Léonce Crenier
Encyclopedia
Léonce Crenier was a Catholic monk
who promoted the theological
/political
concept of Precarity
.
, in Savoie
, France
, July 31, 1888. According to his "Autobiographical Notes", his father was made bankrupt and consequently reduced to the condition of a day Labourer, living in a tiny room. His mother "was a woman full of idealism
and hope, energetic and of excellent heart". Léonce much admired her and inherited many of her characteristics. There was little discussion of religion in the home. Although baby Léonce was baptized, his parents were not church goers. His mother "fell out with the priest
and vowed not to set the foot in the church again". She continually and enthusiastically evoked "Our Lord and his Mother" as evocative of a "life of love".
Léonce received his first Communion
at twelve years of age, but he stopped attending church and did not attend for Confirmation. He was a sickly student but nevertheless attained excellent result thanks to his sharp intelligence. Acute otitis
in his left ear made him partially deaf for the rest of his life. After finishing at college, he became a tax-collector in an obscure corner of France. He studied at the "National School of Horticulture" in Versailles
from 1908 to 1911. He became absorbed with introspection
, with a fascination with questions of existence and further such mysteries, with an enthusiasm for the occult
being manifested at an early age. However he was finally disillusioned with what he regarded as pseudo-knowledge.
In Versailles and Paris
he realised the horror of social inequality
, the misery of the proletariat
and the misdeeds of capitalism
. Unable to stand by, he participated in the militant socialist movement, particularly with the Anarcho-Communists. Actually, the anarchism
of these young utopia
ns did not present any great danger to the established order
. Rejecting violence, this group prepared for the social world of which they dreamed, by much discussion, wrote inflammatory texts, festooned the streets with posters. Until his death, Father Crenier had fond memories of the companions of his militant
youth.
, where he for long of heart remained for seven years. Suffering from a particularly malignant form of typhoid fever
, with "violent pains started in the hip and the thigh bones, which twisted and were folded in on themselves. Soon, my right leg, become enormous and twisted back". He was worried that he might "go insane if the pain didn't leave him. The doctors could not do anything more for him. His life would undoubtedly have finished on a bed of hospital of Lisbon
had it not been for the intervention of Sister Marie Moutte, of the congregation of Sisters of St Vincent de Paul. She took on the young patient, looking after him with patience and knowledge, such that life forces gradually returned to him along with the hope to survive. Such devotion intrigued him, and he wanted to know its secret. Sister Marie explained to him that such a secret was not to be found in her but in Christ
whose example she did her best to follow. "He remained in bed for months, devoting himself to prayer, reading and reflection." His discussions with Sister Marie, alongside meditation
on the Gospel
, and study of Saint John of the Cross that led to conversion to Catholicism.
This embrace of Christianity
led him to decide to devote his life to religion. Initially he approached the Lazarites who politely got rid of him for obvious reasons. He later wrote "I was, weak, deaf, lame and almost voiceless". Thereafter, at the summer 1919, a chance meeting with a Benedictine
monk directed him towards the small monastery of Cogullada, in Spain
, where ten monks carried out a precarious monastic life. Despite his disheveled appearance, Léonce Crenier was accepted when he knocked on their door, as the need for recruits was great."It was my chance" he later remarked, "as no other monastery wanted me ... I could only enter the Benedictine Order through a concealed door, and Cogullada was that door". The instructor of novice
s, Father Doreillac was a "holy old monk who had been ordained in Bordeaux
". Equally sharing an enthusiasm the day's discussion quickly came to centre on the love of God and after a few minutes "we cried so much that the meeting had to end".
which had been refused canonical recognition and was about to close. So he turned to the abbey of Saint Wandrille, then in exile at Conques
in Belgium. He obtained a transfer there. Four years later, in 1924, he moved with the entire community in Réray, in France
. Completing his philosophical
and theological studies, he was ordained priest on March 3, 1928. His horticultural training led him to "cherish the hope of being put to work in the garden to help Brother Victor Brother there". But the Abbot had other plans for him. At the end of the summer, he asked Crenier to accompany Father Lohier to Canada and to help revitalise a priory which was proving hard to get off the ground. He arrived at the Abbey of St-Benoît-du-Lac on December 2, placed in charge of the noviates. By May 1929, he was under-Prior. Two years later he succeeded Father Lohier as Prior
, a post he held until 1944.
