|
Centenary of the Trappistines: 1904 - 2004
by Sr. Kathleen Waters
|
|
| Mass celebrated 10th June |
June 10th marked the 100th anniversary of the first Mass celebrated at
the Trappistine monastery in Rogersville, New Brunswick. A special commemorative Mass was held in the monastery church.
Bishop
André Richard, Archbishop of Moncton, presided over the Mass assisted by Dom Bede Stockhill, abbot of Our Lady of Calvary
monastery
and Father Denis Belliveau, pastor of the Rogersville parish.
Monasticism is fully inserted in the life
of the local Church and this factwas underscored by the presence of
Bishop Richard and Fr. Belliveau.Trappists Adrien Bordage and Maurice
Guimond also concelebrated thisMass. Bishop Richard pronounced the
homily.
This first celebration of the centenary of the Trappistine nuns belonged
to Rogersville. The Trappist monks
from Our Lady of Calvary joined with
the nuns for this occasion. Also present were the Filles de Jésus of
Rogersville
who are also celebrating the centenary of the arrival of
their Congregation in Rogersville.
|
|
| Church interior with nuns & guests |
Monastic life is a never-ending spiritual quest, a quest that consumes
one’s whole life. The milestone of a centenary causes one to pause and reflect upon the nature of this quest and one
can do this by considering more in detail the long history of this community of contemplative nuns.
The Trappistine
monastery, located in Rogersville, dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
Due to religious persecution, a group of Cistercian/Trappistine nuns
emigrated to Canada in 1904 from their monastery located in Vaise, France (which itself had been founded in 1817) in order
to re-establish their monastic community in Rogersville, two miles down the road from the Trappist monks who had arrived in
1902.
The nuns arrived in May and took possession of their new temporary
monastery — a small farmhouse of six rooms for 19 people — in June of
that year. Those early years were
full of struggles as the nuns adapted
to the Canadian climate, to a rural lifestyle and to the daunting task
of building
up a monastery from the humble beginnings of that farm house.
With the generous aid of the local people and their pastor,
Mgr.
Marcel-François Richard, the nuns not only persevered but were
eventually joined by many Acadian women desirous
of the monastic
lifestyle and, little by little, a flourishing monastic community was
established, replete with an
Abbey church built in 1922, the present
monastic complex built in 1950 and a retreat house for women opened in 1971.
|
|
| Church interior with nuns & guests |
Over the years, the nuns gained their livelihood through different endeavors:
first by making Mass wine, then through the fabrication of the altar breads (hosts) and farming. The altar bread industry
has been modernized and today several types and sizes of hosts are made and sold throughout the Maritime parishes.
Most
importantly, however, the Trappistine nuns have lived a life of praise and intercession through their faithful celebration
of the Liturgy, consisting of prayer services dispersed throughout the day and
having their summit in the Eucharist —
and this for over 100 years!
Since its inception in 1904, this monastery (known under the patronage
of the Mother
of God as Notre-Dame de l’Assomption) has seen the arrival
of vocations from beyond the confines of New Brunswick,
coming from
several other provinces and also from the United States.
Today, this bilingual community is fewer in
number than in earlier times
but continues, nonetheless, to persevere in the monastic tradition,
facing the future
with hope and creativity.
In their own words, they describe it thus: "Throughout the many
transformations of our
monastery and community during the past century,
it is the same flame of monastic tradition that we still cherish today.
And not only do we cherish this way of life — made up of prayer,
contemplation and work, offered in union with
Christ for the glory of
God and the salvation of the world — but we hope to pass it on to future
generations
of women who seek their fulfillment through the monastic way
of life."More Atlantic Lifestyles & Leisure
|
