Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance (Trappists)
INFORMATION BULLETIN 141
July, 2001
Alban John Krailsheimer +
Monasteries
Using these Bulletins
Address Changes
Called to the LordMEETING OF THE CENTRAL COMMISSIONS
1. Distribution of the Minutes
(La Trappe, June 6-14, 2001)
In view of the growing use of computers, we will experiment with a new method for distributing the Minutes of the Central Commissions. It will also be more economical:
• Every house of the Order is receiving one printed copy of the Minutes in the usual language. If another printed copy is desired, it can be obtained from the secretariat of the Generalate.
• Inside this printed copy there is a diskette (floppy disk) containing the Minutes in three languages: Spanish, French and English. There are three files for each language: Participants, Minutes, Content. These nine files are in "Rich Text Format" (RTF), which allows them to be opened easily on all IBM-compatible computers, especially in "Word". Apple computers will need their usual conversion program.
• The houses with e-mail also receive a copy of the Minutes in their usual language, in the form of three attached files.
As a continuation of this experiment, the Working Papers and other preliminary documents for the MGM will be distributed in the same way, probably during April or May of 2002.
At the Central Commissions it was pointed out that the Minutes are for the communities as a whole, not just for the Superiors. So here is a reminder to the Superiors not to forget to make the document available to the community!2. House Reports
The first Appendix in the Minutes of the Central Commissions is particularly important: The House Reports and their Treatment at the MGM. The first page of this Appendix describes the spirit in which the Reports are expected to be written. Then a few questions are offered to help the communities in drawing them up.
To permit translation, printing and binding in three languages before August 1st, the House Reports should be sent to the Generalate by May 1, 2002. They can be sent in any language and, if possible, on a floppy disk or by e-mail.3. Descriptive Summary of the Meeting
The Central Commissions’ joint meeting began Wednesday, June 6th, with the celebration of the Eucharist to ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Mass was with the community of La Trappe in the imposing abbey church.
The sessions themselves began with a review of what the Commissions are and how the procedures are applied. The members represent the Regional Conferences throughout the world, but are elected directly by the two General Chapters. There are a total of 27 members present, along with 10 secretaries and translators.
The moderators pointed out that the task of the meeting is not to resolve the issues directly, but to decide whether they should be put on the Agenda of the General Chapters (MGM) of 2002 and, if they are, how they should be prepared and treated.
The first major theme was the pastoral service of the 14 mixed working commissions of the MGM. This led to a study of the interrelation between the MGM, the Regional Conferences, the Regular Visitations and the Abbot General with his council. On Thursday, a committee of three – M.Benedict of Berkel, D.Armand of Scourmont and D.Damian of Spencer – was established to synthesize these discussions and to clarify the possible ways of improving the pastoral service of the working commissions.
After treating several less important points, which will be submitted to the General Chapters, a second major theme was discussed: the writing and treatment of the House Reports. Should specific questions be asked the communities to help them, or would this just get in their way? Should there be global reports from the Regional Conferences, or not? How can the work of the commissions be presented to the plenary assembly in a way that will be helpful? These questions were only decided toward the end of the meeting.
There were no working sessions on Sunday, Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. After Vespers with the community of La Trappe, the participants in the Central Commissions were shown around the monastery, where a crypt dates from the 13th century. After the tour, there was an informal supper with the community.
The second half of the meeting began with a study of the results from a recent questionnaire on the situation of the chaplains who help the monasteries of Trappistine nuns. Well over 3/4 of these houses have a Trappist chaplain. Reflection on these results shows that the situation is not critical and that pastoral emphasis can be placed on fostering the monastic identity of the chaplains. No need was seen to put this subject on the program of the MGM.
Monday afternoon was dedicated to reviewing the good work accomplished by the small commission appointed to synthesize the discussions on how to study adequately the House Reports at the MGM. Guidelines were indicated for writing these reports, then for their pastoral study in the commissions of the MGM and finally for presenting the work of the commissions to the plenary assembly of the combined General Chapters. A long discussion on these subjects was held on Tuesday, and another one on Wednesday, since this is the heart of the General Chapters. After two successive revisions of the original guidelines, they were approved almost unanimously on Thursday afternoon. Their most important feature is the elimination of a special commission for dealing with difficult pastoral situations. Full confidence is now placed in the 14 working commissions of the combined General Chapters for resolving even the more delicate situations. If necessary, any particular case can be submitted to the discernment of the plenary assembly.
