Revised : 2008-03-31.
To refer to a listing of abbeys in the filiation of Cîteaux, click on the letter A
Abbey: Monastery governed by an Abbot
or Abbess.
Abbey of N.-D. de l'Assomption
Abbey of
N.-D. de Bellefontaine
Abbey of N.-D.
du
Bon Conseil
Abbey of N.-D.
du Calvaire
Abbey of N.-D.
de Cîteaux
Abbey of N.-D.
de Mistassini
Abbey of N.-D.
des Prairies
Abbey of N.-D.
de la Trappe
Abbot
The abbot is elected from among the brothers. He receives his power from God through the ministry of the Church. He is believed to act in the monastery as Christ's representative. He ministers to the whole community as a father in both spiritual and temporal matters.
He shows to all the goodness and kindness of Christ, striving to be loved rather than feared. He adapts himself to the character of each, encouraging the brothers to run with a cheerful and happy disposition along the way God has called them.
As a master in Christ's school, the abbot is the guardian of his disciples' fidelity to monastic tradition. He sustains them with the food of God's Word and by his example.
As a skilled physician, the abbot seeks to cure both his own wounds and those of others, and to bring healing in the name of Christ to those hurt by sin. Above all, he relies on the prayer of all to cure the infirmities of the brothers.
(Reference: Cistercian Constitutions, numbers 31,32,33,35)
Abbot General
See Structure
of the Order, click here
Aelred of Rievaulx
(1110-1166) see Fathers, Cistercian
Alberic, Saint (died in 1109)
One of the three founders of the Cistercian order. He was first a hermit at Collan, near Châtillon-sur-Seine. In 1075, he followed St. Robert to Molesmes, where he became prior, and then in 1098 followed him to Cîteaux. There he again became prior and in 1100 succeeded St. Robert as second abbot.
Architecture
Since the twelfth century Cistercians have so built their monasteries that their purpose is clear-they are houses of God and places of prayer. The Cistercian spirit of simplicity is engraved to this day on the very stones.
A bare church does away with distractions and draws the attention to God alone. The careful blending of light and shade, the use of authentic materials, and an emphasis on sobriety of line will acheive this. Poverty demands neither bad taste nor ugliness. (Reference: Andre Louf, The Cistercian Way, Cistercian Publications)
The transcendence of God is present in Cistercian architecture, whether in Bellefontaine, France, in the Abbey of the Genesse in upstate New York, in Oka, Quebec, or wherever Cistercians are established.
Arel Gaston Organist
at the Oka monastery. To view Mr. Arel's French page on this site click
here
Assomption:
Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of the Assumption (nuns)In 1816, Dom Augustin settled one part of his nuns in the Calvados, in France. Following this, the nuns had to move several times before finally settling in the suburb of Vaise. The community grew vigorously, and undertook two foundations. In 1903, due to the threat of expulsion, they resigned themselves to exile. The abbot of Bonnecombe, their father immediate, sought a refuge for his dear daughters. Dom Emile pondered welcoming Acadia, which he had prepared as a welcoming refuge for his own community. The prior of Our Lady of Calvary (Notre Dame du Calvaire) in New Brunswick quickly discovered a suitable property for the nuns approximately three kilometers from his monastery.
On the 5th of May, 1904, 19 Cistercian nuns left Vaise, and after a difficult crossing, arrived in Quebec on the 29th of May. They arrived in Rogersville, New Brunswick, the next day. Their monastery was built and dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption of Acadia, and young acadian women soon knocked on its doors. The abbot of Notre Dame du Calvaire is the father immediate of their community.
Abbaye N.-D. de l'Assomption C.P. 119, Rogersville, N.B. E0A 2T0 Fondation : 1904 |
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Atlas, Cistercian Monastery of O.L. of, (in Algeria)
see Thibirine
Authors, Contemporary
Cistercian
Michael Casey, o.c.s.o.
Dom Andre Louf, o.c.s.o.
Thomas Merton, o.c.s.o.
M. Basil Pennington, o.c.s.o.
