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From left to right: Br. Vincent, Fr. Gregory, Fr. Bede, Br. Isidore, Abbot Hugh of Pluscarden Abbey our Motherhouse, Br. Jerome Leo, Fr. Anselm our Superior, Br. Bernard
St. Mary's Monastery is a Roman Catholic community of contemplative Benedictine monks that holds all the Church’s teachings as set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is obedient to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, and gladly follows the direction indicated by the documents of the Second Vatican Council. We take the Rule of St. Benedict as a practical guide for daily life. As Benedictine monks we are the heirs of a very ancient tradition, which we treasure. Our liturgical practice reflects both our love of tradition and our desire to be obedient to the existing laws of the Church. In organizing our daily life we give priority to the Divine Office, and try to maintain a balance between prayer and work within the confines of the monastery. We share all our goods and place our individual talents at the disposal of the community in obedience. |
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Benedictine monasteries are by tradition autonomous, i.e. most authority resides in the local superior of the monastery rather than in a superior who governs the whole Order. The principal bond between the monasteries is our common Rule. Benedictine monks make a vow of stability, by which they attach themselves to the monastery they have entered and commit themselves to remain there for life. A Benedictine cannot be sent to another monastery except in exceptional circumstances, such as the foundation of a new monastery. The other vows made by Benedictines are the vow of "conversion of life", which is a vow to live the monastic life and includes chastity and poverty, and the vow of obedience. |
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| St. Benedict with his Rule |
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| Our church, dedicated to Mary Mother of God |
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While remaining essentially autonomous, Benedictine monasteries in more recent centuries have joined together into groups called Congregations, for mutual assistance. We belong to the Subiaco Congregation of Benedictines. This particular group of monasteries began in the 19th century as a reform movement among some of the old Benedictine monasteries of Italy, among them St. Benedict's own first monastery at Subiaco. The original Italian monasteries were soon joined by other European monasteries, and new foundations were made in Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.
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St. Mary's Monastery owes its origin to a priest and two companions who, in 1985, with the permission of the Bishop of Worcester, began to live the monastic life here. They sought help from the Abbey of Pluscarden in Scotland, and in 1987 St. Mary's became a dependent house of Pluscarden. This means that while the house is still in its formative stage we are under the authority of the Abbot of Pluscarden. The two senior members of St. Mary's, Fr. Anselm and Fr. Bede, are monks who have been sent here from Pluscarden, and the others have entered and received their monastic formation here at St. Mary's. Eventually, when enough men have entered and persevered here, we shall become an independent monastery, as is normal with Benedictines. |
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| Part of our monastery with the church in the background |
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St. Benedict's Rule provides for monks who live in community under obedience to an abbot, and spend their time in prayer, sacred reading and manual work within the confines of the monastery, exercising a direct influence over their fellow human beings only through receiving guests in the monastery's guesthouse. Over the centuries Benedictine life has generally become more complicated than that, as monks have responded to the Church's call to engage in various forms of active apostolate, especially education. As a result, in this country particularly, Benedictines are associated with the running of large educational establishments.
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However, there have always been monasteries which have tried to keep the simple kind of life envisioned in the Rule. Our Congregation exists to foster this kind of Benedictine life, and our own community was founded with the explicit intention of living the Benedictine life in its more contemplative form. This means, first of all, that we do not take on any apostolic work outside the monastery, even supply work in parishes. We have a small guest house on the property where we receive guests who wish to make private retreats. The work we do on the monastic property is, as far as possible, work which can be done quietly and does not involve outside contacts. Our ideal is to earn as much as we can of the income we need by our work, but at present we depend very much on charitable donations. |
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| Br. Bernard working in the sacristy |
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A special feature of our monastery is that we and the Benedictine nuns of St. Scholastica Priory are "twin communities." The two communities share a common history and common ideals. We share a common church in which we meet for the daily Mass and Divine Office, and we also share a common library, manage the guesthouse together, and help each other in various ways. However, each monastery manages its own internal affairs, has its own finances, its own work and its own superior. The two communities are united by bonds of charity rather than by any juridical link.
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Our sisters |
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St. Scholastica Priory |
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