Precarity
The most serious problem facing the new priory was the impending threat of bankruptcy. This problem had haunted all the superiors since its foundation in 1912. Expenditure was greater than income receipts,with the deficit made up with loans. Over the years the debt had considerably increased, particularly under Dom Lohier, and had reached the sum of $29 500. Father Crenier, then sub-Prior, did what he could to stop any expenditure which it considered unnecessary: e.g. he blocked the purchase of an expensive car for $800. He saw it as his duty to alert the Abbot and provided a very gloomy description of the state of affairs: "Our financial standing is exceedingly serious, not to say desperate. If there is not stroke of luck, we are lost. Bankruptcy is but a few weeks off, perhaps... In eight month, our debt will have increased by $4 000." (May 24, 1931)
When he became Prior, he had to effect this "stroke of luck", charged by the Abbot with clearing the debt. By no means a specialist in administration, Dom Crenier had gained some experience from his time with Crédit Franco-Portugais and the Burnay Bank in Portugal. The first remedy had been to increase the income generated by the work of the monks, but in practice this failed. The farm, where so many of the monks worked, "does not bring back absolutely any money for us, but it provides us milk, butter and meat". The pastoral ministry preaching in the local parish was profitable but few ordained monk could do it as their absence was completely prejudicial to the liturgical
and Community life. The only other alternative was to turn to the outside and to request the generosity of the laymen despite the unfavourable economic economic situation following the financial crash of 1929. However, Father Crenier reasoned that no one would interested in giving money to pay off old debts, but rather adopted an audacious policy of saying they would start a building programme to which people could contribute, as with the basilica of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré. The abbot was not convinced by this strategy: to contemplate new constructions when one is overwhelmed by debt would be a serious imprudence. The project was abandoned. However some faithful friends in Montreal
, became aware of the situation. An uncle of the Brother Roméo Thibodeau, Mr Jean Daoust, "one of two or three principal members of the Company of the Craftsmen of Quebec", obtained from this Company a loan of $11,000 at favourable terms. Working with Mr. Beaudry Leman, he also formed a committee, recruited mainly among the "Craftsmen", who committed themselves to "pay our interests during the first few years". However a Mr Mathys also intervened with a generous but unacceptable offer: he promised to pay all the debts of the monastery provided that he was incorporated the Belgian congregation. The Prior, generally supportive of Brother Mathys, made an outright refusal.
and the kitchen garden provided fruit and vegetables and, during autumn, everyone helped in jam making. "We already have 700 - 800 boxes of tomatoes". These efforts and sacrifices were not in vain. The situation slowly improved as the ruinous practice loans was brought to an end. However, on April 21, 1934, Father Crenier wrote "that does not me from being blocked and even frustrated from time to time.. The Lord punishes me for my iniquities, while sending me what I need at the critical moment, but no more. I find that good. Poverty obliges me to hang with God, so to speak. I certainly would not ask for as much I do, if we were comfortable." His firmness in the exercise of his authority was combined with a paternalistic kindness, sensitive to the needs for each one of his monks. But it was that everyone should reach a healthy level of austerity. Amongst his immediate entourage, there were those who would allow the use of tobacco
in order to gain recruits, "Me, never... I hold good on this point ".
The "chaises berceuses", another Canadian passion were also prohibited... "Life passes by as one sits there smoking and reading a breviary, etc." His decisive argument was, "the Trappist
s of Oka
, do without all that and their recruitment is excellent". With this program of austerity, the Prior attracted trust and confidence. He succeeded where his predecessor had failed, in making a bond with the local community. He told the abbot, "there is on the whole a real desire for sanctification. And, remarkably, the tighter the discipline, the happier everyone is". Thirty years later, when he wrote his autobiography, Father Crenier told how of all the years he spent at St-Benoit-du-Lac, those of the great restrictions were happiest, adding "I noticed that real poverty, where one misses so many things, attracts singular graces amongst the monks, and in particular spiritual peace and joy."
