American-Cassinese Benedictine Congregation

The American-Cassinese Congregation is a Roman Catholic association of Benedictine monasteries founded in 1855. The monasteries of the congregation follow the monastic way of life as outlined by St. Benedict of Nursia in his early 6th century Rule of Saint Benedict. The congregation is one of 19 congregations in the Benedictine Confederation and includes 25 monasteries; 19 are autonomous monasteries and 6 are dependent priories located in 15 of the United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Taiwan.[1][2]

American-Cassinese Congregation
Abbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B. (1809-1877)
AbbreviationPost-nominal letters: O.S.B.
NicknameBenedictines
Formation24 August 1855 (1855-08-24)
FoundersAbbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B.
TypeBenedictine Congregation
Region served
USA, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan
Members
633 monks as of 2020
Abbot President
Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B.
AffiliationsRoman Catholic Church Benedictine Confederation
WebsiteOfficial website

History

In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries there was a general secularization and suppression of monasteries throughout Europe. As one historian noted, "by 1810 fewer than thirty of the estimated 1500 European Benedictine monasteries that existed in the previous century remained."[3] Slowly, there arose a Benedictine revival that saw old monasteries re-founded, new monasteries founded, and a missionary impulse that began to spread monasticism across the world. Autonomous monasteries began to join together in collaborative efforts that would see the creation of "congregations" such as the French Solesmes Congregation in 1837, the Beuronese Congregation in 1868, the Subiaco Congregation in 1872, and the Swiss-American Congregation in 1881. It was in the midst of this revival that Abbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B., founder of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, created the American-Cassinese congregation.[4] Pope Pius IX erected the congregation with his decree (Inter ceteras) on 24 August 1855, placing the congregation under the patronage of the Holy Guardian Angels.[1]

Former Presidents of the Congregation

These are the former presidents of the congregation in order of election and years served:[5]

  1. Rt. Rev. Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B. (1855-1887)
  2. Rt. Rev. Alexius Edelbrock, O.S.B. (1888-1890)
  3. Rt. Rev. Leo Haid, O.S.B. (1890-1896)
  4. Rt. Rev. Innocent Wolf, O.S.B. (1896-1902)
  5. Rt. Rev. Peter Engel, O.S.B. (1902-1914)
  6. Rt. Rev. Ernest Helmstefter, O.S.B. (1914-1932)
  7. Rt. Rev. Alcuin Deutsch, O.S.B. (1932-1944)
  8. Rt. Rev. Mark Braun, O.S.B. (1944-1953)
  9. Rt. Rev. Denis Strittmatter, O.S.B. (1953-1965)
  10. Rt. Rev. Baldwin Dworschak, O.S.B. (1965-1971)
  11. Rt. Rev. Martin Burne, O.S.B. (1971-1983)
  12. Rt. Rev. John Eidenschink, O.S.B. (1983-1989)
  13. Rt. Rev. Melvin Valvano, O.S.B. (1989-2001)
  14. Rt. Rev. Timothy Kelly, O.S.B. (2001-2010)
  15. Rt. Rev. Hugh Anderson, O.S.B. (2010-2016)
  16. Rt. Rev. Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B. (2016-2020)
  17. Rt. Rev. John Klassen, O.S.B. (2020-present)

Monasteries in the Congregation

Founded from Metten Abbey, Bavaria

Arranged by the history of the foundation:[6]

Notes
  1. "American-Cassinese Constitution". www.amcass.org. American-Cassinese Congregation. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  2. Catalogus Monasteriorum O.S.B. (SS. Patriarchae Benedicti Familiae Confoederatae: Curia dell'Abate Primate, Editio MMXX 2020).
  3. Oetgen 2005, p. 237.
  4. Oetgen 2005, p. 236-237.
  5. "Past Presidents of the Congregation". www.amcass.org. American-Cassinese Congregation. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  6. Oetgen 2005, p. 236.

References
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.