The monastic community at Buckfast Abbey has announced the publication of Echo of a Loved Voice, a significant new collection of the personal letters of Abbot Anscar Vonier OSB. Translated from the original French and brought together in a single volume for the first time, the correspondence provides an intimate perspective on one of the most influential Benedictine figures of the 20th century.

The collection, translated and edited by Buckfast Abbey archivist Steve Roach, traces the arc of Abbot Anscar’s life from his German upbringing through his formative years in Devon. It follows his path to Rome, where he was sent to study at Sant’Anselmo, receiving a doctorate in philosophy, before becoming a professor there soon after; a period that laid the intellectual foundations for his later renown as a theologian and author of enduring works such as A Key to the Doctrine of the Eucharist and The Spirit and the Bride.

A central theme of the letters is the profound impact of the 1906 shipwreck of the SS Sirio off the Spanish coast. Abbot Anscar survived the disaster, which claimed the life of his predecessor, Abbot Boniface Natter OSB. The letters written in the immediate aftermath, and over the course of his life, reveal the private grief and spiritual fortitude of a young monk suddenly tasked with the leadership of a community in mourning.

Under his guidance as abbot from 1906 until 1938, Buckfast underwent a period of remarkable physical and spiritual renewal. The correspondence documents the monumental task of rebuilding the Abbey church from its ruins and the steady hand required to lead the community through the upheaval of the First World War.

Steve Roach, who studied French at Cardiff University and Theology at the University of Surrey, provides contextual notes for each chapter. These introductions, paired with historical photographs and extracts from the Buckfast Annals, situates the letters within the broader ecclesial and social landscape of the era.

For the Benedictine family, Echo of a Loved Voice is more than a historical record; it is a reflection on the virtues of stability and resilience. It presents a portrait of a superior whose public achievements were deeply rooted in a private life of prayer and a steadfast commitment to the monastic charism.

The volume is published by Gracewing Publishing and is available through the Abbey’s online shop.