, judged that the time had come to make the Canadian monastery autonomous, which, in canonical terms, means to make it a conventual priory.
Martinique
When he retired as Prior at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, first he went to Portsmouth
, Rhode Island
in the United States of America. Here he opposed segregation by endeavouring to set up an integrated monastery, but circumstances forced him to move to Martinique. here, with three companions, he founded the Sainte Marie de Montpelé monastery in 1947. He remained living there until his death on May 10, 1963. Monsignor Varin de la Brunellière, the Bishop
of Martinique, remarked "Léonce Crenier was as righteous and sincere, as forthright and generous during his youth with the anarchist utopians as he was in later years in his fervour as a monk."
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
who promoted the theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
/political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
concept of Precarity
Precarity
The word precarity literally meant "precariousness", but is now used to mean existence without predictability or security, affecting material or psychological welfare...
.
Early years
Léonce Crenier was born in Ceton, a small village of the diocese of SéezSéez
Séez is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is located at the top of a valley at the edge of the Vanoise National Park....
, in Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, July 31, 1888. According to his "Autobiographical Notes", his father was made bankrupt and consequently reduced to the condition of a day Labourer, living in a tiny room. His mother "was a woman full of idealism
Idealism
In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
and hope, energetic and of excellent heart". Léonce much admired her and inherited many of her characteristics. There was little discussion of religion in the home. Although baby Léonce was baptized, his parents were not church goers. His mother "fell out with the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and vowed not to set the foot in the church again". She continually and enthusiastically evoked "Our Lord and his Mother" as evocative of a "life of love".
Léonce received his first Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
at twelve years of age, but he stopped attending church and did not attend for Confirmation. He was a sickly student but nevertheless attained excellent result thanks to his sharp intelligence. Acute otitis
Otitis
Otitis is a general term for inflammation or infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals.It is subdivided into the following:*Otitis externa, external otitis, or "swimmer's ear" involves the outer ear and ear canal. In external otitis, the ear hurts when touched or pulled.*Otitis media...
in his left ear made him partially deaf for the rest of his life. After finishing at college, he became a tax-collector in an obscure corner of France. He studied at the "National School of Horticulture" in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
from 1908 to 1911. He became absorbed with introspection
Introspection
Introspection is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations. It is a conscious and purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and, in more spiritual cases, one's soul...
, with a fascination with questions of existence and further such mysteries, with an enthusiasm for the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
being manifested at an early age. However he was finally disillusioned with what he regarded as pseudo-knowledge.
In Versailles and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
he realised the horror of social inequality
Social inequality
Social inequality refers to a situation in which individual groups in a society do not have equal social status. Areas of potential social inequality include voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, the extent of property rights and access to education, health care, quality housing and other...
, the misery of the proletariat
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
and the misdeeds of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. Unable to stand by, he participated in the militant socialist movement, particularly with the Anarcho-Communists. Actually, the anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
of these young utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
ns did not present any great danger to the established order
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
. Rejecting violence, this group prepared for the social world of which they dreamed, by much discussion, wrote inflammatory texts, festooned the streets with posters. Until his death, Father Crenier had fond memories of the companions of his militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
youth.
Conversion to Catholicism
In 1913, he felt obliged to join his sister and brother-in-law in PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where he for long of heart remained for seven years. Suffering from a particularly malignant form of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
, with "violent pains started in the hip and the thigh bones, which twisted and were folded in on themselves. Soon, my right leg, become enormous and twisted back". He was worried that he might "go insane if the pain didn't leave him. The doctors could not do anything more for him. His life would undoubtedly have finished on a bed of hospital of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
had it not been for the intervention of Sister Marie Moutte, of the congregation of Sisters of St Vincent de Paul. She took on the young patient, looking after him with patience and knowledge, such that life forces gradually returned to him along with the hope to survive. Such devotion intrigued him, and he wanted to know its secret. Sister Marie explained to him that such a secret was not to be found in her but in Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
whose example she did her best to follow. "He remained in bed for months, devoting himself to prayer, reading and reflection." His discussions with Sister Marie, alongside meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
on the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
, and study of Saint John of the Cross that led to conversion to Catholicism.
