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BULLETIN OF THE HOLY CROSS
Nº 58 – March 2025
Dear friends and benefactors,
Little by little, our monastery is growing in numbers and, we hope, also in merit. We currently have fifteen monks. Let us hope that our novices persevere and the professed ones as well.
Our Lord consecrated the contemplative life by saying that it was the best part. Its fruitfulness is immense. The his-tory of the Church says so in abundance. But this fruitfulness demands regular observance and, above all, limitless charity. Charity is what moves the contemplative life: love of God and love of neighbor; two aspects of the same virtue. The reason for loving one’s neighbor, says Saint Thomas, is God.
In the face of the various threats of war that concern the world, the role of contemplatives is, above all, to pray and sa-crifice themselves for the conversion of the world. We dare not go into details about current politics. It is difficult to know what lies behind major events, although it seems increasingly clear to us that the European Union does not deserve our preferences.
What we can say is that the great calamities that have befallen the world have always been caused by the sins of hu-manity. The Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the volcano over the city of Saint-Pierre in Guadeloupe, the Second World War predicted by Our Lady if the world did not convert, etc.(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image004.jpg)
Therefore, let us pray and make reparation for our sins and for the sins of all men.
Nineveh escaped destruction in this way. Let us do what they did, especially during this Lent.
P.S.This editorial had already been written when we received the news of the death of His Excellency Bishop RichardWilliamson. Bishop Williamson was the bishop who kept Tradition
firm in its resistance to the Society’s imprudent approaches to Rome. More than others, he vigorously opposed that rappro-chement and callous submission to modernist Rome, which is the greatest danger threatening Tradition.
We thank God for having given us Bishop Williamson, who, by consecrating bishops, allowed Tradition to not depend on Rome until it returned to the integrity of the Catholic faith.
May our prayers be united with our gratitude. Requiescant in pace.
+ Thomas Aquinas, OSB
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Doctrine
All current heads of State seem to have as a dogma that the State must be democratic, that the people are sovereign, that freedom of conscience, of worship, of press and of education are an advance in relation to the Catholic legislation of the past.
Let us talk a little about freedom of expression and free-dom of press.
“There is no right to freedom of press,” writesArchbishop Lefebvre, “There is therefore no right to propagate error through the press. That freedom does not exist. There cannot be a right to this freedom of expression and this freedom of the press.”
Why is there no freedom of press as an absolute right? Because only truth and goodness have the right to be propaga-ted. Errors, lies, heresies, political systems condemned by the Church, the exaltation of all kinds of vice...Those are the things that undermine Europe, which was once the intellectual, moral and even military center of the world. The entire world is do-minated by the errors spread by Europe and the United States through Fɾҽҽmαsσɳɾყ.
Happy are the peoples whose rulers are sufficiently vi-gilant, as were Garcia Moreno, Saint Louis and the holy kings who built the Catholic city under the guidance of the Church. Our duty is to work to rebuild it based on the eternal principles taught by the Church. But there would be no point in having saints in power if the people did not convert. May the people of our countries not be, as Donoso Cortés said, speaking of those governed today, "the governed who have become ungovernab-le." To do this, we must return to the Catholic faith, following Archbishop Lefebvre and all of the Tradition.
Otherwise, the world will eventually cry out for the one who will oppose Our Lord to an unprecedented degree and will
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deserve the name ofAntichrist. But his reign will be short-lived, and Our Lord will kill him with the breath of his mouth. In the meantime, however, the Church will have a lot to suffer.
Chronicles 2024
- January 2: Visit of the monks of our Monastery to the Monas-
tery of Our Lady of Faith and the Rosary, of Rev. Father Jahir,
in Candeias - BA.
- January 6: Mgr the Prior ordains Brothers Lourenço [Lauren-
ce] and Alberto [Albert] in the Monastery of Our Lady of Faith
and the Rosary.
- January 13: Entry of Brother Jean into the Postulancy.
- February 29: Our monks organize and assist in the great harvest of persimmons on our leased land.
- March 30: Brother Marcelo, from Florianópolis - SC, enters the postulancy.
- April 13: H.E.R. Dom Richard Williamson graces us with his
visit, the following day praying Holy Mass and then giving a
conference in our School in the afternoon.
- April 22: H.E.R. Bishop Richard Williamson returns to En-
gland.
- May 14: Start of the renovation of the roof over our Chapter.
