realizing our full potential. Education is the work of a lifetime, which is the reason classical education aims to teach us how and why to learn, just as much as what.
The capacity to desire and to recognize Truth, Goodness, and Beauty is inherent to our humanity, even as natural law is written deep in our souls. Our ability to reason, to choose, and to wonder exist in us as human creatures and partake in the Creator’s light, which is why Aristotle, Plato, and other pre- or non-Christian thinkers still offer profound contributions to our search for understanding.
But when we seek the Good, the True, the Beautiful as Christians, we do so with all the resources of nature and revelation, adding to the full exercise of our human capacities the heritage of our Christian Theological tradition and the manifold gifts that come with seeking in faith. Why pursue the project of Classical Education via this Christian tradition? Because we earnestly want them in their fullness. We want the fullness of being in its – in His – authentic reality. Because we know and love the goal.