The result of many less important decisions taken by the Central Commissions are ten questions which will be answered by a simple vote without discussion at the beginning of the MGM, which presupposes that all the capitulants will have studied them beforehand. Several other subjects, however, will be studied thoroughly by all the commissions. These more important points include monastic separation from the world, the pastoral authority of appointed, rather than elected, superiors and the possibility of a single, mixed General Chapter.
Special attention will also be given to the formation and spiritual accompaniment of recently professed brothers and sisters.
Finally, the Law Commission has been asked to prepare a new edition of the Order’s Constitutions and Statutes, 12 years after they were approved. The new edition will be submitted to the study of all the commissions of the MGM.La Trappe [02]
On May 7, 2001, a dear friend of the monastery of La Trappe, ALBAN JOHN KRAILSHEIMER, peacefully breathed his last in the monastery Guest House, a few months after his 80th birthday. In fact he was an outstanding benefactor of the whole Order. His death at La Trappe itself was a delicate arrangement of divine Providence for the person who had done more than anyone else to rectify and deepen our knowledge of the 17th century Reformer of that monastery, Armand-Jean de Rancé.
Professor Krailsheimer, or "Brother Alban" as he liked to be called by members of the community, was waked like a monk throughout the day of his passing away. The next morning a solemn Requiem Mass was offered for him with his body present, before it was returned to England, where he is buried beside his wife in the cemetery of the Anglican parish of Oxford, of which he was a loyal member. He is survived by twin daughters.
During the Second World War Krailsheimer had been a Captain in the British Intelligence Service, taking part in the amphibious landing operations in North Africa, Sicily and Normandy. After the war, he finished his university studies in London and did advanced studies at Christ’s Church College, Oxford, where he became Professor of French Literature, specializing in the 16th and 17th centuries. This led to his deep admiration for the personality and spiritual influence of Abbot de Rancé. So much so that he undertook the immense research needed for publishing De Rancé’s 2,000 extant letters. The work took over 25 years.
Meanwhile, in 1974, Professor Krailsheimer published the original English edition of his study of the life and influence of the Abbot Reformer, freed from the misconceptions or prejudices of previous centuries. The updated French translation was only published a year ago. From now on, any enlightened judgement about De Rancé and his reform must start here.
Professor Krailsheimer’s knowledge of De Rancé led to his being invited to many of our monasteries to give lectures and courses. In a letter-testament to the present Abbot of La Trappe, which was only discovered after Krailsheimer’s death, he recognizes that the monastery had given him spiritual benefits far beyond the fruits of his academic research. He wrote, "I would like to express my gratitude and my joy for all I owe the Order.... The spiritual association to your community, which I received from you in 1981, is a witness to the deep reality that has guided me and continues to guide me in the Lord’s ways. I thank you for this with all my heart and only ask for the help of your prayer when you find out that I am no longer here." Our communities will not fail to give him this help.Mount Saint Bernard [15]
On 1 May 2001, after 19 years of abbatial service in favor of his community, Dom JOHN MOAKLER presented his resignation as Abbot of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, near Nottingham in England. His resignation was accepted by the Abbot General on 18 May and became effective a week later.
On 11 June, the community chapter elected as his succesor, for a term of six years, Father JOSEPH DELARGY. Dom Joseph was born in 1962 at Hornchurch (Essex), England, and entered Mount Saint Bernard in 1986. He pronounced his solemn vows in 1991 and was ordained priest in 1995, then studied in Rome until 1997. He had been Subprior and Dean of the Simply Professed monks, and was Bursar at the time of his election.Holy Trinity [59]
On July 5, 2001, Father CASIMIR BERNAS was elected for a term of six years as Abbot of Holy Trinity Abbey at Huntsville, Utah, in the U.S.A. Dom Casimir was born in Chicago in 1930 and entered Holy Trinity in 1949, two years after its foundation. He made solemn profession in 1955 and was ordained priest in 1958.
Dom Casimir is known to American monasteries as a teacher and lecturer of Sacred Scripture. He is the only member of our Order to have earned a Doctorate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. His thesis, which he successfully defended in 1975, was on Yom Kippur, the Hebrew festival of forgiveness.
