(Paris) In October 2013, the re-colonization of the Benedictine Abbey of Wisques by the old Rite Benedictine monks of Fontgombault has taken place. After a transitional period, Wisques became an independent abbey again. Last Sunday a new abbot was elected.
After the clear-cutting of the French Revolution Benedictine monastic life slowly returned to France. The Abbey of St. Paul of Wisques was founded in 1889. The monks were expelled in 1901 by anti-Catholic laws yet again and found refuge in the Netherlands. In 1920 they managed to return.
Wisques followed the liturgical reform in 1970 and introduced the new rite. The youth did not materialize. Although in 2009 there were still 14 monks in the monastery, the "youngest" was already 72 years old. For 25 years no novice had come. The community could therefore choose no more abbots. The Abbot of Solesmes appointed an administrator. Thus began the search for a solution that was found in Fontgombault.
The new rite led to the end of the Abbey - The old Rite makes it new
With the approval of Bishop Jean-Paul Jaeger of Arras, the abandoned convent was transferred to the old Rite Benedictine monastery Of Our Lady of Fontgombault. This had not implemented the liturgical reform of the late 60s and enjoys numerous vocations.
Early in 2013 the first monks came from Fontgombault to Wisques. They held to the traditional rite and the old Divine Office. The experience has been very positive. Since October 2013, the old Rite convent has 18 monks. Since that moment, Wisques is suffragan of the the Abbey of Fontgombault. Their abbot, Dom Jean Pateau, was also administrator of Wisques.
After a transition period an abbatial election had taken place on Sunday, April 3. Dom Philippe de Montauzan, the sixth abbot of Wisques and first since the old ritual repopulation. He has held the position of Prior since 2013. De Montauzan was previously novice master of the Abbey Fontgombault. The repopulation of Wisques took place under his leadership.
The blessing of the new abbot will be held this coming June 4th.
Wisques is located in the extreme north-east of France near the Belgian border. The Dutch town name is Wizeke (place of Wico). The area belonged in the 18th century to the German or Dutch-speaking area. The French-Dutch language border is still barely ten kilometers east of Wisques.
(Paris) In France a very special female, traditional religious order exists. It provides women with Down Syndrome a safe haven and allows them to live a religious vocation.
The Little Sisters are "not self-evidently in a hypocritical world," said Veronque Labrion. A world which, although working on behalf of people living with Down syndrome, but at same time attempt with increasingly perfected meticulousness to detect their existence through prenatal and pre-implantation diagnosis and kill them before birth.
Founded in 1985, canonically erected in 1990
Les Petites Soeurs de l'Agneau Disciples (Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb) are a small community of Consecrated Life, which was founded in 1985 in Buxueil in France. In 1990 it was canonically erected by the Archbishop of Tours. Since 1995, the monastery is located in Le Blanc. In 1999 it was recognized by the Archbishop of Bourges as an order of contemplative life.
The spiritual care of the woman of the Order is the responsibility of the abbot and the traditional monks of the Abbey of Fontgombault, near which the monastery is located.
The emergence and formation of the young community was accompanied in its first steps by the famous French geneticist and servant of God, Jerome Lejeune (1926-1994) whose beatification process was completed in 2012 at the diocesan level.
Contemplative Order of Sisters with Down syndrome
Little Sisters of the Lamb disciples
The Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb are the first contemplative orders, the women with Down syndrome has the opportunity to realize their religious vocation. The sisters with trisomy 21 form pursuant to statutes, the majority, they are supported by a minority of nurses without Down syndrome.
The nuns make, depending on inclination and aptitude, within the meaning of the Benedictine Ora et labora, make fabrics, tapestries, wood sculptures and other tems to secure a livelihood by selling them.
The Congregation wants "to allow those who in the world are in last place, to take the leading role as a bride of Christ in the Church, and through their God ordained witness of the Gospel of Life for those whose existence is so despised that their lives are threatened by the culture of death," said mother Line, the prioress of the community.
The "Little Way" of St. Therese of Lisieux and the Benedictine Charism of Ora et Labora
The Little Sisters follow the "Little Way" of St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897), who was raised in 1997 by Pope John Paul II. to a Doctor of the Church. Significantly also, there is the influence of the Rule of Benedict and the Benedictine charism.
The nuns lead a modest life of prayer, work and sacrifice. They do gardening and handwork, Eucharistic adoration, maintain the Divine Office and the rosary, we live the Holy Mass every day, live in silence and prayer, and look at the Scriptures, each according to their possibilities and abilities, which is why the daily rhythm is something distinct from that of other contemplative religious, a basic rhythm, however, it offers all the sisters an important basis, says Mother Line.
The Order came about by the encounter between two young women in the 1980s, of Line and Veronica. Line is now the prioress of the convent, Sister Veronica has Down Syndrome.
