Dom Richard Elected – June 2009
Dom Richard Elected 8th Abbot of Mt St Joseph - June 2009
On the 16th of June 2009 the community of Mount St Joseph Abbey, together with the abbots of the daughter houses, met in chapter for an abbatial election following the retirement at the beginning of May of Dom Kevin Daly who had been abbot since 2003. The community chose Fr Richard as its new abbot. As Fr Richard was technically ineligible for election both due to his age and number of years of profession, the community had to vote by a two-thirds majority that he be postulated as abbot. Canon Law requires that a monk be seven years in Solemn Vows before he can be elected as Abbot, while the Constitutions of the Cistercian Order state that a monk must be 35 years of age in order to be eligible for election.
Following the election the proceedings had to be suspended while the necessary dispensations were sought from the Holy See and the Abbot General. On the morning of Wednesday, the 17th June, Cardinal Franc Rodé, Cardinal-Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life issued to Dom Eamon Fitzgerald, the Cistercian Abbot General in Rome, the dispensation in relation to the shortfall in years of profession. [Infact Fr Richard was only short by a little over three months, having made Solemn Profession on the 28th September 2002.] On receipt of this dispensation, the Abbot General then dispensed with the minimum age requirement and confirmed the election of Dom Richard as Abbot of Mount St Joseph Abbey.
Having received both dispensations and the confirmation of the election of Dom Richard as abbot, Dom Michael Ahern, superior of Mount Melleray and Father Immediate of Mount St Joseph convened the community and announced the confirmation and then proceeded with the installation of the new abbot, handing him the keys and seal of the monastery, installing him in the Abbot’s throne in the Chapter Room and giving him the pectoral cross. The community then processed to the Abbey Church singing the Te Deum.
Dom Richard Purcell, originally from Rathgar in Dublin, was born in March 1976 and entered Mount St Joseph Abbey in 1997, having previously completed a degree in Music and French at UCD. Following further studies in UCD and St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, he spent some time working in Cistercian College, the boarding school attached to the monastery. In 2002 Fr Richard went to St Benet’s Hall, Oxford to read Theology. On his return from Oxford in 2004 he was appointed Abbey Bursar. Ordination to the Priesthood followed in 2005 and in 2007 Fr Richard was appointed Prior of the monastery while continuing in his role as Bursar. During his time as bursar many significant projects were undertaken including the complete conservation and restoration of the stained glass windows of the Abbey Church, the renovation of the monks’ former dormitory as library storage space, the renovation of the late eighteenth century courtyard and the construction of large-scale cattle housing and farm waste management facilities in the farmyard as well as the complete refurbishment of the former Ladies Guesthouse, Clairvaux House.
Dom Richard is the 8th Abbot of Mount St Joseph and has been elected for a term of six years. He will receive the Abbatial Blessing from Bishop Willie Walsh during Mass on the feast of St Benedict, Saturday 11th July at 3pm. The community of Mount St Joseph Abbey currently numbers 22 monks, two of whom are in formation.