Traditional Benedictine Spirituality

[corsair]

While you are waiting try this website; osbnorcia.org/?page_id=843
There is Vespers daily and both the OF & EF Masses. I believe on Fridays they also have Compline. Perhaps its Saturdays. Anyhow I really enjoy their site. Nothing “elitist” about these Monks.

Then schedule a visit to Clear Creek, Oklahoma.

 

[HCC]

Another great abbey: barroux.org/

Sorry it’s all in French, but they are so full, they’ve stopped accepting vocations until they get their second abbey built. 15 years ago American Benedictines were laughing at them.

 

[OraLabora]

Then schedule a visit to Clear Creek, Oklahoma.

Same congregation as our abbey (Solesmes). Known for orthodoxy, faithfulness to the Holy Father, and beautiful liturgies in Gregorian chant. Also founded by Fontgombault, not exactly known for liturgical experimentation

 

[Anselm33]

St John’s and St Meinrad’s are notoriously liberal and off-the-wall.

I disagree with your statement, particularly since the original poster lives very close to St. Vincent’s Archabbey, with which I’m familiar. In my experience as an oblate associated with St. Vincent’s I have known two Brothers who are associated with oblate functions, many priests, two who have served as moderators for Oblate deaneries, several who have given retreats, one who acted as my spiritual director and one who is a high-school classmate of my son. They are all deeply spiritual and observant, and orthodox. One of the most saintly and spiritual people I’ve ever met, Fr. Railla, is the Director for Oblates. When I go to a retreat or for visits, the Morning and Evening Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours), the Adoration visits, or just sitting in the crypt are refreshing beyond belief. The Masses, and particularly the liturgical music, is not “off-the’wall”.
If the inquirer does live near St. Vincent’s, as seems clear from previous posts, then I don’t see how any of the problems you mention could arise. I have learnt more in my five years as a Benedictine Oblate about how I should serve Christ than I can recount in this brief post.
That being said, I’m not sure where you get your bias. Are you now or have you been a Benedictine oblate, so that you have direct experience of the heterodoxy to which you refer? I’m curious. There are, I’m sure, “liberal” and, possibly heterodox priests and brothers (in fact, I think a former Archabbot of St. Vincent’s who then became Bishop in Minneapolis or Wisconsin could be so classed), but that doesn’t validate a judgement on the whole brotherhood.

 

[HCC]

I disagree with your statement, particularly since the original poster lives very close to St. Vincent’s Archabbey, with which I’m familiar. In my experience as an oblate associated with St. Vincent’s I have known two Brothers who are associated with oblate functions, many priests, two who have served as moderators for Oblate deaneries, several who have given retreats, one who acted as my spiritual director and one who is a high-school classmate of my son. They are all deeply spiritual and observant, and orthodox. One of the most saintly and spiritual people I’ve ever met, Fr. Railla, is the Director for Oblates. When I go to a retreat or for visits, the Morning and Evening Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours), the Adoration visits, or just sitting in the crypt are refreshing beyond belief. The Masses, and particularly the liturgical music, is not “off-the’wall”.
If the inquirer does live near St. Vincent’s, as seems clear from previous posts, then I don’t see how any of the problems you mention could arise. I have learnt more in my five years as a Benedictine Oblate about how I should serve Christ than I can recount in this brief post.
That being said, I’m not sure where you get your bias. Are you now or have you been a Benedictine oblate, so that you have direct experience of the heterodoxy to which you refer? I’m curious. There are, I’m sure, “liberal” and, possibly heterodox priests and brothers (in fact, I think a former Archabbot of St. Vincent’s who then became Bishop in Minneapolis or Wisconsin could be so classed), but that doesn’t validate a judgement on the whole brotherhood.

The events are too scandalous to mention in this post. If you would like to email me, feel free to do so.

Glad to hear you are getting what you need spiritually and growing at St Vincent’s, perhaps things are turning around.

God’s blessings to you+

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

This conversation has taken a very sad turn.

The monks of my monastery and other monks I’ve met are not the heretical people described above.