Silent inconspicuous life in the service of Christ
The sacred liturgy in the traditional form of the Roman Rite
The Little Sister Disciples of the Lamb take young women on who feel touched by the spirit of poverty and dedication and are willing to put their lives along with their sisters with trisomy 21 at the service of Christ.
Such a young woman was Sr. Rose Claire Lyon (1986-2013), who because of her cheerful and cordial nature was called "Sourire de Jesus" (the smile of Jesus). She was born in 1986 in the Alsace-Lorraine town of Laxou and came from a family with many children. At the age of 19 she entered the convent of the Little Sisters in Le Blanc. Sr. Rose Claire saw her role model in the "Little Therese", whom she referred to as "my big sister."
"Her longing for heaven was so great that she left the world as she wished, quietly and tranquilly at the young age of only 26 on May 4, 2013," said mother Line. Dom Jean Peteau OSB, Abbot of Fontgombault, who celebrated the funeral Mass, said in his homily: "The message of Sister Rose Claire is contained in one word and that message is: Jesus".
Marc Jeanson made a documentary about the young congregation.
(Paris) The small village Fontgombault in Berry in central France is known mainly by Old Ritual Benedictines. But even by its militant Catholic mayor. Despite secular state doctrine, he begins council meetings with a prayer. Fontgombault forms a separate municipality and has 258 voters. 70 voters are the monks of the abbey. This drives some Church enemies to fits of rage. Especially since Jacques Tissier, the longtime mayor of Fontgombault, took a stand against the new "gay marriage" law. The opponents of the mayor now want to exclude monks from the voters' lists to influence the upcoming municipal election.
Mayor: "There is a Natural Law that Stands Above the Laws of Man"
In May 2013, the "gay marriage" in France had been pressed against fierce opposition from the people of the socialist government. Jacques Tissier, since 1977, Mayor of Fontgombault and practicing Catholic, said last November in a newspaper interview: "There is a natural law that stands above the laws of man." On 24 October, the council had unanimously adopted a decision at his request that municipal government and local council resign en bloc, should the community be forced to have to perform a "marriage" of two homosexuals. It is known that the mayor will consult the abbot of the monastery before important decisions.
By the decision proponents of "gay marriage" and Church opponents became aware of the small village. They have publicly called upon homosexuals to become "married" in the City Hall of the central French community for the purpose of forcing the resignation of the "scandalous" the mayor with his "shocking" views. But so far, no one has undertaken to put this challenge into action. So Jacques Tissier and his Catholic council majority still administrate the tranquil ten and a half square kilometer site.
Local Elections: Change Voter Lists to Create a New Majority
On 23 and 30 March, however, there will be local elections in France. The dismissal of the mayor was not successful and the prospect of a different majority do not seem to be very great. So Tissier's political opponents and the monks who have been constituted as "list of outraged", to reduce the weight of the Catholics on the route of administration, by denying monks the right to vote.
"We Have had Enough of the Catholic Robes"
The electoral group "Outraged of Fontgombault " claims that some of the monks are not eligible to vote. "The monks have been too long a political weight in our community. That has to change. We have had enough of the Catholic robes," says André Antigny, the leader of the "Outraged" in the anti-clerical tone, who competes as a mayoral candidate for his party. Six years ago, he had unsuccessfully challenged Tissier. Now he is looking for another way. He turned to the court of Chateauroux and requesting the removal of monks from the voter lists Fontgombault.
Strong Growth in Abbey: Already Five Daughter Houses
The judges gave that the "outraged" Antigny was not entirely in the right, but ordered the deletion of ten monks anyway. At least four percent of the electorate. The measure was justified by the fact that these monks would no longer live in Fontgombault, but at the Abbey of Saint-Paul de Wisques. From the Abbey Fontgombault there have been five daughter houses founded because of the numerous growth in the past 40 years which created four abbeys and a priory. The Benedictine Abbey of Wisques is the latest foundation. To be precise, the Old Ritual monks of Fontgombault were asked by the monks of New Rite Wisques to take over the abbey, as their convent had a lack of vocations and became too small.
The lawyer for the abbey Fontgombault appealed against the court's decision because the relocation of the monks to Wiques is not yet definitive. The revival of the local abbey is on 10 October 2013 is done, but the composition of the local new convention is not yet definitive. The monks are therefore still registered in the town Fontgombault.
"Monks Hinder the Laicism of our Community"
The "List of Outraged" emerged after the council decision of 24 October against "gay marriage" law. It is the merger of the old Left and anti-Clericals of the village under a new name. Traditionally, there are two monks in the local council."That's only fair," says Mayor Tissier. "We attach great importance to this presence. The Abbey is a quarter of our community. Thus, the monks are underrepresented even significantly with two representatives, but 'Outraged" is of a completely different opinion. Antigny: "The monks hinder the laicism [secularism] of our community."
