Attention: To All Young Men Interested In Becoming A Monk!

[brgabeosb]

This July 1, 2008 St. Vincent Archabbey will be welcoming 6 new Novices (ages 22. 23, 33, 34, 39, 45) for their 10 day formalized postulancy before receiving the Holy Monastic Habit on July 10th when they will enter the Novitiate. On July 10th, our 4 Novices (Brs. Maximilian, Jeremiah, Michael, and Gabriel) will be professing their first monastic vows during Solemn Vespers. And on July 11th (The Feast of St. Benedict) 2 of our monks (Fr. Peter Augustine, OSB and Br. Bonaventure, OSB) will profess Solemn Monastic Vows during the communal celebration of the Holy Eucharist. As you can see, there is a lot of life and blessings happening here at the first and largest Benedictine Monastery in America and we praise and worship God for His wonderful blessings on us. One of the reasons I feel we are prospering is due to our deep devotion to the Magisterium of our Holy Catholic Church and a deep love for our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. This being said, if you are a young man (17-40) that thinks God may be calling you to follow Him as a Benedictine Monk I ask that you give us a look, I think you will be very impressed with what you see here in Latrobe, PA.

[b][color="#FF0000"]WITH THE INCOMING NOVICE CLASS SOON ARRIVING WE ARE NOW STARTING TO FORM THE 2009-2010 POSTULANCY CLASS (PLEASE CONTACT FATHER FRED, OSB, ([email=fred.byrne@email.stvincent.edu]EMAIL HERE[/email]) ARCHABBEY VOCATION DIRECTOR TO SET UP A VISIT IN ORDER TO "GET YOUR FOOT IN THE MONASTIC DOOR" AND TO BE PART OF WHAT THE LORD IS DOING HERE AT ST. VINCENT.[/color][/b][i][/i]
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[url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"]WWW.SVAMONKS.BLOGSPOT.COM[/url]

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Our Beautiful Archabbey Basilica[/center]
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The Brothers with our friends, the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal

Edited June 13, 2008 by brgabeosb

[VeniteAdoremus]

That's wonderful news, brother! You're much blessed.

I would put my brother on a plane but I have to get him in the Church first

[brgabeosb]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1570515' date='Jun 13 2008, 10:39 AM']That's wonderful news, brother! You're much blessed.

I would put my brother on a plane but I have to get him in the Church first [/quote]


Thanks for the kind words VeniteAdoremus, be assured of our prayers for you, your family, and for your brother. If your interested, one of our younger monks: Fr. Shawn Matthew, OSB is working on an intercessory [url="http://www.svcipraise.blogspot.com/"]prayer blog[/url] (May I suggest that you could add him to the prayer list here at St. Vincent Archabbey via Fathers blog or by messaging me.)
Pax,
Br. Gabriel Myriam, OSB
[url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"]SVAmonks [/url]

Edited June 13, 2008 by brgabeosb

[Fr. Antony Maria OSB]

Hey Brother, by any chance did a Br. Kevin recently come to the community from an abbey in IL? If so, let him know that Joe from his AP European History class said hello!

[the lords sheep]

Welcome to phatmass, Brother. As you've probably noticed, we LOVE religious on this board. I will pray that the Lord continues to bless your Abbey with good and holy vocations.
Keep us posted on the new entrances!

In Jesus and Mary,
Lauren

ps- we also LOVE photos! *hint hint*


[quote name='NazFarmer' post='1570844' date='Jun 14 2008, 02:42 AM']Hey Brother, by any chance did a Br. Kevin recently come to the community from an abbey in IL? If so, let him know that Joe from his AP European History class said hello![/quote]


It's just such a small Catholic world! Gotta love it...

[brgabeosb]

[quote name='the lords sheep' post='1571012' date='Jun 14 2008, 04:52 AM']Welcome to phatmass, Brother. As you've probably noticed, we LOVE religious on this board. I will pray that the Lord continues to bless your Abbey with good and holy vocations.
Keep us posted on the new entrances!

