Welcome to Papa Stronsay
Over 1400 years ago St. Columba (521-597) met with Brude, the King of the Picts, and also the chief ruler of the Orkney islands. In that meeting, recorded for us by Saint Adomnán of Iona (627 – 704), (Vita Columbæ Bk 2 Ch. 43) St. Columba said to King Brude: "Some of our brethren have lately set sail, and are anxious to discover a desert in the pathless sea; should they happen, after many wanderings, to come to the Orkney islands, do thou carefully instruct this chief, whose hostages are in thy hand, that no evil befall them within his dominions." The saint took care to give this direction, because he knew that after a few months St. Cormac would arrive in Orkney. So it afterwards came to pass, and to this advice of the holy man, Cormac owed his escape from impending death. These early monks — Papari — gave their name (From Latin, Papa via Old Irish, Papar - Fathers) to the islands where they set up their monastic settlements, their "deserts in the pathless sea". Their islands were called Papey, there were three such Papey islands in Orkney although through the centuries we now know of only two: one called Papey meiri ( or big Papey, — big Priests' Island — today known as Papa Westray) and one called Papey minni (or little Papey, — little Priests' Island — known now as Papa Stronsay). For more than 1400 years this island of Papa Stronsay has been set apart from the other Orkney islands as a holy island.
The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Island
The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer are a Roman Catholic congregation of missionary monks. Their life is both contemplative and active. Living in the spitiruality of the desert fathers, they find their "desert in the pathless sea" on the tiny island of Papa Stronsay, in the North Sea. From this holy desert, the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, leave their contemplative life and set out on voyages, from this island in the North Sea, like so many Irish or Viking monks, to preach the Eternal Truths in the form of Missions wherever they are invited; which means in any part of the world.
The island of Papa Stronsay is owned by the Monastery, which assures us the privacy and solitude that we need to live our life. Papa Stronsay is about 6 minutes by boat to the neighbouring Island of Stronsay. The Name "Papa Stronsay" means "Priests Island of Stronsay". The name from the Papar monks, who inhabited the island, withstood even the Viking invaders who settled Orkney from the 8th century onwards, because of the community of priests – monks, most likely – on Papa Stronsay. Read More...
The Transalpine Redemptorist life is neither purely contemplative, nor entirely active, but combines both. Thus, we live neither for ourselves, nor for the people alone, but we devote ourselves first to our own sanctification by the practice of prayer and of all the virtues so that we be a living memorial (vita memoria) of the life of Jesus Christ, and then to the sanctification of others. Here you can find various information and articles about the religious vocation in general, and the Transalpine Redemptorist vocation in particular.
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The Transalpine Redemptorists was founded with the blessing of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the encouragement of Cardinal Gagnon, on 8 December 1987 when Cardinal Gagnon was visiting the Society of St Pius X as the Papal Visitator. The following year, on 2 August, 1988, a young Redemptorist priest with a seminarian of the Society of St Pius X, and several first aspirants formed a fledgling monastic community consecrated to the celebration of the old Mass, and to living according to the spirit and tradition of St Alphonsus, the founder of the Redemptorists.
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To get to Papa Stronsay is not complicated but it is clearer if we say that there are three steps:
First it is necessary to to get to Kirkwall, Mainland Orkney.
Second, to get from Mainland Orkney to the island of Stronsay.
Finally, from Stronsay the monastery boat will take you to Papa Stronsay.
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