A PROTESTANTS VISIT TO AN IRISH TRAPPIST MONASTERY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIV, Issue 23, 2 October 1896, Page 21

A PROTESTANTS VISIT TO AN IRISH TRAPPIST MONASTERY.

+ A SKETCH OF THE GREAT ORDER.

To fulfil an old pr ) nise. as well as to gratify an 01.l desire, wo sp >nt a recent holiday in a tour through the South of Ireland. Our longest stay wu-> at Killarney, whose beautiful lakes and purple mountains attract every year to the Emerald Isle large numbers of tourists — chiefly Americans "doing Europe." On leaving Killarney. ■\ve turned our'iaccs homewards . the return journey providing in its programme tor a tew days at the quiet little town ot Cappoquin. There were two attractions here which our frion Is at home, as well as our guide-books had toll Us should not be omitted, viz.. the charming ri\er 151'iekwater — sometimes described as the Rhine ot Ireland, and the c »lebr,ited Trappist Monastery ot Mount Melleray. The prospect ot a glimpse at monastic life and its surrounding was in itselt sufHc.ently novel to give ib many pleasurable anticipitions as we set out trom the only hotel of which Cappoquin boasts, to walk the four In-h miles (along the Cahir ro id) which sep irate Mount Melleray trom Cappoqnin. But our curiosity was heightened when our host '-s — i go>l C itholic — volunteered the information that the ladies ot our pirty would be separated from us as soon as we entered t le p >rt tU ot the abbey, an 1 that we should all be much imi'ri>m:d isy tiii; soIjKMv silence p«r\ading the Itjan 1 work of its inmites. As the name Mount M -lleray implies, the institution stands upon a hill some »i*>o teet above theseile\cl and beyond its precincts, the barren moorland. c\en on a bright summer morning, presents an air of quiet seclusion Avhich forces the thought that attjr nightfall this must he a weird and desolate sp )t. It is said that before the settlement ot the Tnippists here, the land, which was the gift of Sir Richard Kain. was so barren thit not a tree of any kind would grow upon it : and that the first woik ot the Brotherhool — extending over many year—was to bring to the settlement more fertile soil than that which n iture has dispeiise-l to this southern -Jope ot the Knoekuiealdown [Mountains. The fruit ot those years ot p itient toil may now be s 'en in the gracelul trees which skirt the roads, and the productive gardens which sunound the plain, substmtial buildings. Our long but plewmt walk had brought Us to the principal entrance, which is approached h\ aloni:. w ailed a\enue We rang th 1 visitors bell, and the door was speedily opened by an elderly monk, whose {•Leasing count 'nance and genial manner ga\e iis-unmce ot a hearty welcome. In a moment our lady friends were directed lo an upstairs room on the right ot the staircase and we to one on the left : our instructions lie. iv to remain thereuntil the guest-ma-ter came to conduct us over the establishment What further instructions had been given to the ladies we could not then know. \s tli<"re is little in this apartment to occupy our atiention. it in ly be well to devote the interval ot waiting tor our guide to glance at 'I HE HIsTOHY AND CONsI'IIUI'ION ot the whole Trappist Ordjr. The review ot our own ob-*v\ it ioMs may thus be made more interesting. An article in the Ivi jyclope ha ltrirunnicii ' give-- the yoir 111) as the date ot toun lat to.i ol this religions Order, and thi Milage ot Sohgny-le-Tiappeas the place ot its l>irth (" so name 1 from the narrow gorue which tornis its entrance be mi: comparable to a tiap-do >r "). In 1 1 Is. it was united to the (/istcrcKin Oidei and the dual designation I'rippist or (Vteiviui remains to thisdas. The article referred tnM\> — \o Monistic Oidei tell more rapidly an 1 si^nalh from the it ol its original institute than th ■ Cistercian and L i Trappe tunned no exception to the general decay The long war between Fiance and Lngl.inl hastened its decldi-ioii tor it was several tunes taken and pillaged the esfitts ot the Abbiy were nnpo\ erished and the buiMirri:suffered to tall into nearly total rum. and the conduct ot th monks became a scandal Sulli wis the condition ot thmus when ,i retoinui aros ■ in the person ot one ot those \ cry Abbots who had been the iv n o! the Institute " This was Annand .Kan U met w host remarkable ciiecr is conspicuous m the history of the Trappists. He was born in I(>2l>. and by the miiu< nee ot his p,u neiaii family connections was appointed while under t leven ye us ot aue Canon ot Notre Dame de Paris and Abbot ot La Trappe. etc . etc His collegiate car er w r as one ot great distinction but his manner ot lite was marked by many irregularities. In l»i">l he was ordained jtriest. but he doe- not appear to have altered his habits, and he remaiiud Minpl) the titular head ot his several Orders till H'."i7. whtMi a change seems to have taken place in his views ot hie, and ot lus responsibilities. Three \ears were then spent m Military studies and \ isit-, to the various monasteries, and m liitio, the deat h ot the Duke ot Orleans, whox. 1 chief almoner he was. appears to li.i\ c given the final direction to his thoughts. After selling his patrimony and resigning all his benefices (except Bologne and La Trappe. tor the repair ot which he reser\ed a small sum) he distributed THE REMAINDER Ol' His. l>ROl'i:illY among the poor, and seriously entered on his work of reorg inising the Order. In this difficult tisk he met with great resistance at the hands of the demoralised monks who remaine 1 But De Ilancc s plan 1 -, so deliberately formed, were, zealously pe.rsiste lin . and he mad" two journeys t > R >.ue to obtuu for them the Pap il sanction. Ultimately the Order was re-ostib.ished iv accordance with his views ; the new constitution retaining much of the (/ibtercian discipline, blended with some particulars borrowed from llenedictine rule. De II mcc continued his labours until advancing years and unremitting asceticism rendered him unable to take his share of the manual duties of the house, and in lf>9"> he felt obliged to resign the Abba;y. H; died shortly afterwards in the 7.">ih year of his age, and left behind him a great reputition for ability, scholarship and successful administration. During his government he gathered around him no fewer than 300 ascetics — French, Jielgians, Germans, Italians, and Irishmen, many of them being

