Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/876

 CISTERCIANS

790

CISTERCIANS

at Big Tracadie, Dom John Mary Murphy, yielding to the desire of Bishop Harkins of Providence to have some contemplative religious in his diocese, trans- ferred it to Lonsdale, Rhode Island, in March, 1900, leaving to other religious who came from France his monastery of Little Clairvaux. He commenced with- out delay to build a wooden structure which would serve for a temporary shelter for the religious. At the same time he was constructing the buildings in- dispensable for farming. These preparations were pushed forward with such energy that by the month of July the community were able to commence the clear- ing and cultivation of the lands. It was an arduous and ungrateful task; no single-handed farmer would have undertaken it. But what was impossible to indi- vidual effort was soon effected by united labour, and the ungrateful soil became productive. The new monastery, begun in April, 1902, was finished in December of the same year, and in the month of Janu- ary, 1903, the religious had the consolation of being installed in a building appropriate to their kind of life. For a farm the water supply is of prime impor- tance. The religious of Our Lady of the Valley have discovered a spring which supplies water abundantly for all purposes. Moreover, this water, on account of its mineral properties, has a considerable commercial value. The total area of the property is 450 acres. The success which has thus far attended the efforts of the monks at Lonsdale is a precious encouragement for all those who are engaged in farming pursuits in that rocky part of Rhode Island.

The monastery was erected into a priory in 1907, and the religious elected the Rev. Dom John Mary Murphy prior. It retains in the order the rank of seniority corresponding to the date of incorporation of Little Clairvaux in the Order of Citeaux in 1869.

Monastery of Our Lady of Calvary, Rogersville, N. B. — Foreseeing the evils with which their communi- ties were threatened by the Law of 1901 (Waldeck- Rousseau), several abbots of the Order of Citeaux in France looked to find a refuge in case of expulsion. Dom Anthony Oger, Abbot of Our Lady of the Lake, wrote to Mgr. Richard, pastor of Rogersville, N. B., who answered promptly, placing at his disposal cer- tain mills and 1000 acres of land already partly culti- vated. In August, 1902, the prior of Bonnecombe, France, the Rev. Father Anthony Piana and the Rev. Mother Lutgarde, prioress, with another sister, arrived in Montreal and afterwards at Our Lady of the Lake by way of Montreal. Dom Anthony Oger devoted his whole paternal solicitude to aiding his visitors in finding a place suitable for a foundation. The abbot communicated Mgr. Richard's proposal to the prior of Bonnecombe, who, after two visits to Rogersville decided to accept it, and the project was submitted to the approbation of the general chapter. The abbot general, Dom Sebastian Wyart, urged Dom Emile, Abbot of Bonnecombe, to accept the offer of the pastor of Rogersville. On the 25th of October, 1902, six religious — two priests, one novice, and three lay brothers — left Bonnecombe for Canada under the direction of Dom Anthony Piana. On the 5th of the Following November the little colony was solemnly received at Rogersville by the pastor and his parish- ioners, and took possession of the monastery, to which was given the name of Our Lady of Calvary, which was canonically erected into a priory 12 July, 1904.

Monastery of Our Lady of Jordan, Oregon. — In 1904 the Cistercian monks of Fontgombault (Indre- et-Loire, France), were forced to abandon their mon- astery. They, too, looked for a refuge in America. Under the direction of their abbot, Dom Fortunato Marchand, they went to Oregon to ask for a place of retreat where they would be able to serve Almighty God, and observe their rule. The new foundation of Our Lady of Jordan is situated in the township of Jordan, Linn County, about 90 miles from the

