Premonstratensians

The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (Latin: Candidus et Canonicus Ordo Praemonstratensis), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons[2] (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of Canons regular of the Catholic Church founded in Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Norbert of Xanten, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg. Premonstratensians are designated by O.Praem. (Ordo Praemonstratensis) following their name.

Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré
Candidus et Canonicus Ordo Praemonstratensis
Shield of the Premonstratensians
AbbreviationO.Praem
Formation1120
TypeCatholic religious order
HeadquartersViale Giotto, 27, 00153
Rome, Italy
Location
  • Worldwide
Coordinates41°52′44.07″N 12°29′19.39″E
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
1300 (2012)[1]
Josef Wouters
Main organ
General Chapter
AffiliationsCatholic Church
Websitewww.premontre.org

Norbert was a friend of Bernard of Clairvaux and was largely influenced by the Cistercian ideals as to both the manner of life and the government of his order. As the Premonstratensians are not monks but Canons Regular, their work often involves preaching and the exercising of pastoral ministry; they frequently serve in parishes close to their abbeys or priories.[2]

History

The order was founded in 1120.[3] Saint Norbert had made various efforts to introduce a strict form of canonical life in various communities of canons in Germany; in 1120 he was working in the now-extinct Ancient Diocese of Laon, in Picardy, northeastern France. There, in a rural place called Prémontré, he and thirteen companions established a monastery to be the cradle of a new order. As they were canons regular, they followed the Rule of St. Augustine, but with supplementary statutes that made their life one of great austerity.[2] Common prayer and celebration of the Eucharist was to be the sustaining dynamic of the community.[4]

Religious habit of a Premonstratensian, former Rüti Abbey

In 1126, when the order received papal approbation by Pope Honorius II, there were nine houses; others were established in quick succession throughout western Europe, so that at the middle of the fourteenth century there were some 1,300 monasteries for men and 400 for women. The Norbertines played a predominant part in the conversion of the Wends and the bringing of Christianity to the territories around the Elbe and the Oder. In time, mitigations and relaxations emerged, and these gave rise to reforms and semi-independent congregations within the Order.[2]

The Norbertines arrived in England about 1143, first at Newhouse in Lincoln, England; before the dissolution under Henry VIII there were 35 houses.[2] Soon after their arrival in England, they founded Dryburgh Abbey in the Borders area of Scotland, which was followed by other communities at Whithorn Priory, Dercongal Abbey and Tongland Abbey all in the Borders area, as well as Fearn Abbey in the northern part of the nation. Like most orders they were almost completely devastated by the successive onslaughts of the Reformation, French Revolution, and Napoleon, but then experienced a revival in the 19th century.[5]

By the beginning of the nineteenth century the order had become almost extinct, only eight houses surviving, all in the Habsburg Monarchy.[2] However, there was something of a resurgence, and at the start of the twentieth century there were 20 monasteries and 1000 priests. As of 2005, the number of monasteries had increased to nearly 100 and spread to every continent. In 1893, Father Bernard Pennings and two other Norbertines from Berne Abbey arrived in the United States of America to minister to Belgian immigrants in northern Wisconsin. De Pere, Wisconsin became the site of the first Norbertine Abbey in the new world.[6]

By their nature as canons regular the Premonstratensians have always engaged in pastoral work of various kinds, including what would now be called retreat centres (nearly everywhere), and care for pilgrims (as at Conques) and, like many religious houses, have often run schools on a variety of scales (Averbode Abbey, Berne Abbey, United States, Australia). In order to support themselves, the different communities have down the centuries, and in modern times, operated small-scale manual activities (SME) such as printing (Averbode Abbey, Tongerlo Abbey, Berne Abbey), farming (Kinshasa, Ireland, Postel Abbey), forestry (Schlägl Abbey, Geras Abbey, Slovakia), and cheese-making (Postel Abbey). They have also entered agreements with breweries (Tongerlo Abbey, Postel Abbey, Park Abbey, Leffe, Grimbergen) and undertaken artistic bookbinding (in Oosterhout).[7] Other activities have included the running of an astronomical observatory (Mira, Grimbergen).