drawn from less austere communities. Some were rural artisans and labourers, soldiers (from officers to privates), lawyers, physioana, and tradesmen — and that this number might hare been far exceeded, is evident from the fact that at least six-sevenths of those presenting themselves failed to secure admission. The work thus vigorously and enthusiastically revived, was destined to nourish and extend. Some years later new houses were established, and all appears to have gone well with the Trappists until the French Revolution, with its order for the general suppression of Monastic Societies forced them to retire in groups to Spain, Germany. England, and Canada, where new colonies were established, and for a long time successfully maintained. In THE EARLY PART OT THIS CKNTURY, permission was obtained to return to France, but only as recently as l B.SO, large numbers were, under the Furry laws, again expelled. La Trappe, however, still remains the Mother House, and there are besides fifteen other monasteries of the same Order now in France. Even in England there are two (in Leicester and Dorsetshire), and as Ireland, Germany, Italy, Savoy, Algiers, Xatal, America and Canada have already been prospected by this zealous Brotherhood, it may not be deemed rash to predict that at no very distant date their colonising proclivities will have set up a Trappist Monastery in every civilised country of the world. The total number of members is now estimated at 8,000 but these figures include the nuns of the Trappistine Sisterhood, founded in 1H27, and which has now nine establishments in France and England. The guest-master of the day has now joined us. He has a sad and careworn countenance, which betokens the rigours of monastic discipline. But he greets us very pleasantly, and asks at once if we have come far, and how long we wish to stay. His object in making these enquiries is apparent, when in response to our reply that we have only come from Cappoquin, and that we hope to get back to our hotel by 2 30, he says, ''You must not return till you h.ive had a little luncheon." He then suggests that as we have so little time to stvy, we had better commence our round of visits at once ; an<l forthwith conducts us to the rear of the premises, where surrounding a large court-yard, are long rows of workshops and farm buil lings. As we enter the cow-houses and stables he tells us that theirs is a working community, and that hard manual labour is a sine <{un n>a of Trappist life. This statement finds ample proof a-; wo proceed, for we soon discover that the greater part of the 500 acres they possess is under cultivation, and THi:iK FARMING- OPERATION-, represent only one phase of their laborious work. The smithy comes next, and on our approach, the fine form of the monk in charge i.s seen to rise from the seat beside the forge, and with a very audible sigh the good man bows in silent acknowledgment of our visit. This " Brother" in his long habit, would make a typical vulcan. but his sad silence seems oppressive even during the few moments we are with him, and we pass into the carpenter's shop, where several more ■' Brothers " are faithfully observing the proscribed cessations from work. (These men having been spoken of as Brothers. it may here b ■ explained that the community, which numbers about 100. is divided into two clashes — Father-, and Brothers. Tue Fathers, who form about one-third of the whole number, are in Holy Orders ) Our guide now takes us through long corridors, where the word •• Silence" in large letters meets the ey \ Here and there a monk, \\ ith soft gliding footstep withd aws from our bight, and retires for his siesta To us who have not long breakfasted, this seems a strange procei ding, but the genial guest master soon dispels the wonder by telling us that the dunes of each day commence at 2 a m., their devotions occupying the hours which intervene between that time and ten o\ lock, when they have the r first meal of coarse bread, porridge and vegetables. Work and pray< r till up the day till six o'clock, when another meal is taken, water in each case being the only beverage. Then more devotions, and at Hp m they go to bed. We, get a peep at the huge apartment where the meals are taken as wepi-s its open door. \\ lilun, the well-worn stone floor, the much-scrubbed deal tables and rude earthen pitchers bear eloquent testimony to the faithful observance of the self-denying laws Indeed, this is the case at almost every step we take just now. The dormitories, with their cramped stall-like cubicles, bare of all but A HARD UEI) AM) A CRT ( II I\. afford a striking contrast to the guest chambers, which are large and comfortably appointed. The sights of the past few minutes begin to have a saddening effect upon us and we are glad to hurry on to the library, our thoughts the while busy in the attempt to realise the dull monotony and chilling hardships of the life of a Trappist monk. The library door is looked ; and our guide leaves us a iiioment to summon the librarian — a '• Father." who soon appears and silently admits us to the room under his care. He is a man of remarkably fine physique, good presence and dignified bearing and we cannot help occasional furtive glances of admiration for him as he stands, occupied with a book, and betrays no indication of interest in his visitors. But in this apparent indifference to surroundings, the librarian is no exception to the others of the fraternity already encountered. Their religion is to them the serious and all-absorbing business of their lives, and desire for association seems dead within them. We must not waste time, however, in reflections — we came to see the books. Works of ecclesiastical history, and the writings of the early Christian Fathers abound ; and our humble guide seems snrprisiugly familiar with the contents oc these ponderous volumes. We had not suspected him of the intelligent knowledge he now displays in his replies to the enquiries of one of our party, who is a university graduate and Bachelor of Divinity, The chapel comes next. It has A QUAINT AND HTRIKIMi- INTERIOR, on which the monks have expended much labour. Immediately on entering, the marked reverence of our guide warns us that for the present further questioning should be avoided. He has prostrated