Since 1995 he was his community’s Cellarer.Bela Vista [77]
On April 18, 2001, Dom FRANCISCO KAYENGENGA finished his six-year term as Titular Prior of Bela Vista in Angola. On June 1, Father BARNABÉ SAWONGO was elected as his successor, for six years. Dom Barnabé was born at Suya (Tchikala- Tcholchanga), Angola, in 1964 and entered Bela Vista in 1987, making his solemn profession in 1992 and being ordained priest in 1994. He had been Novice Master since 1995 and delegate of Dom Francisco at the General Chapters of 1993 and 1999.
The community of Bela Vista has recently been able to move from the inland city of Huambo, almost destroyed by the civil war, to a small farm which they have acquired near Benguela, on the coast. They have begun to build a provisional monastery there.Îles [82]
On July 3, 2001, the Abbot General, acting in the name of the General Chapter of Abbots and with the consent of his Council, gave the community of Sept-Fons, in France, permission to close its foundation of Notre-Dame des Îles, near Nouméa, on the island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific Ocean. The opening of the foundation had been approved by the Abbot General and his Definitory in 1968, but it had never become an autonomous house.
See below for the corresponding change in the Elenchus of monasteries.Glencairn [24*]
On May 31, 2001, the six-year term of Mother AGNES O'SHEA as Abbess of Glencairn, Co. Waterford, in Ireland, came to an end. On the same day, Sister MARIE FAHY was elected Abbess for a six-year term and confirmed by the Abbot General. Mother Marie was born in 1950 at Woodford (Co. Galway), Ireland. She became a medical missionary sister, working in Guatemala before entering Glencairn in 1987. She made her solemn profession in 1991 and was Novice Director from 1993 until 2000, when named Prioress. At the Mixed General Meeting of 1999, she served as Spanish-English interpreter.Tulebras [38*]
On April 10, 2001, Mother MARGARITA BARRA was re-elected Abbess of Tulebras, in Navarra, Spain, for a fourth term of six years.Juigalpa [68*]
On June 8, 2001, the Central Commission of Abbesses, acting as the Plenary Council of the Abbot General, gave its consent to approving the latest foundation of the Order, that of the community of Hinojo (Argentina) in Nicaragua, in the diocese of Juigalpa. The official name of the monastery is "Santa María de la Paz," but its common name in the Order will be that of the diocese, which is the nearest city. A description of the foundation, with its address, was given in Information Bulletin 140.
Using the Information Bulletins:1. Several monasteries have reported that letters and faxes have not reached them because the sender has used an old address. This shows that it is not enough to read the address changes announced in th Information Bulletins, but these changes need to be incorporated into your list of addresses and phone numbers. The same is true of the changes that appear each year in the printed Elenchus.
2. There is need once again to remind our houses that updates and corrections of e-mail addresses are not handled by the Information Bulletin nor by the secretariat of the Generalate. The yearly printed Elenchus gives the e-mail addresses of communities and superiors, but for changes during the year and for other e-mail addresses, go to the section of the present website showing the list of the e-mail addresses of our houses. To have any change or addition made to this online list, contact the section’s webmaster, Brother Anthony of Genesee: AnthonyWeber@geneseeabbey.org
3. There is also need of a reminder concerning the death notices appearing in this Bulletin. The Bulletin does not furnish a complete list of all the members of the Order who have passed to their reward. They are mentioned only when their community makes an explicit request for this or when they are well-known throughout the Order. The purpose of this policy is to respect the tradition of sending individual death notices from one community to the others. The Bulletin is not meant to replace such a custom.
Annual Statistics
The general statistics of the communities of the Order, as of the end of last year, are being distributed by Air Mail and will soon be posted on this site, on the pages for the Communities of Monks and for the Communities of Nuns.
ELENCHUS MONASTERIORUM
(Additions, changes and corrections)
Îles [82]
(With the closing of this foundation as described above, the number [82] becomes empty. However, for the sake of archives and database lists throughout the Order, the number will not be used for another house. The numbering of the monasteries thus remains the same.)
