OLEVITANI FOR ENGLAND

New Zealand Tablet, 17 April 1924, Page 28

OLEVITANI FOR ENGLAND

; An interesting. Benedictine development is expected in England before long— this is the introduction of the Olivetan branch of the Benedictine Order.

Although during more than a thousand years Benedictines of many Congregations have flourished, at one time or another,- in England; the Olivetani have never had an English houseL Founded in the year 1313, Olivetani have their chief house at. Milan, governed by the AbbotGeneral Dom Maurus Parodi.

;, , The plan which is now being worked out will entail English'vocations going to Siena for the novitiate, and when a sufficient number of professions and-, ordinations have been made, these monks will return io England to found new houses.

The Reformation made a clean-sweep of the monks, but even to-day the Benedictine Order is well represented. Pride of placb belongs to the English Black Monks, -so called from their black choir cowl, who have a monastic ancestry .going back to St. Dunstan, and .no doubt- to St. Augustine who brought the Order from Rome. There, are also two houses of the Congregation of France in the south, these being the lineal descendants of the Cluniacs, who were called aliens. The Congregation of. Monte Cassino is represented by ’ St. Augustine’s Abbey at Ramsgate, while another? French reform, that of Pere Muard, is represented by the important community at Biickfast Abbey iu Devonshire. . V ._. •-