I’m sorry the poster had a bad experience with a monk, but I wouldn’t use that to paint all monks everywhere as bad or at the very least, questionable.

We could start going through a list of monasteries and saying “I know monks there and my opinion of them is…” but what’s the point?

The Benedictines have been a gift to the Church for 1500 years and I hope they continue for another 1500.

 

[HCC]

This conversation has taken a very sad turn.

The monks of my monastery and other monks I’ve met are not the heretical people described above.

I’m sorry the poster had a bad experience with a monk, but I wouldn’t use that to paint all monks everywhere as bad or at the very least, questionable.

We could start going through a list of monasteries and saying “I know monks there and my opinion of them is…” but what’s the point?

The Benedictines have been a gift to the Church for 1500 years and I hope they continue for another 1500.

Read about the life of St Benedict, as told by St Gregory the Great. He had a number of interesting run-ins with off-the-wall monks.

I am not saying ALL monks are dissenters or heretical, I am simply saying, be aware and test the spirit of the monastery.

 

[HCC]

Same congregation as our abbey (Solesmes). Known for orthodoxy, faithfulness to the Holy Father, and beautiful liturgies in Gregorian chant. Also founded by Fontgombault, not exactly known for liturgical experimentation

Beautiful! I’ve heard very good things about them. I’d love to visit on retreat.

Thank you.

 

[Terra_Australia]

Sadly I’d have to agree with those who suggest many monasteries have gone off the wall. I’ve visited quite a few trad oriented and otherwise, and seen some pretty weird things. Its sometimes hard to tell from the outside: and some monasteries are trying to claw their way back to normalcy but there is an internal struggle going on that makes it hard for all to project a postive face to the world. If a monastery is showing some signs of going through a period of change then I wouldn’t necessarily be put off by emotional impressions; give them a chance.

The problem, as the then Prefect of the Congregation for Religious pointed out last year, is that as in so many other areas of the Church, many monasteries reformed themselves in a spirit of discontinuity with tradition rather than continuity! And then peer pressure forced even those who didn’t want to go along with it to conform.

Part of the problem was a lot of rushed and ultimately unreliable history that was relied on (RB 1980 in my view being a prime source for propagating some unfortunate ideas about the nature of the charism). Part of the problem has been the downgrading of the Office from the full schedule prescribed by St Benedict to a much lesser prayer load - VII reforms that were directed at parish clergy, and not intended for religious whose primary duty is to pray!

Things are changing rapidly though in some places.

If you are looking at which monastery to sign up to as an oblate, I’d suggest that vocations are a pretty good indicator - if a monastery is attracting and more importantly retaining vocations, then it has passed at least the first test! If on the other hand all of their growth is in oblate vocations and the monastery itself has an ageing demographic, then prima facie there is something wrong.

On that count, Clear Creek and Christ in the Desert are the two US houses I know of that are doing very well, but there may be others…

If you are looking for some good reading to get a feel for the charism by which to test out what you are seeing and reading, apart from the Rule and commentaries on it, I’d second the recommendation of reading St Gregory’s Life of St Benedict (Dialogues Book II). As the famous work ‘The Love of Learning and the Desire for God’ by Jean Leclercq points out, until recently this was regarded, with the Rule as one of the foundational documents of the Order.

Another excellent book on Benedictine Spirituality used by many monasteries for postulants is Blessed Columba Marmion’s Christ the Ideal of the Monk.

 

[floresco]

I live 30 min. away from a Benedictine monastery (where Gregorian chant is still in daily use).

I did a retreat at this monastery some years ago. Both the setting and the liturgy are very beautiful. I bought a copy of the Rule of St. Benedict at the gift shop. It is worth reading by any Catholic, whether they feel special attraction to Benedictine spirituality or not.

I recall reading a blog by an Evangelical Christian woman who did a series of posts about reading the Rule and applying the principles in her family. If anyone is interested let me know and I’ll see if I can find it.

 

[OraLabora]

Read about the life of St Benedict, as told by St Gregory the Great. He had a number of interesting run-ins with off-the-wall monks.