The lawyer of the Abbey lodged an appeal with the Court of Cassation in Paris. He received the reply: "The only objective of the 'Outraged' is to eliminate voters from the opposing camp. But that contradicts the letter and spirit of our democracy. "
(Paris) The Bishop of Arras, Boulogne and Saint-Omer, Jean-Paul Jaeger and the Abbot Dom Jean Pateau of the Benedictine Abbey of Notre-Dame de Fontgombault, have sealed the takeover of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Paul at Wisques.The Benedictine Abbey of Wisques is being repopulated by monks from Fontgambault at the end of the year. Thus this will also allow that this Abbey will return to the extraordinary form of the Roman rite.
As previously reported , a group of monks from Fontgombault has already spent several weeks in January at Wisques to consider making a takeover concrete.The main point of consideration are difficulties in ensuring the survival of the Abbey of Saint Paul Wisques by its own power.The average age of the monks in Wisques is more than 75 years.
The abbey was founded in the second half of the 19thCentury by Fontgombault.For this reason Fontgombault now been asked to ensure with monks there the continued existence of the Abbey of Wisques and start with a new beginning of the abbey.Towards the end of the year monks from the Abbey Fontgombault will colonize and form a new convent with 18 monks, such as the website of the diocese of Arras, Saint-Omer Boulanger has announced.The new convent will elect its own abbot and prior.
The Abbey of Wisques thus joins the ranks of the monasteries of a tradition in which the Holy Mass and the whole Divine Office, the entire liturgy will be maintained in the traditional form and Gregorian Chant.
(Wisque) The Abbey of St. Paul, belonging to the Congregation of Solemes in the 300 population village of Wisque (about 200 km West of Brussels) will be settled by monks from the traditional Abbey of Fontgambault in central France. This was reported by the website of Wisques Abbey.
The Abbey was founded by monks from the Abbey of Solesmes in 1889 and had at the time, 60 monks. Yet in the last years, the number of new entrants had stopped and then many monks died, then the Abbey was about to close. A similar fate in the Diocese of Arras befell the Cistercian Abbey of Belval.
Since the 7th of January there are 4 monks from the Abbey of Fontgambault in Wisque, so that they can say the traditional Office as well as support their practical concerns. The Abbey operates its own ceramic atelier (art studio).
Several new monks are expected from Fontgambault at the end of the year.
Some more details about Bp. Conley: He was college roommates with Fr. James Jackson, F.S.S.P., and has com to our parish several times to say the TLM and administer Confirmation. He also celebrated the first Pontifical Solemn Mass in over 40 years at Denver's Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart. I believe he's also done Ordinations for the Fraternity.
Edit: It's not Fabian Socialism, it's His Lordship, Bishop Bruskewitz. There are a couple of new appointments and Episcopal acts which are encouraging. The first one is the appointment of the new Bishop of Lincoln Nebraska, who is probably a Traditionalist. We are told that he spent a period of discernment at Fontgambault and was a student of Dr. John Senior who was close to Monsignor Lefebvre.
Additionally, in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archbishop Gomez has stepped up and taken care of some dissidents.
LOS ANGELES, September 14, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A priest who helped found a gay ‘marriage’ advocacy group for Catholics has been suspended from distributing the sacraments or representing himself publicly as a cleric by his bishop.
The National Catholic Register reported Monday that Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles had spoken to Rev. Joseph Palacios, co-founder of “Catholics for Equality” (CFE), a small group created two years ago with strong connections to the Human Rights Campaign.
Palacios described the purpose of his outreach at Princeton University in February 2011, where he called the Church’s faithful the key target for effecting cultural shift in favor of homosexuality.
As Pope Bendict XVI. saw the new Abbot and his predecessor a few months ago, he shouted out: "Fontgambault!"
The Traditional Benedictine Abbey of Fontambault is located by a 270 population village of the same name in the Departement of Indre in central France.
It has a stormy development behind it.
With the Old Faith, it Survived the Conciliar Collapse
In 1948, 22 monks from the Abbey of Solesmes setted from Fontgambault.
Today with over a hundred monks it is one of the largest cloisters of the Congregation. Since 1971 -- in the midst of the Conciliar night -- the cloister formed four new foundations.
On October 7th the new director of the cloister, Abbot Jean Pateau was consecrated.
Meeting with the Pope
On the 9th of March the website 'riposte-catholique.fr' reported some recent events at the cloister.
The webiste reported that the new Abbot and his predecessor, Abbot Antoine Forgeot, had travelled to Rome on November 23rd.
They were even invited by Pope Benedict XVI. The meeting was not known about until today.
As soon as the Holy Father saw the two monks, he called out: "Fontgambaul!"
The Pope enjoined the new Abbot, to hold fast to the line of his predecessors.
He had militated very strenuously against introducing any kind of concelebration.
Falling Back From the High Level
According to reports from 'riposte-catholique.fr' vocations are also not falling back.
In the last year they haven't had any entrants.
Recently there were five monks in the Novitiate.
Last August two monks had made their simple and another monk made his solemn vows.
Presently, the Cloister is expecting numerous new entrants in the near future.
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