St. Meinrad Archabbey
Encyclopedia
Spencer County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,391 people, 7,569 households, and 5,752 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 8,333 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, USA, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
(Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 98 monks. It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and one of 11 in the world.
The Benedictine community at Saint Meinrad consists of men who dedicate their lives to prayer and work. They gather in community five times a day—for morning prayer
Lauds
Lauds is a divine office that takes place in the early morning hours and is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, it forms part of the Office of Matins...
, Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, noon prayer
Sext
Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is said at noon...
, evening prayer
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
and compline
Compline
Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...
—to pray for the Church and the world. Guests often join the monks in prayer in the Archabbey Church. Gregorian chant is sung in the canonical hours of the monastic Office, primarily in antiphons used to sing the Psalms, in the Great Responsories of Matins, and the Short Responsories of the Lesser Hours and Compline. The psalm antiphons of the Office tend to be short and simple, especially compared to the complex Great Responsories. In addition, the monks spend private time reading spiritual and religious materials. They live under the Rule of St. Benedict, the sixth-century instructions for community living written by St. Benedict.
History
The monks came to southern Indiana at the request of a local priest (Fr. Joseph Kundek) for assistance in addressing the pastoral needs of the growing GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
population and to prepare local men to be priests. St. Meinrad's became an abbey in 1870, with Martin Marty
Martin Marty (bishop)
Bishop Martin Marty, O.S.B. was a Benedictine priest and missionary in America. He was the first Abbot of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, the first Vicar Apostolic of Dakota Territory, and the second Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud...
as abbot and Fintan Mundwiler
Fintan Mundwiler
Fintan Mundwiler was a Swiss Benedictine, who became Abbot of St...
as prior. Saint Meinrad's now operates a graduate school of theology and has more than a score of its monks in parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
work, chaplaincies, and diocesan assignments.
Shortly after arriving in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, the Benedictines began offering high school courses to local youths. In 1861, the monks expanded their general courses to include undergraduate courses in philosophy
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 theology
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...
. Through these programs, the monks of Saint Meinrad began their mission, which continues today: preparing men for service in the Church as priests. The undergraduate degree program, St. Meinrad College, closed in 1998.
In 1877, the Abbot of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Martin Marty, negotiated with an agent of the LR&FS Railroad Company, for land to establish a Benedictine monastery in northern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. The Subiaco Abbey and Academy
Subiaco Abbey and Academy
Subiaco Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas River valley. Subiaco Abbey and its associated academy are major features of the town of Subiaco, Arkansas. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock. It is named after...
was founded on March 15, 1878, upon the arrival of three monk-missionaries from Saint Meinrad Archabbey.
In 1889, a group of monks left from St. Meinrad Archabbey to travel to the Archdiocese of New Orleans. They came with an invitation from the Archbishop there to found a college seminary to train local vocations. The monks founded Saint Joseph Abbey, located in Saint Benedict, near Covington, Louisiana, north of New Orleans. Saint Joseph Abbey is now the home of a total of 48 monks who run Saint Joseph Seminary College
Saint Joseph Seminary College
Saint Joseph Seminary College, also known as St. Ben or St. Ben's, is a private four-year seminary college founded in 1891. It is operated by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Joseph Abbey and the dioceses of the ecclesiastical provinces of New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. The piney woods campus is...
, and a number of other ministries around the Diocese.
In 1933, Saint Meinrad Archabbey founded Marmion Abbey
Marmion Abbey
Marmion Abbey is a Benedictine community of the Swiss-American Congregation in Aurora, IL - it was founded in 1933 from St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana...
in Aurora, IL. In 1950, the Saint Meinrad community founded Blue Cloud Abbey
Blue Cloud Abbey
Blue Cloud Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located near Marvin, South Dakota. It is a member of the Swiss-American Congregation. The patron saint of the monastery is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of "Our Lady of the Snows"....
near Marvin
Marvin
Marvin may refer to:In music:* "Marvin ", a song by Titãs* "Marvin", a song by Marvin, the Paranoid Android* Marvin the Album, an album by the Australian group Frente!* Hank Marvin , member of British band The Shadows...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. Then, in 1958, the monks of Saint Meinrad founded Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, CA.
Seminary and School of Theology
The Seminary and School of Theology offers graduate-level degrees in theology. Priesthood candidates work toward a Master of DivinityMaster of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
. Lay degree students can earn a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(Catholic Thought and Life) or a Master of Theological Studies
Master of Theological Studies
A Master of Theological Studies is a general academic degree that gives students an introduction to advanced theological studies. The M.T.S usually requires two years of program study to complete. The Latin equivalent for M.T.S...
. A two-year pre-theology program leads to a Master of Catholic Philosophical Studies.
Saint Meinrad began offering lay degree programs in 1969, although students worked on their degrees during the six-week Summer Session program. In the fall of 1993, the Seminary and School of Theology expanded its mission to allow lay ministry students to attend classes during any of the academic terms. While some classes specifically aimed at ordination preparation are reserved for MDiv students, lay ministers sometimes pursue their graduate degrees as part-time or full-time students. More than 5,000 men and women have studied in the School of Theology.
Other programs in the Seminary and School of Theology include a permanent deacon formation program, which assists Catholic dioceses in the formation of their deacon candidates, and a youth and vocations program, which encourages high school and college students to participate more deeply in the Church's liturgy and consider a vocation of service to the Church.
The Seminary and School of Theology also houses the Institute for Priests and Presbyterates, which offers continuing formation for priests making the transition from seminary to parish life, priests preparing for their first assignment as pastor, and presbyterates - which is the group of priests and their bishop in a Catholic diocese.
Abbey Press
Saint Meinrad Archabbey owns and operates an international company that produces and markets religious, spiritual and inspirational cards, books and gifts. Abbey Press is one of the largest business enterprises in Spencer County, IndianaSpencer County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,391 people, 7,569 households, and 5,752 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 8,333 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, with more than 200 employees.
It was begun in 1867 when the Benedictine monks purchased a used printing press. Today, Abbey Press markets its products throughout the United States and in 25 English-speaking countries. More than 20 foreign companies are licensed to print some of Abbey Press' publications in native languages.