Las Escalonias [92] Correction of Postal Code: 14740 Hornachuelos (Córdoba)
Igny [23*] Addition: Tél. [33] (3) 26.48.97.98 (abbesse)
Redwoods [40*] A single number: Tel.: [1] (707) 986-1176 (abbess and community)
Crozet [58*] Change of Area Code: Tel.: [1] (434) 823-1452
Fax: [1] (434) 823-6379
CALLED TO THE LORD
The Lord has called to himself the following members of the Order:
Mont-des-Cats (11)
On June 11, 2001, Father RENÉ Béghin. He was born in Steenwerck, France, in 1919 and ordained in 1944 as a priest of the diocese of Lille, entering Mont-des-Cats in 1952. After his solemn profession in 1957 he served as chaplain at Belval from 1959 to1966 and as Guest Master at Dombes from 1984 to 1991.Mount Melleray (14)
On March 31, 2001, Father THOMAS Ó Donoghue, jubilarian. He was born in 1927 in Annoscaul, County Kerry, Ireland, and entered Mount Melleray in 1946, making solemn profession in 1951. He was ordained priest in 1953 and served as secretary at the Generalate in Rome from 1971 to 1981.Mount Saint Bernard (15)
On 18 June 2001, Dom ADRIAN Farmer, jubilarian and Abbot Emeritus of Bamenda Abbey, Cameroon. Dom Adrian was born in Sheffield, England in 1929 and entered Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in 1949, making solemn profession in 1954. Ordained priest in 1956, he was one of the founders who went to Bamenda in 1964. He studied in Rome for two years, served the foundation as novice director, bursar and second superior before being elected its first Titular Prior in 1971 and its first Abbot five years later. He served a second term as Abbot from 1987 to 1993, then resumed his stability at Mount Saint Bernard in 1996.Timadeuc (17)
On January 5, 2001, Father JEAN Nicolas, jubilarian. Born in Plouray, France, in 1921, he entered Timadeuc in 1940. In 1946 he made solemn profession and was also ordained to the priesthood. He was Definitor in Rome from 1950 to 1958. After his return to Timadeuc, he became well know for his gift of spiritual healing. His older brother, Father ALBERT Nicolas, was a diocesan priest who became a monk at La Trappe in 1973 and died there three weeks after Father Jean.Scourmont (20)
On the Feast of Pentecost, 3 June 2001, Brother GABRIEL Ghislain. Born in Rance, Belgium, in 1934, he entered Scourmont in 1954 and made solemn profession in 1960. He studied in Rome for five years between 1956 and 1964, then was a frequent contributor to Collectanea Cistercensia, especially to its Bulletin of Monastic Spirituality. For a few years he was also editor of the same magazine. He served his community in many ways and was its delegate to the General Chapter of 1996.La Oliva (33)
On June 9, 2001, Father PEDRO Díez, jubilarian. He was born in Gradefes (León), Spain, in 1933, where his sister is a nun of the Cistercian Congregation of Saint Bernard. Father Pedro entered La Oliva as an oblate in 1945, made simple profession in January, 1951, and solemn profession in 1954. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1962, he studied in Rome from 1963 to 1966. In 1977 he returned to Rome as the Generalate’s Cellarer-Treasurer, serving the Order with extraordinary fidelity in this capacity for 22 years until his return to La Oliva after the last MGM. He was cellarer of his community for a year before suffering several cerebral hemorrhages, which were the cause of his death.Tarrawarra (70)
On 22 May 2001, Father STEPHEN List. Born in Sydney, Australia, in 1932, he entered Tarrawarra in 1959, made solemn profession in 1964 and was ordained priest in 1967. After studies in Rome, 1969-1971, he served his community in many ways. He was English language secretary for the Central Commission in 1983 and delegate from the Aspac-Oriens Region to the General Chapter of 1996. Despite cancer of a year’s standing, his death was sudden.Miraflores (78)
On July 9, 2001, Brother VICENTE Soler. He was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1923, became a lay missionary in Ecuador and entered Miraflores in 1992, where he made solemn profession in 1998.
On May 8, 2001, Brother MIGUEL Maffioli. He was born in Luxemburg in 1919, of Italian parents and entered Miraflores, Chile, in 1986 as an oblate. He served the community as cook, porter and assistant cellarer.
These two deaths, just two months apart, are only the second and third in the community of Miraflores since its foundation over 40 years ago.Igny (23*)
On May 7, 2001, Sister MARIE-AGNÈS Étienne, jubilarian. She was born in CumiPres (Champagne), France, in 1926 and entered Igny in 1948, making solemn profession in 1953. After being sub-prioress for some time, she served as portress for 40 years.
We commend each one of them to the prayers of all the brothers and sisters of the Order.
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