I am not saying ALL monks are dissenters or heretical, I am simply saying, be aware and test the spirit of the monastery.

A monk at our abbey once said, that a monastery is not a resort for the righteous but a hospital for souls.

One does become a monk when one enters. One enters and learns to be a monk, a lifelong process for many.

In holy matrimony it is often hard to keep things running smoothly between two adults. Take a monastic community of 50 or so, and see if it’s any easier, when you’ve had to sit for 40 years next to the guy who slurps his soup or you’re in an open fight with the choirmaster over the interpretation of a chant, and he kicks you out of the schola.

 

[HCC]

A monk at our abbey once said, that a monastery is not a resort for the righteous but a hospital for souls.

So true. Ask your monk, what does one do when the asylum is being run by the inmates?

 

[OraLabora]

So true. Ask your monk, what does one do when the asylum is being run by the inmates?

There is a mechanism to remove a weak abbot and replace him with an administrator. It has happened.

What you may or may not know, monasteries receive regular canonical and administrative visits from other abbots. In the former the monastery is assessed for orthodoxy, how the community is running and to give useful suggestions. In the latter case it is more an examination of the books and financial health of the house.

When a monastery is in difficulty, it is often also customary to send monks from another abbey to help. Occasionally also, monks from another monastery who are having personal problems, are sent to a different monastery for a change and healing. My spiritual director euphemistically calls these “cultural exchanges”.

Both have happened at our abbey, in the past three years we’ve hosted 2 monks in distress, and sent out a couple of our monks to help abbeys in difficulty.

 

[Terra_Australia]

Yes but the effectiveness of these mechanisms depends on the Visitor and the other monasteries involved.

Visitors have been known to push monasteries in the wrong directions as well as the right - Christ in the Desert for example, was fored to suppress Prime by an overzeolous exponent of the liturgical reforms way back when.

And its telling that traditional monastery Le Barroux was only accepted as a member by the Benedictine Confederation this year - despite being in union with the Holy See since 1984!

 

[patwolford]

The events are too scandalous to mention in this post. If you would like to email me, feel free to do so.

Glad to hear you are getting what you need spiritually and growing at St Vincent’s, perhaps things are turning around.

God’s blessings to you+

Were you a seminarian there, or a novice? I would be interested in hearing what you have to say, if you don’t mind. And when were you there? I have heard a lot of stories relating to certain priests and brothers there. Feel free to PM me, by all means.

 

[HCC]

It is really on my heart to let that story go. Some of the problems can be found through Google.

 

[patwolford]

Archbishop Weakland?

 

[OraLabora]

Yes but the effectiveness of these mechanisms depends on the Visitor and the other monasteries involved.

Visitors have been known to push monasteries in the wrong directions as well as the right - Christ in the Desert for example, was fored to suppress Prime by an overzeolous exponent of the liturgical reforms way back when.

And its telling that traditional monastery Le Barroux was only accepted as a member by the Benedictine Confederation this year - despite being in union with the Holy See since 1984!

I consider myself fortunate to be attached to the Solesmes congregation. No watered-down liturgies, no serious unorthodoxy.

I’ve seen an abbot in our congregation show the door to a priest-monk who strayed too far from traditional Benedictine spirituality and took a charismatic turn (not intended as a blast against charismatics, but not compatible with a contemplative abbey). He was asked to make a choice. He chose to leave. Not easy, in an era where vocations are tough to come by, to lose a 50 y.o. vigorous priest with a great singing voice, but the health of the community surpasses such things.

Our abbey sticks to tradition. When a monk has to go out of the monastery, he has to go see the abbot, get down in his knees, and ask for permission and a blessing. This even to go out and run the abbey’s errands in town.

It’s not all roses, sure in a community of 42 men, there are frictions, disagreements, different interpretations of the Rule, and individual human flaws. The Benedictines, however, have been around for 1500 years. They’re still around. They too will survive.