- May 10: We received a large donation of books, by the grace of God.
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- May 14: We welcomed Rev. Fr. Luis Carlos, from the state
of Minas Gerais, into our monastery so that he could study and
learn to pray the Tridentine Holy Mass.
- June 2: Vestment of two seminarians (João and Luís, or John
and Louis) from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, in
addition to their solemn Confirmation.
- June 5: Visit of the architect Diego, to inspect the land and
design our new church and the attached cloister.
- July 16: Vestment of Br. Luis Maria [Louis Mary].
-August 6: Entry of Br. Inácio into the postulancy.
- [color=#211e1f
Continued:
- September 11: The solar panels, previously connected to our
electrical grid, are activated. Now we can count on the energy
assistance of those panels.
- October 12: Ordination of Rev. Fr. Flavio Mateos [Fr. Flavius
Mathew] and sermon by Rev. Fr. Trincado, S.A.J.M.
- November 18: Beginning of our annual retreat, with the prea-
ching of Rev. Fr. Flavio Mateos, S.A.J.M.
- November 21: Entry of Br. Paulo Daniel [Br. Paul Daniel]
into the postulancy and profession of oblature by Br.Antão [Br.
Anthon].
- December 5: Entry of Br. Mítalo into the condition of postu-
lant.
- December 8: Consecration of the monasteries of the Immacu-
late Heart and the Holy Cross to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
and simple vows by Br. Dionísio Maria [Br. Dionisius Mary].
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Attachment(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.jpg)
Below there is a brief summary of the work that we have carried out due to the constitutions of Rev. Fr. Muard and the si-tuation of the Church, which were implemented in our religious house throughout 2024, as well as other long-term initiatives, also implemented in this auspicious year. We are deeply gra-teful for the generosity of all the benefactors who, from cou-ntless countries, responded to our requests for help in favor of the spread of the Catholic Faith in Brazil and Latin America.
Mapping our apostolate
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In response to the requests of our faithful, we have ex-tended our radius of action beyond Brazil, totaling more than 4,000 km stretching in a straight line to the most distant territory that is served. In 2024, we reached the significant milestone of more than 46 missions and, in addition to these, we have tried to assist many others who have asked us for the sacraments. This effort is not the essence of our vocation, but our founder, Rev. Fr. Muard, prescribed us missions when this was possible and in a non-continuous manner.
Recently completed projects:
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image004.jpg)ROOF
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image006.jpg)We were able to complete the renova-tion of the roof of the block closest to the cha-pel, where we have our chapter meetings. For a long time, we had been suffering from water in-filtration problems due to that roof. All the tiles and some columns, be-ams and slats that were already rotting were re-placed, which is going to
guarantee the longevity of the building and the end of the inconvenient humidity.
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COWLAND COWS
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image008.jpg)We completed the construction of the corral, rebuilt our fences for the pasture and bought some cows. One calf has already been born and another is going to be born soon. We have been able to produce
yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese for our own consumption almost daily.
SOLAR ENERGY
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image010.jpg)Thanks to our generous benefactors, we were able to complete the campaign to install photovoltaic energy panels. That is going to drastically reduce our electricity costs, while also ensu-ring greater stability in our ener-gy grid.
We have installed solar panels in four locations: in our monastery, at the sisters’ house, at the seminary and at the school.
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Work underway:(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image012.jpg)
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image014.jpg)THE SISTERS’ CLOIS-TER WALL
The sisters’ cloister was open due to the parti-cularities of the construc-tion, and that was a great concern for us and their fa-milies. The solution was to
ask the faithful for help us build a wall and enclose their monas-tery. We also acquired a guard dog, which is going to provide them with greater security.
ROAD
There has been an increase in the flow of faithful in our re-ligious activities, by the grace of God. However, our roads are still precarious, due to the difficulties of soil and labor. Therefore, we havebeenworkingonourroads,because asH.E.R.DomWilliam-son observed, during his last visit: “The road to heaven is rocky”.
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ARTESIAN WELL
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image016.jpg)Every year, since our foundation, we have faced some type of problem related to water. We have drilled an ar-tesian well, which is certainly going to be of great use to us. All that remains to be still done is to lay the piping to the mo-nastery.
Work to be carried out:
CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CHURCH
Doubtlessly, this is our largest and most necessary work in the long term. Whether due to the continuous increase in the number of faithful who come to live around the monastery to try to survive the crisis, or due to liturgical needs, or the space needed to adequately hold monastic and episcopal ceremonies, which, thank God, are very frequent. We ask especially for the attention of our benefactors for this particular work, so that, God willing, we can complete this project.