This embrace of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
led him to decide to devote his life to religion. Initially he approached the Lazarites who politely got rid of him for obvious reasons. He later wrote "I was, weak, deaf, lame and almost voiceless". Thereafter, at the summer 1919, a chance meeting with a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk directed him towards the small monastery of Cogullada, in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where ten monks carried out a precarious monastic life. Despite his disheveled appearance, Léonce Crenier was accepted when he knocked on their door, as the need for recruits was great."It was my chance" he later remarked, "as no other monastery wanted me ... I could only enter the Benedictine Order through a concealed door, and Cogullada was that door". The instructor of novice
Novice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
s, Father Doreillac was a "holy old monk who had been ordained in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
". Equally sharing an enthusiasm the day's discussion quickly came to centre on the love of God and after a few minutes "we cried so much that the meeting had to end".
From Cogullada to Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac
Brother Crenier quickly realised that he could not adopt the usual life of a Benedictine monk in this monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
which had been refused canonical recognition and was about to close. So he turned to the abbey of Saint Wandrille, then in exile at Conques
Conques
Conques is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France.-Geography:The village is located at the confluence of the Dourdou and Ouche rivers. It is built on a hillside and has classic narrow Medieval streets. As a result, large vehicles cannot enter the historic town centre but must...
in Belgium. He obtained a transfer there. Four years later, in 1924, he moved with the entire community in Réray, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Completing his philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and theological studies, he was ordained priest on March 3, 1928. His horticultural training led him to "cherish the hope of being put to work in the garden to help Brother Victor Brother there". But the Abbot had other plans for him. At the end of the summer, he asked Crenier to accompany Father Lohier to Canada and to help revitalise a priory which was proving hard to get off the ground. He arrived at the Abbey of St-Benoît-du-Lac on December 2, placed in charge of the noviates. By May 1929, he was under-Prior. Two years later he succeeded Father Lohier as Prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
, a post he held until 1944.
PrecarityPrecarityThe word precarity literally meant "precariousness", but is now used to mean existence without predictability or security, affecting material or psychological welfare...
The most serious problem facing the new priory was the impending threat of bankruptcy. This problem had haunted all the superiors since its foundation in 1912. Expenditure was greater than income receipts,with the deficit made up with loans. Over the years the debt had considerably increased, particularly under Dom Lohier, and had reached the sum of $29 500. Father Crenier, then sub-Prior, did what he could to stop any expenditure which it considered unnecessary: e.g. he blocked the purchase of an expensive car for $800. He saw it as his duty to alert the Abbot and provided a very gloomy description of the state of affairs: "Our financial standing is exceedingly serious, not to say desperate. If there is not stroke of luck, we are lost. Bankruptcy is but a few weeks off, perhaps... In eight month, our debt will have increased by $4 000." (May 24, 1931)When he became Prior, he had to effect this "stroke of luck", charged by the Abbot with clearing the debt. By no means a specialist in administration, Dom Crenier had gained some experience from his time with Crédit Franco-Portugais and the Burnay Bank in Portugal. The first remedy had been to increase the income generated by the work of the monks, but in practice this failed. The farm, where so many of the monks worked, "does not bring back absolutely any money for us, but it provides us milk, butter and meat". The pastoral ministry preaching in the local parish was profitable but few ordained monk could do it as their absence was completely prejudicial to the liturgical
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
and Community life. The only other alternative was to turn to the outside and to request the generosity of the laymen despite the unfavourable economic economic situation following the financial crash of 1929. However, Father Crenier reasoned that no one would interested in giving money to pay off old debts, but rather adopted an audacious policy of saying they would start a building programme to which people could contribute, as with the basilica of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré. The abbot was not convinced by this strategy: to contemplate new constructions when one is overwhelmed by debt would be a serious imprudence. The project was abandoned. However some faithful friends in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, became aware of the situation. An uncle of the Brother Roméo Thibodeau, Mr Jean Daoust, "one of two or three principal members of the Company of the Craftsmen of Quebec", obtained from this Company a loan of $11,000 at favourable terms. Working with Mr. Beaudry Leman, he also formed a committee, recruited mainly among the "Craftsmen", who committed themselves to "pay our interests during the first few years". However a Mr Mathys also intervened with a generous but unacceptable offer: he promised to pay all the debts of the monastery provided that he was incorporated the Belgian congregation. The Prior, generally supportive of Brother Mathys, made an outright refusal.