 

[Alexander_Roman]

As a Benedictine oblate with the Archabbey of St Meinrad in Indiana, I would like to share my understanding of Benedictine spirituality and its practice (if anyone would like to be a long-distance oblate, they can contact Fr. Meinrad Brune at St Meinrad’s to ask for further information!)

There is first the daily reading and pondering of the Rule of St Benedict which is online at www.osb.org . St Benedict told those who wished to join his family of monastics to read the rule three times and Benedictines generally do this yearly. Each time one reads a portion of the rule, new insights spring to mind and enrich our path to God.

Then there is the devotion to a form of the Divine Office. St Benedict lays down the rules for his monasteries - but he indicates he isn’t bothered if there are those who don’t like them, as long as the entire book of Psalms is recited within the space of one week. Oblates and others who wish to follow St Benedict may only be able to pray two or three times daily. By including some psalms each time, we can get through the entire Psalter each week - no problem! The psalms are a rich resource for prayer and meditation as the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Others are able to pray some of the Hours of the Daily Office. St Benedict laid down seven day times of prayer or Hours related to Psalm 118 towards the end “Seven times a day I shall praise Thee.”

Then there is Lectio Divina or Holy Reading. This is when we take a passage of Scripture,(or it could be the daily reading of the Rule) read it, ruminate on it and reflect on its meaning and application to our lives. We then end with a prayer to ask God for the grace to serve Him better etc.

Then there is the attendance to weekly or more frequent Mass and Communion. If a Benedictine oblate is not a Catholic (and Christians of other denominations are always welcome), then they are to follow the rules re: church worship of their particular denomination.

Finally, there is the openness to discernment of the Will of God in our lives, a process that the Holy Spirit Himself will guide us in.

There is also work done in simplicity of heart where one can and should pray short prayers such as “O God come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me!” (This short prayer is the prayer of the Desert Monks adopted by St Benedict and we should always begin every action with it, say it more fervently in times of testing and trouble and try to say it throughout the day - or else the Jesus Prayer.)

Involvement in our parish and maintaining ties to our monastery are also important as are charitable good works, whenever and whatever we can.

Wearing the Medal of St Benedict is also a universal emblem of all Benedictines, monastics and oblates and its story is a powerful one see www.osb.org .

There is also the Crucifix with the medal of St Benedict. Oblates may receive a scapular from their monastery, although others simply bestow the medal of St Benedict. St Meinrad’s bestows the beautiful black Benedictine scapular that can be blessed and bestowed by any Catholic priest (Fr. Brune will mail the rubrics to any priest one wishes).

There is an induction service and then after a year, the Monastery will approve one’s reception as a full oblate.

I’ve not been the same since becoming an oblate of St Benedict - in a very good way!

PAX!

Alex

 

[Terra_Australia]

Alex - you’ve talked about a lot of practices, all of them inherently good, but I would go back a step.

Ultimately religious life, and Christian life in general has to start from being, not doing - the later flows from the former.

So to be a Benedictine is first and foremost to be a follower of St Benedict, seeking to emulate the path to life he taught and cultivate the particular virtues he embodied in his life and taught to his followers and passed on down to us (particularly through St Gregory’s Life of the saint and the Rule).

I would be pointing first to virtues such as listening, balance and moderation, humility, obedience, dedication to work and prayer, cultivation of silence, self-discipline and so forth.

Pope Benedict has said that “Charisms are bestowed by the Holy Spirit, who inspires founders and foundresses, and shapes Congregations with a subsequent spiritual heritage. The wondrous array of charisms proper to each Religious Institute is an extraordinary spiritual treasury. Indeed, the history of the Church is perhaps most beautifully portrayed through the history of her schools of spirituality, most of which stem from the saintly lives of founders and foundresses.”

So to understnad what it means to be a Benedictine we need to study St Benedict himself, then appreciate the subsequent history of the Order.

In the case of Benedictines most congregations and monasteries also have ‘second founders’ who have fundamentally shaped the charism as lived in that monastery - Dom Gueranger’s conception of a strictly contemplative monastery focused on the liturgy for example for the Solesmes Congregation.

Hope that adds something to the discussion!