In Jesus and Mary,
Lauren

ps- we also LOVE photos! *hint hint*
It's just such a small Catholic world! Gotta love it...[/quote]

Thanks Guys,
And PLEASE keep praying for us, it is so important and truly the reason for why so much good is happening here at our Archabbey. By the way Naz, I'm sorry but I do not know any Brothers by the name of Kevin. Also, keep getting the word out about our community and our blog site (we are seeing the fruits of your word of mouth), and for you young men asking the Lord whether he is calling you to religious life...do not be afraid (as our late great Holy Father John Paul II would say) to take the first step and call or e-mail our communities vocation director or a director of another community, they don't bite (at least our Father Fred doesn't, lol) That being said, here are some more pics:
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These our our Sisters in Christ, the Benedictine Nuns of St. Emma's Monastery which is down the road from our Archabbey... the Nuns are a wonderful group and it is such a blessing to have these holy women praying for our community daily. For you ladies out there thinking of Benedictine life - check out the Nuns of St. Emma's ([url="http://www.stemma.org/"]Here is a link to there website[/url])
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Here is a picture of the Brothers at St. Leopold Friary in Yonkers, NY visiting our friends the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal prior to the amazing experience of praying and hearing our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI speak to seminarians and young people at St. Joseph Seminary
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The aftermath of the Papal Visit, truly it is amazing how people can litter and even more so on holy ground at a Seminary after hearing the Pope speak. Anyway, the brothers stuck around to help some of the CFR Sisters, Dominican Sisters, and others to clean up.
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Our Archabbey Basilica on the evening of Solemn Vespers for the Brothers first Monastic Vows
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Our Abba, Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, OSB
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Our Father Fred Byrne, OSB (Archabbey Vocation Director) and our Father Boniface Hicks, OSB ([url="http://svamonks.blogspot.com/2008/02/documentary-on-our-father-boniface.html"]for a great video on Father Boniface click here[/url])
Keep on Praying,
Br. Gabriel Myriam, OSB
[url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"]SVAmonks[/url]

Edited June 14, 2008 by brgabeosb

[VeniteAdoremus]

Dear Brother,
Thanks for the pictures! They're great! (Not only literally )

What's the difference between an abbey and an archabbey?

[IrishSalesian]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1571100' date='Jun 14 2008, 12:02 PM']Dear Brother,
Thanks for the pictures! They're great! (Not only literally )

What's the difference between an abbey and an archabbey?[/quote]

I think it is the same difference between a diocese, and an archdiocese. One is the Metropolitan See of a few different dioceses and abbeys.

[brgabeosb]

[quote name='IrishSalesian' post='1571115' date='Jun 14 2008, 10:38 AM']I think it is the same difference between a diocese, and an archdiocese. One is the Metropolitan See of a few different dioceses and abbeys.[/quote]

Great question hopefully this answers it: An Abbey," "monastery" and "priory" are roughly synonymous terms. A monastery generally refers to the building where the monks live. An abbey is a monastery governed by an abbot, while a priory is a monastery ruled by a prior under the auspices of the abbot of the mother abbey.

[i]Here is a great article about our founder and how we were given the title Archabbey:[/i]
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Saint Vincent was founded by Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B., when he emigrated from Bavaria in 1846. He and 18 companions laid the foundation for the first of many Benedictine schools and monasteries in the United States. A look at the life of this remarkable man provides a glimpse into the work of Divine Providence in preparing Archabbot Wimmer for his historic mission that continues to bear fruit today.

On January 14, 1809, Sebastian Wimmer was born in Thalmassing, Bavaria to Catholic parents in a time of cultural change and upheaval. Bavaria was changing under Napoleonic influence and the rationalists were in power. Monasteries and churches were suppressed until a new king, Ludwig I, came to power. He understood that “Bavarian” and “Catholic” could not be separated. He devised a strategy to re-integrate and re-invigorate the Catholic faith into Bavarian culture through academics and prayer. Immediately he established the Ludwig Maximillian University with its own Catholic Theology “think tank” called the Round Table, and he began re-establishing monasteries, the first of which was Saint Michael’s Abbey in Metten.

