Scottish Catholic Observer

The earthquake struck central Italy—with the epicentre in the town of Amatrice—on August 24, and nearly 300 people lost their lives, with hundreds hurt.

With many buildings gone or rendered unsafe, the region—already reeling from the loss of life—is in a state of turmoil.

From Norcia, Aidan Cook has watched the people of the region try to rebuild their lives and has spoken of the efforts that lie ahead of him and his brothers in the monastery there as they seek to bring some normality back to life in the town.

“The earthquake hit just before Vigils on August 24, the feast of St Bartholomew,” he told the SCO, “so most of the monks were on their way to the Basilica. Thankfully none of us were hit by falling debris or furniture.

“We made our way outside into the piazza where most of the town was gathering. We all reassured each other that we were safe, and thanked God that the whole town seemed to have escaped without death or injury, or any buildings falling.

“News slowly filtered through about the terrible situation in Amatrice and nearby towns and villages. A large aftershock hit while we were gathered there, and I watched the pinnacle on the basilica wobble like jelly.

“As the new day dawned we carefully assessed the situation. As we began to see how much damage had been done to the monastery, the decision was taken that most of the monks should go to Rome for a few days while inspections were carried out.”

With tremors continuing in the aftermath of the earthquake, the threat to life and property meant many families had to live in tents and emergency accommodation set up hurriedly in the days following the disaster.

“Much of the original damage has been worsened by the continuing tremors, and while some people have been able to return to their homes and some businesses have reopened, many buildings have been declared unfit for use,” he continued.

“A couple of temporary camps are set up near the town, and the valley is dotted with the blue emergency tents that many people are living in. Half of the monastery was declared uninhabitable, so some of us are living at the monastery above the town that we had just begun restoring.

“Most of the property was already in ruins and is now little more than rubble, but fortunately the repairs that had been done to the church held strong. We are currently living in a big tent, but will have temporary houses for the cold winter that is fast approaching.”

The basilica has been shaken into sections that need to be pulled back together, along with significant internal restoration. Half of the monastery in town needs to be rebuilt. The monastery above the town requires the most work: most of it will need to be rebuilt from scratch, and the church that was in the middle of restoration requires some additional patching up. Each site requires millions of euros of work.

Living in Glasgow before he chose to follow his vocation in Italy, Br Aidan explained how he came to arrive in the town of Norcia.

“I discovered the monastery in Norcia online and was inspired by the life they were living,” he said. “I first came in 2009 but it wasn’t right for me at that time. Last year I decided to return, and I have just been clothed as a novice. Norcia is the birthplace of St Benedict and his sister St Scholastica, so it really is a privilege to be a Benedictine monk here.”

Br Aidan is keen to keep people at home up to date. “In the monastery, we are thankful that we are all safe, and have been able to continue living the monastic life with minimal disruption,” he said.

“Indeed, despite the upheaval and destruction we can see God using the earthquake to help shape the future of our monastery. We are trying to help the community as best we can.

“We have been overwhelmed by the spiritual and material support flowing in from around the world, but we have a huge task ahead of us.”

To find out more about the monastery and Br Aidan’s life since the earthquake, visit www.nursia.org