St. Norbert Abbey
Encyclopedia
St. Norbert Abbey is the location of the headquarters of the Premonstratensian
Order in the United States
. Located on 154 acre (0.62321644 km²) of land east of the Fox River in De Pere, Wisconsin
, it falls within the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay
.
religious order
, also known as the Norbertines, was founded by Saint Norbert of Xanten
(c. 1180-1134) on Christmas Day 1121. Father Bernard Henry Pennings of Berne Abbey
in North Brabant
, Holland traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin
in 1893 and established a permanent home for the Norbertines in the United States. St. Joseph parish, in West De Pere, became affiliated with the Premonstratensians in 1898. That same year, a priory (led by Father Pennings) was established adjacent to the parish and St. Norbert College
was founded nearby. By 1950, the rapidly expanding Premonstratensian community had outgrown the available space within their original abbey buildings. After a lengthy search, land was donated in 1954 by Victor McCormick of Green Bay, Wisconsin
for the purpose of relocating the abbey. June 9, 1956 marked the beginning of construction and by February 1, 1959, the community inhabited their new headquarters.
from both Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
, and Indiana
were used, as well as slate
from Pennsylvania
and Vermont
. Additionally, the spirit of the Norbertines' life and mission is represented physically as a "spine stretching from west to east" that is central to the building's design, with housing, offices, classrooms, studios, a library, cloister walks, landscaped gardens, and pools clustered around it. The Norbertines recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the dedication of this new St. Norbert Abbey on June 16, 2009. Today, "there are approximately 1500 Norbertines world-wide and 85 priests and brothers attached to St. Norbert Abbey."
" and hung in the Abbey Church tower on July 2, 1958. Shortly before installation, they "were consecrated by His Excellency, The Most Reverend Stanislaus Vincent Bona
, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay
... Each bell has an appropriate name, a fitting inscription, and bears the crest of the person in whose memory it is dedicated as well as the shield of St. Norbert Abbey."
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
Order in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located on 154 acre (0.62321644 km²) of land east of the Fox River in De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 20,559 at the 2000 census. De Pere is a suburb of Green Bay and is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Registered historic places:...
, it falls within the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay
Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...
.
Foundation of the old abbey
This CatholicCatholic
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"...
religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
, also known as the Norbertines, was founded by Saint Norbert of Xanten
Norbert of Xanten
Saint Norbert of Xanten was a Christian saint and founder of the Norbertine or Premonstratensian order of canons regular.- Life and work :...
(c. 1180-1134) on Christmas Day 1121. Father Bernard Henry Pennings of Berne Abbey
Berne Abbey
Berne Abbey, a Dutch abbey of the Premonstratensians, or Norbertines, in Heeswijk, North Brabant, is the oldest extant religious community in the Netherlands. It has 27 brothers and priests ....
in North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
, Holland traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
in 1893 and established a permanent home for the Norbertines in the United States. St. Joseph parish, in West De Pere, became affiliated with the Premonstratensians in 1898. That same year, a priory (led by Father Pennings) was established adjacent to the parish and St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the college became coeducational and today enrolls about 2,175...
was founded nearby. By 1950, the rapidly expanding Premonstratensian community had outgrown the available space within their original abbey buildings. After a lengthy search, land was donated in 1954 by Victor McCormick of Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
for the purpose of relocating the abbey. June 9, 1956 marked the beginning of construction and by February 1, 1959, the community inhabited their new headquarters.
Construction of the new abbey
The new St. Norbert Abbey building project was under the design of local company Berners, Schober, and Kilp. Modeled after the centuries old European Norbertine abbeys, the materials utilized in constructing it were selected for the purpose of permanence. LimestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from both Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
, and 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...
were used, as well as slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. Additionally, the spirit of the Norbertines' life and mission is represented physically as a "spine stretching from west to east" that is central to the building's design, with housing, offices, classrooms, studios, a library, cloister walks, landscaped gardens, and pools clustered around it. The Norbertines recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the dedication of this new St. Norbert Abbey on June 16, 2009. Today, "there are approximately 1500 Norbertines world-wide and 85 priests and brothers attached to St. Norbert Abbey."
The bells of St. Norbert Abbey
The set of six bells at the St. Norbert Abbey were "cast in Holland at the Bell-Foundry of Petit and FritsenPetit & Fritsen
Royal Bellfounders Petit & Fritsen, based in Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands, is the oldest family-owned business in the Netherlands, with the foundry dating back to 1660. Included on List of oldest companies...
" and hung in the Abbey Church tower on July 2, 1958. Shortly before installation, they "were consecrated by His Excellency, The Most Reverend Stanislaus Vincent Bona
Stanislaus Vincent Bona
Stanislaus Vincent Bona was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Grand Island and Bishop of Green Bay .-Biography:...
, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay
Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...
... Each bell has an appropriate name, a fitting inscription, and bears the crest of the person in whose memory it is dedicated as well as the shield of St. Norbert Abbey."
Altars located within the abbey
- Altar of Saints Peter and Paul
- Altar of St. Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
- Altar of St. Luke
- Altar of St. Herman Joseph
- Altar of St. MarkMark the EvangelistMark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
- Altar of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus
- Altar of St. John Altar of Saint PatrickSaint PatrickSaint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
- Altar of St. Siard
- Altar of St. Augustine
- Altar of St. Pius XPope Pius XPope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
- Altar of St. Sylvester
- Altar of Saint MonicaSaint MonicaSaint Monica may refer to:*Saint Monica, a Christian saint and mother of Saint Augustine*Saint Monica , a 2002 Canadian film...
- Altar of St. MatthewMatthew the EvangelistMatthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
Abbots of St. Norbert Abbey
- 1925-1955 Abbot Bernard H. Pennings
- 1955-1970 Abbot Sylvester M. Killeen
- 1970-1982 Abbot Jerome G. Tremel
- 1982-1992 Abbot Benjamin T. Mackin
- 1992-2003 Abbot E. Thomas De Wane
- 2003-Present Abbot Gary Neville
Dependent priories
- Immaculate Conception Priory, Claymont, Delaware
- Our Lady of Daylesford Priory, Paoli, Pennsylvania
- St. Joseph Priory, De Pere, Wisconsin
- St. Norbert Priory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
National Shrine of St. Joseph
The National Shrine of St. Joseph, "the headquarters of the Archconfraternity of St. Joseph and home to the Crowned Statue of Joseph and the Child Jesus," is located at the St. Norbert Abbey, after being relocated from its original location in Saint Joseph Church, De Pere, Wisconsin in 1969.Mission of St. Norbert Abbey
Christ and the Church call us to live as a community of one mind and one heart on the way to God, in a manner consistent with the Gospel, the spirit of our founders, and the constitutions of our Order.
God summons us to hear the Good News of salvation and to proclaim the kingdom of freedom, love, justice, and peace.
Jesus the Lord challenges us to shape an ecclesial spirituality expressed in liturgical celebration, personal prayer, and a journey of faith to the kingdom.
The Spirit lays a claim on us to engage in a variety of ministries to one another, to the People of God, and to the world at large.
God urges us to face the future with openness, hope, and courage.