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image018.jpg)Our temporary chapel already holds Sun-day masses at the limit of its capacity, and has been adapted to meet the growing influx of faithful. It has earned the epithet of “Iron Cathedral” as the “iron cathedral”, given by
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(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image020.jpg)Mgr. Richard Williamson. The small church, built at the time of the founda-tion, has great value to us. Blessed by Mgr. Antônio de Castro Mayer, it has served us since our fou-ndation almost 40 years ago. We do not intend to demolish it, but it will be
preserved, at least in part, within our future cloister. It will cer-tainly always be a pleasant place of prayer. With the first phase of the campaign for the construction of the new church now complete, we have a lot to celebrate, but we also have a lot to do and to plan. In June 2024, our architect visited us to assess the site and to begin work. We will soon have the architectural project and begin preparing the ground.
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image022.jpg)Whether it is due to cultural issues and the degradation of the modern world, or to financial conditions that are inferior to tho-se in Europe and Nor-th America, we often have to turn to our be-nefactors even for our
usual expenses. But we are convinced that, through the inter-cession of the Virgin Mary, who never fails, the Good Lord will not delay in helping us with our work, even when the monks and friends who help us can no longer do so. And we will be able to say in the future, both on earth and in heaven, that the effort was certainly worth it.
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Learn more about this project by visiting: www.mosteirodasantacruz.org/nossa-igreja
OUR KITCHEN
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image024.jpg)We face a serious problem of humidity in our older buildings. The plaster in most of them is damaged and we suffer because of the low-qua-lity material used in the construction. The costs of correcting these problems are unfortunately high.
OUR LIBRARIES
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image026.jpg)At the same time we have been promoting a fundraising campaign for urgent renovation of the libraries. The same thing is happening as in the ki-tchen, but unlike the pots and pans that can be wa-shed, the precious books cannot withstand humidi-ty and dirt. More details about this important cam-
paign can be found on our website: www.mosteirodasantacruz.org/reformadabiblioteca
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OUR SCHOOL
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image028.jpg)At our school, we have trained more than 30 children in 2024 and we already have almost 50 students enrolled for 2025. We urgently need to build 3 new class-rooms for this year, as there is no more space for the next classes. Un-
fortunately, we do not have any resources to carry out this much-needed expansion work, the costs of which will be sig-nificant. We are in constant prayer, asking Our Lady for help for the children who are assisted by this precious school.
BAKERY
(http://file:///C:\Users\antho\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image030.jpg)This is one of our oldestbuildings.Theinten-tion is to use it as a bakery. We will need to tear down a wall, expand the space and make it a clean and suitable environment so that we can process our daily bread.
GUTTERS
We have calculated 115 meters (125.8 yds or 377.3 ft) of gutters to be installed in various monastery complexes. Many
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are already damaged due to long use and we need to install new ones in several other places, where they are sorely needed. Wi-thout them, the walls and foundations are severely affected by the climate of Nova Friburgo.
Finally, we count on your indispensable help. There are many pieces of work that are needed. Please help us to preserve this monastery and collaborate with the divine plan for the sal-vation of souls.
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Cellarer’s Note
Little by little, we have been fulfilling the program that was drawn up a long time ago, and interrupted by some impor-tant work, among which we highlight the increasing burdens of the growth of our religious community, recent foundations of the women's branch and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Se-minary, supported by our monastery, in addition to the main-tenance of the São Bento & Santa Escolástica School. In our monastery alone, today, we have almost 20 religious brothers.
For this reason, we are now focusing our efforts on the long-awaited construction of our definitive church, which is in the architectural and structural planning phase.
The meticulous restructuring of the various complexes that the monastery houses – from the tool room, libraries, bake-ry to the wells that provide us with drinking water – has also required extraordinary expenses throughout this year, but all of them were considered and necessary for the maintenance of our religious house.
All these actions were combined t[
Continued:
Cellarer’s Note
Little by little, we have been fulfilling the program that was drawn up a long time ago, and interrupted by some important work, among which we highlight the increasing burdens of the growth of our religious community, recent foundations of the women's branch and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, supported by our monastery, in addition to the maintenance of the São Bento & Santa Escolástica School. In our monastery alone, today, we have almost 20 religious brothers.