himself before the altar, and remains at prayer, while we staud motionless near. It would greatly please us if we could now see the whole community assemble for worship and hear them sing. At last one of us feels a desire to compare the faces of the praying monks with those so vividly pictured ori the small canvas in the Dore G-allery ; but as this cannot be, we again join our friend, who has now completed his devotions and pass out into the gardens.

We are told in answer to an enquiry that candidates for admission — both lay and clerical — are plentiful, and that the term of probation varies according to the mental attainments and spiritual condition of the would-be monk. After a stay of two months in the abbey the novice is permitted to assume the dress of the Order, and perform his preliminary vows. His probation lasts for three years, when, if he has no misgivings as to the future, and the superiors consider him to. be fully qualified, he takes the final vows ; but if not he is given a further two years 1 preparation, at the end of which he may, if still unfit for the final ceremonial, return again to the outer world. Few, however, do this. One of the first principles held by the Trappists is that speech is hostile to the religious life ; hence the popular supposition that they never speak except to utter their doleful greeting, "Memento mori " (remember death) when they first meet each other in the small hours of the morning. Only the schools now remain to be seen. The schoolmaster — a young, man attired in the habit of a Father — is out sunning himself as we file up the long path to the schoolhouse.' He hurries in, however, when he discovers ouv near approach, and the hum of children's voices is hushed before we cross the threshold. We are hoping that the pedagoguersince he must speak to his pupils, will allow us to converse with him about his work ; but he is A TRAPPIST -AS WELL AS A TEACAER, and he simply bows and smiles his welcome. The boys are healthy specimens of the Irish peasant class, drawn from the scattered huts of the district, and whose parents are too poof to pay for their olucation. The monks of Mount Melleray, with all the foresight of good Catholics, did not wait for legal enactments to be framed by «lucational lords at Whitehall, which should give to these lads a free education, but built for them a school and provided them with teachers capable of imparting religious as well as secular instruction. The next school is of another grade, where youths are boarded and educated, and many of them prepared for the priesthood. It is dosed now for the summer vacation, and we are almost glad that it is, for we should soon be back at Cappoquin to carry out the engagements of the af teraoon. Our escort, too. must return to his duties, though he betrays no haste to leave us. It is with great reluctance that he accepts our offering" to the funds of the abbey. Our thanks are all he expects. " You are tourists," he says, •• and travelling is expensive. Leave it till you come again, when you. may be able to spend more time with us." — Correspondent Edinburgh Catholic Herald.