Pacific Coast, upon a plateau a mile and a half in area. The property consists of about 400 acres of land, almost 200 of which are actually under culti- vation or in meadow-lands, 100 in wood land, and the remainder covered with brush. A torrent, tributary of the Santiam River, bounds it on the south. Upon this torrent has been built a steam saw-mill in connexion with the monastery. Here the Oregon fir- trees, which attain immense heights, are converted into lumber for the needs of the community and for commerce. The future of this Cistercian community to a great extent rests upon this industry. The land is ordinarily fertile and produces cereals, vegetables, pears, plums, apples, etc. The monastery of Our Lady of Jordan was solemnly dedicated in 1907, the Archbishop of Oregon City officiating, in the presence of a large assembly of the laity, among whom were many non-Catholics, On the same occasion the Sacrament of Confirmation was administered by the archbishop. The Right Rev. Father Thomas, Abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Mount Angel, preached the dedicatory sermon, in which he explained the nature and the object of the life of the Cistercians, or Trappists.

The Monastery of Our Lady of Maristella, at Tau- bate: in the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo do Brazil, is the first, and up to now the only monastery of the Cis- tercian Order in South America. It was founded in 1904 by the Abbey of Septfons in France, on a farm, or fazenda, at the foot of the Serra Mantiqueira, not far from the railroad between Rio and Sao Paulo, about twelve miles from Taubate' and six from Tre- membl£, a small place connected with Taubate' by a tramway. The property, consisting of 4000 or 5000 acres, had remained untitled since the abolition of slavery in 18SS, and the buildings were falling into ruins. One half of the land lies along the River Parahyba, and theother, consisting of hills and valleys, forms the base of the chain of mountains of Manti- queira. Rice, coffee, sugar-cane, Indian corn, etc., are cultivated, and cattle are raised. The climate is temperate, although it is within the tropics. The community, forty in number, has established a school for the children of the vicinity.

Gaillardin. Histoire de La Trappe: Dom Augustin de Le- xtranQe et lex trappixtex pendant la Herniation (Grande Trappe. 1S9.S); Viedu II. P. Urbain Guillct (Montligeon. 1SU91; Verite, Citeaux, La Trappe el Bellefimtaine (Paris. ISSo); Spalding, Sketches of the Early Missions of Kentucky, 17$l-ls?<:; Maes. The Life of Ree. Charles Nerinckx (Cincinnati, 1S80); L'abbaye de Notre-Dame du Lac et Vordre de Citeaux au Canada et dans lex Etats-Unix (Montreal. 1907); TESSIER, Bibliotheca Patrum Cixtcreienxium (4 vol. 4°, 1660); Alancs de Insdi.18, Opera Mosalia (4°, 1654); Bona, Opera Omnia (4°, 1677); Caretto, Santosale del S. Ordlne Cisterciense (4 vol. 4°, 1705) ; Debreyne, many volumes on theology and medicine; TJghelli, Italia Sacra (10 vol. folio, 1717); Henuiuuez should be quoted for having not only the menoiogium but also the Pfianir reviviscens (4°, 16'JO); lleyula Constit. el Pririleaia Ord. Cist, (folio, 1630) ; Jaxauscheck, Bibliographia Bernardino.

F. M. GlLDAS.

Cistercian Sisters. — The first Cistercian monas- tery for women was established at Tart in the Diocese of Langres (now Dijon), in the year 1125, by sisters from the Benedictine monastery of Juilly, and with the co-operation of St. Stephen Harding, Abbot of Citeaux. At Juilly, a dependence of Molcsme, Ste Humbeline, sister' of St. Bernard, lived and died. The Cistercian Sisters of Tart founded successively Ferraque ( 1 1401 in the Diocese of Noyon, Blandecques (1153) in the Diocese of St-Omer, and Montreuil-les- Dames (1164) near Laon. In Spain the first Cister- cian monastery of women was that of Tulebras (1134) in the Kingdom of Navarre. Then came Las Huelgas de Valladolid (1140), Espirito Santo at 01medo( 1142), Villabona, or San .Miguel de las Duefias (1155), Perales (1160), Gradefes (1108), etc. But the most celebrated was Santa Maria la Heal, or I.as Huelgas de Burgos, founded in 1187 by Alfonso VIII of Castile. The observance was established there by Cistercian