Embracing austerity
The community functioned in these difficult times with the most strict economy. The Prior suggested: "we seek to save on everything", he wrote, "except on food, as we simply eat what remains". Outside purchases were reduced; the bread was henceforth baked in the monastery. The orchardOrchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
and the kitchen garden provided fruit and vegetables and, during autumn, everyone helped in jam making. "We already have 700 - 800 boxes of tomatoes". These efforts and sacrifices were not in vain. The situation slowly improved as the ruinous practice loans was brought to an end. However, on April 21, 1934, Father Crenier wrote "that does not me from being blocked and even frustrated from time to time.. The Lord punishes me for my iniquities, while sending me what I need at the critical moment, but no more. I find that good. Poverty obliges me to hang with God, so to speak. I certainly would not ask for as much I do, if we were comfortable." His firmness in the exercise of his authority was combined with a paternalistic kindness, sensitive to the needs for each one of his monks. But it was that everyone should reach a healthy level of austerity. Amongst his immediate entourage, there were those who would allow the use of tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
in order to gain recruits, "Me, never... I hold good on this point ".
The "chaises berceuses", another Canadian passion were also prohibited... "Life passes by as one sits there smoking and reading a breviary, etc." His decisive argument was, "the Trappist
TRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
s of Oka
Oka, Quebec
-References:...
, do without all that and their recruitment is excellent". With this program of austerity, the Prior attracted trust and confidence. He succeeded where his predecessor had failed, in making a bond with the local community. He told the abbot, "there is on the whole a real desire for sanctification. And, remarkably, the tighter the discipline, the happier everyone is". Thirty years later, when he wrote his autobiography, Father Crenier told how of all the years he spent at St-Benoit-du-Lac, those of the great restrictions were happiest, adding "I noticed that real poverty, where one misses so many things, attracts singular graces amongst the monks, and in particular spiritual peace and joy."
Prior of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac
Under the Priorate of Father Léonce Crenier, Saint-Benoît-du-Lac gradually developed. Many new noviates came forward in the first five years (1931 to 1935) - 49 applicants were accepted. In 1932, the facilities had to be expanded to build a further twenty cells. The financial position had been stabilized and the budget was balanced without resorting to loans. At this time the issue of the canonical status of the house resurfaced. In 1929, it had been set up as a simple priory. Nothing had changed in relation to the mother-abbey of Saint-Wandrille (France). For several years, the superiors of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac felt irked by the need to refer any important problem to an abbot and a chapter over six thousand kilometers away. The abbot of Saint-Wandrille, Dom Jean-Louis PierdaitJean-Louis Pierdait
Father Jean-Louis Pierdait was a French priest born at Châtillon-en-Bazois on 27 Januart 1857 and who died at Fontenelle Abbey on 24 December 1942. He succeeded Father Joseph Pothier as abbot of Saint-Wandrille....
, judged that the time had come to make the Canadian monastery autonomous, which, in canonical terms, means to make it a conventual priory.
MartiniqueMartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
When he retired as Prior at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, first he went to PortsmouthPortsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
in the United States of America. Here he opposed segregation by endeavouring to set up an integrated monastery, but circumstances forced him to move to Martinique. here, with three companions, he founded the Sainte Marie de Montpelé monastery in 1947. He remained living there until his death on May 10, 1963. Monsignor Varin de la Brunellière, the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Martinique, remarked "Léonce Crenier was as righteous and sincere, as forthright and generous during his youth with the anarchist utopians as he was in later years in his fervour as a monk."