In 2015 there were some 1000 male and 200 female members of the Order.[1]

The Feast of All Norbertine Saints and Blesseds is celebrated internally on November 13.[8]

The Norbertines have also had major in the area of Green Bay, Wisconsin, owning WBAY television and radio stations until the mid 1970s. The Nobertines also ran two local boys high schools until 1990 and still run four local schools in De Pere and Green Bay. Among these schools is St. Norbert College, the only Norbertine higher education institution in the world.[9]

Sex abuse scandal

By December 2020, it was made public that officials at the order's prominent St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin would send cards with $3,500 checks on a regular monthly basis to Nate Lindstrom in exchange for him not reporting to law enforcement the fact that he was sexually abused by three priests who served at the abbey when he was in his teens in the late 1980s.[9] Lindstrom, who eventually married and fathered three children, committed suicide in March 2020.[9] Before his suicide, however, Lindstrom secretly reported his sex abuse allegations to the Green Bay Gazette for a period of 20 months.[9] The allegations against two of these priests Lindstrom reported to the Abbey were not deemed credible by the church, and no response was made by the church concerning the third priest, who was convicted in 2004 for sexually assaulting one of Lindstrom's classmates.[9]

Canonesses
Norbertine canonesses in Imbramowice, Poland

The Order has several abbeys of women who, though technically called canonesses, follow the life of an enclosed religious order and are therefore more commonly termed Norbertine nuns. Like the Norbertine communities for men, those for women are autonomous. Unusually, within the religious communities of the Catholic Church, the Norbertine Order has always seen the spiritual life of the canonesses as being on an equal footing with that of its priests and lay brothers. In the Middle Ages, the Premonstratentians even had a few double monasteries,[10] where men and women lived in cloisters located next to each other as part of the same abbey, the communities demonstrating their unity by sharing the church building. Today, it is common for a foundation of canonesses to have links not only with other canonesses, but also with a community of canons.

Premonstratensian Rite

The Premonstratensians were among the religious orders with their own rite who kept this rite after Pope Pius V suppressed such rites with a continuous tradition of less than two hundred years. The Premonstratensian Rite was especially characterized by a ritual solemnity. The Premonstratensian Rite was also characterized by an emphasis on the Paschal mystery unique among the Latin rites. This was especially seen in the solemnity with which the daily conventional High Mass and office was celebrated during the Easter octave, especially vespers which concluded with a procession to the baptismal font, a practice paralleled among the Latin rites only in similar processions still found in the Ambrosian Rite. Another unique practice of the Premonstratensian Rite was the celebration of a daily votive Mass in honor of the Virgin Mary in each of its abbeys and priories.

Structure

As each abbey or priory is autonomous, practices and apostolates differ; some are contemplative in character whilst others are highly active in pastoral ministry. However, each is guided by the Rule of Saint Augustine as well as the Constitutions established by the General Chapter which is held every 6 years. Demonstrating Norbertine unity, the general Chapter includes representatives from both male and female communities. The head of the Order, termed Abbot General, resides in Rome, and he is assisted in his duties by the Definitors (High Council) as well as commissions established for various aspects of the Order's life such as liturgy and inter-abbey communications.

Abbeys

As of 2012, there were Premonstratensian abbeys or priories throughout the world: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the USA.[1]

There are seven circaries (Premonstratensian term for an ecclesiastical province[11]):[12]

Discontinued

Notable members

Norbertine Saints include, in addition to St Hermann Joseph von Steinfeld (feast May 24) and St Norbert (+1134, f. Jun. 6), Adrian and James of Middleburg, martyrs (+1572, f Jul. 9), Evermode of Ratzeburg (+1178, f. Feb. 17), Frederick of Hallum (or of Mariengaarde) (+1175, f. Feb. 4), Gilbert of Neuffontaines (or of Cappenberg) (+1152, f. Oct. 26), Godfrey of Cappenberg (+1127, f. Jan. 14), Isfrid (Isfried) of Ratzeburg (+1204, f. Jun. 15), Ludolph of Ratzeburg (+1250, f. April 16), and Siard of Mariengaarde (+1230, f. Nov. 14). Norbertine Blesseds include Beatrice of Engelport (+1275, f. Mar. 12/13) Bronislava of Poland (or of Zwierzniec) (+1259, f. Aug. 30), Gerlach of Valkenburg (+1172, Jan. 5), Gertrude of Aldenberg (Altenburg), Abbess (+1297, f. Aug. 13), Hugh of Fosse (+1164, f. Feb. 10), Hroznata of Teplá (+1217, f. Jul. 14), Jakob Kern of Geras (+1924, f. Oct. 20), Oda of Bonne Rivreuille (+1158, f. Apr. 20), Peter-Adrian Toulorge of Blanchelande, Martyr (+1793, f. Oct. 13), and Ricvera of Clastres (+1136, f. Oct. 29).