Father Sebastian Wimmer, a newly ordained priest, was invited by his bishop to enter the recently opened Saint Michael’s Abbey. He professed his solemn vows in 1833, taking the religious name, Boniface, in honor of the Benedictine saint who converted Germany centuries earlier. In his early monastic years, Father Boniface worked in the university, gymnasium and in various parishes and shrines near the abbey.

The mid-1800s witnessed a massive European immigration to the United States. Right after the Irish blazed a path, there soon followed a great wave of Germans. Father Boniface heard of the plight of German-speaking Catholics in the United States and wanted to help. His first plan was to establish a monastery and seminary in Bavaria to send German-speaking priests to minister to these people. However, his abbot declined to let him proceed, and this setback gave Father Boniface the ability to conceive a better idea -- to begin a monastery and school in America. At first his abbot would not permit it, but eventually, Father Boniface’s persistence paid off. He came to Pennsylvania with 14 lay brother candidates and 4 priesthood candidates. They began monastic life at Saint Vincent on October 24, 1846 and the first day of school was October 25, 1846.
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These good monks wasted no time. In five years, there were 100 monks in the community, and in ten years, 200 monks. By 1855 Saint Vincent became an abbey, with Boniface Wimmer as its first abbot. The school grew quickly to include elementary, secondary, college, graduate and seminary curricula. Students were predominantly German-speaking at first, but soon there was a fine mix of many ethnicities and languages spoken on campus.

Boniface Wimmer was named Archabbot in 1883, in recognition of his many accomplishments. During his years in the United States he founded 152 parishes, five abbeys, and many schools. His application of Saint Benedict’s motto of "work and prayer" formed a model for successful monastic life in the United States. His blueprint for success was simple: First, establish a monastic community with strong monks who own the land they build upon. Second, establish a parish,. And lastly, establish a school. History proved him correct. Any foundation that was missing one or more of these factors did not succeed.

Archabbot Boniface died on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1887, after forty-one years of leading the Benedictines in America. Sadlier’s Catholic Dictionary called him the greatest missionary in the 19th century in their 1888 publication.

So, therefore, since we are the first abbey and motherhouse of all the Abbey's within the American Cassinese Congregation, which was founded by Wimmer as well, we were granted the title Archabbey by the Holy Father.

Br. Gabriel Myriam, OSB
[url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"]SVAmonks[/url]

[Marieteresa]

hi brother,
Is your monastery connected to St. Leo Abbey at all? If so do you know any of the brothers there?

Thanks

[brgabeosb]

[quote name='Marieteresa' post='1571175' date='Jun 14 2008, 12:15 PM']hi brother,
Is your monastery connected to St. Leo Abbey at all? If so do you know any of the brothers there?

Thanks[/quote]

Hi Marieteresa,
St. Leo Abbey is in our congregation. A few months ago, I met their new abbot, The Right Reverend Isaac Camacho, O.S.B. who is a wonderful man. Are you familiar with St. Leo Abbey?
Br Gabriel Myriam, OSB
[url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"][size=5]SVAmonks[/size][/url]

[brgabeosb]

[quote name='brgabeosb' post='1571189' date='Jun 14 2008, 12:35 PM']Hi Marieteresa,
St. Leo Abbey is in our congregation. A few months ago, I met their new abbot, The Right Reverend Isaac Camacho, O.S.B. who is a wonderful man. Are you familiar with St. Leo Abbey?
Br Gabriel Myriam, OSB
[url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"][size=5]SVAmonks[/size][/url][/quote]

A few more pictures for everyone:
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Also, Here is what's happening at the Archabbey - Seminary this week:
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[size=5][url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"]SVAmonks[/url][/size]

[Fr. Antony Maria OSB]

Hey Brother, I'm just curious, but do you know any monks from Marmion Abbey?

[brgabeosb]

[quote name='NazFarmer' post='1579388' date='Jun 22 2008, 01:29 PM']Hey Brother, I'm just curious, but do you know any monks from Marmion Abbey?[/quote]

Hey Naz,
I do, recently Brother Marcus visited St. Vincent in preparation for his studies here at our Seminary, he seems like a wonderful young monk and it will be a great blessing to have him here at the Archabbey.
Here are a few pics for everyone:
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Edited June 23, 2008 by brgabeosb