For this reason, we are now focusing our efforts on the long-awaited construction of our definitive church, which is in the architectural and structural planning phase.
The meticulous restructuring of the various complexes that the monastery houses – from the tool room, libraries, bake-ry to the wells that provide us with drinking water – has also required extraordinary expenses throughout this year, but all of them were considered and necessary for the maintenance of our religious house.
All these actions were combined to ensure that the Be-nedictine spirit was preserved, which we achieved only throu-gh the loving intervention of God through our generous bene-factors. All donations are significant, regardless of their value: from a kilogram of rice to objects used in our community or guesthouse. And with humility we extend our hands, praying for the charity of our donors, so that our monks and priests may pray and spread God's graces throughout Brazil and the world. May God repay them for all their help.
Br. Cellarer
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Support our Works
- our contemplative life and the apostolate of our priests; - our Benedictine sisters;
- our school for children and adolescents;
- the seminary of secular priests next to the monastery.
Pray for them in your rosary and, if possible, send us a donation spe-cifying (if you wish) the work you would like to help.
ACCOUNT IN USA
Now your donation in the United States can benefit from a tax deduc-tion. For this, send us your donations through Holy Cross Brazil. See below how to do it.
1. By check. Make the check payable to "Holy Cross Brazil" and send it to the following address:
Holy Cross Brazil PO Box 796
cuмberland, WI 54829-0796 United States
2. Or sending anACH payment to this account of Holy Cross Brazil:
Beneficiary: MOSTEIRO DA SANTACRUZ, BRAZIL, INC Address: 211 190th Ave, Comstock, WI 54826 - U.S. ABARouting Number: 091311229
ACHAccount number: 202524373725 Account type: Checking
IBAN / Acc. Number (Wire transfer): 202274328465 SWIFT / BIC Code CHFGUS44021
Bank: Choice Financial Group
4501 23rd Avenue S, Fargo, ND 58104 - U.S.
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Holy Cross Brazil is a trade name of Mosteiro da Santa Cruz, Brazil, Inc., (EIN 87-2010843), a Wisconsin corporation exempt from U.S. federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. This charity supports the Holy Cross Monastery (Mosteiro da Santa Cruz), in Nova Friburgo, Brazil.
Please send the transfer receipt to this email: mostsantacruz@gmail.com
ACCOUNT IN U.K.
Bank: Wise Currency: POUND
Beneficiary: MIGUEL FERREIRA DA COSTA (Bp. Thomas Aqui-nas)
Sort code: 23-14-70 Account number: 72567798
IBAN: GB94 TRWI 2314 7072 5677 98 BIC/SWIFT: TRWIGB2L
Wise's address: 56 Shoreditch High Street London E1 6 J J United Kingdom
ACCOUNT IN CANADA
Beneficiary: MIGUEL FERREIRA DACOSTA [Bp. Thomas Aquinas]
Institution number: 621
Account number: 200110436304 Agency number (transit number): 16001 Currency: CAD
Bank: WISE -Address: 99 Bank Street, Suite 1420 Ottawa ON K1P 1H4, Canada
Make a donation via INTERAC to the following address: mgrthomasdaquin@gmail.com
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ACCOUNT INAUSTRALIA
Beneficiary : MIGUEL FERREIRA DA COSTA (legal name of Bp. Thomas Aquinas)
BSB code: 774001
Account number: 204392434
Banque:WiseAustralia Pty Ltd, Suite1,Level 11, 66Goulburn Stre-et, Sydney, NSW, 2000,Australia
ACCOUNT IN NEW ZEALAND
Account holder: Miguel Ferreira da Costa [it's Bp Thomas Aquinas' legal name]
Account number: 04-2021-0209734-07
Wise Payments Ltd. - New Zealand Branch, 1st Floor, Worship Square, 65 Clifton
Street, London, EC2A 4JE, United Kingdom REFERENCE/PURPOSE: HELP TO FRIENDS
Our Paypal address: santacruzpaypal@gmail.com Foreign accounts and Paypal links:
www.mosteirodasantacruz.org/doacaointernacional
Contact us
Mosteiro da Santa Cruz – Secretariado Cx Postal 96582
Nova Friburgo - RJ 28610-974 BRAZIL
Email: mostsantacruz@gmail.com Website: www.mosteirodasantacruz.org
UT IN OMNIBUS GLORIFICETUR DEUS