Norbertines celebrate "all Norbertine Saints and Blesseds" on Nov. 13.[22]

Education

St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, United States is the only institution of higher education sponsored by the Order. Elsewhere they also sponsor/operate schools or serve in pastoral care capacities at parish schools.

Schools founded or sponsored by the order include:

Controversies

Northern Ireland's Historical Abuse Inquiry investigated reports that Brendan Smyth, a member of the Norbertine Order, was allowed to continue paedophilia for more than four decades, even after Smyth himself had admitted in 1994, the same year that he was jailed for his crimes, that "Over the years of religious life it could be that I have sexually abused between 50 and 100 children. That number could even be doubled or perhaps even more."[24][25][26] Reviewers of the case agree that there was a deliberate plot to conceal Smyth's behaviour, incompetence by his superiors at Kilnacrott Abbey.

See also

References
Notes
  1. "Who are the Premonstratensians?". premontre.org.
  2.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Premonstratensians". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Premonstratensian Canons". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  4. "Saint Norbert of Xanten History at Saint Norbert Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin". norbertines.org. Archived from the original on 2013-11-06.
  5. "Staley, Tony. "Home to a Living History", St. Norbert College Magazine, Fall 2009". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  6. "Daylesford Abbey". daylesford.org. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  7. Abbaye Notre-Dame de Leffe. "Abbaye Notre-Dame de Leffe". abbaye-de-leffe.be.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-11-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Demiller, Haley (December 3, 2020). "First came sex abuse allegations at the abbey. Then secret payments. Then a suicide". Green Bay Gazette. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  10. "Premontre Sisters - Norbertine Sisters in the World - Premonstratensian Orders - Life of Saint Norbert - Rule of St. Augustine". www.premontresisters.com. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  11. 'circary' definition, dict.cc English-German Dictionary.
  12. "Places". premontre.org.
  13. "St. Philip's Priory, Chelmsford". praemonstratensis.co.uk. 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  14. "St. Michael's Abbey of the Norbertine Fathers". St. Michael's Abbey. Archived from the original on 2013-03-22.
  15. "Welcome to the Norbertine Community of New Mexico!". norbertinecommunity.org. 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  16. "Jasov - Slovakia - Slovakia travel guide". slovakia-travelguide.info. 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  17. "Stift Geras | community". stiftgeras.at. 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  18. "Startseite - Prämonstratenser Chorherren Stift Wilten, Innsbruck". stift-wilten.at. 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.(in German)
  19. Putte, F. vande & C. Carton (1849). Chronicon et cartularium abbatiae Sancti Nicolai Furnensis, ordinis Premonstratensis (in French). Bruges: VandeCasteele-Werbrouck.
  20. "Houses of Premonstratensian canons: Abbey of Bayham", A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 2 (1973), pp. 86–89. Date accessed: 16 June 2013.
  21. "Canons Regular of Prémontré". norbertines.co.uk. 2011. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  22. https://www.norbertines.org/about-us/norbertine-saints-blesseds/
  23. "About Us — History". Cardinal Gracias High School. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  24. "Brendan Smyth: Paedophile priest told doctor he may have sexually abused hundreds of children". Daily Mirror. 23 June 2015.
  25. "Warning before paedophile priest's ordination ignored". The Irish News. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  26. "Profile of Father Brendan Smyth". BBC. 15 March 2010.
Bibliography
  • Wolfgang Grassl, Culture of Place: An Intellectual Profile of the Premonstratensian Order. Nordhausen: Bautz, 2012.
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