Religious Brothers
"The RELIGIOUS state is thus one way of experiencing a 'more intimate' consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God.[Cf. PC 5.] In the consecrated life, Christ's faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.[Cf. CIC, can. 573.]" CCC 916.
. "From the very beginning of the Church there were men and women who set out to follow Christ with greater liberty, and to imitate him more closely, by practicing the evangelical counsels. They led lives dedicated to God, each in his own way. Many of them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, became hermits or founded RELIGIOUS families. These the Church, by virtue of her authority, gladly accepted and approved.[PC 1.] "CCC 918.
"RELIGIOUS life was born in the East during the first centuries of Christianity. Lived within institutes canonically erected by the Church, it is distinguished from other forms of consecrated life by its liturgical character, public profession of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life led in common, and witness given to the union of Christ with the Church.[Cf. CIC, cann. 607; 573; UR 15.] " CCC 925.
"RELIGIOUS life derives from the mystery of the Church. It is a gift she has received from her Lord, a gift she offers as a stable way of life to the faithful called by God to profess the counsels. Thus, the Church can both show forth Christ and acknowledge herself to be the Savior's bride. RELIGIOUS life in its various forms is called to signify the very charity of God in the language of our time. " CCC 926.
Saint Joseph Abbey
(Flavigny, France) founded in 1972 and raised to the rank of abbey in 1992, strives to live out the monastic ideal of a life of prayer, work and study, according to the RULE OF ST. BENEDICT.
Website: www.clairval.com
Flavigny
is a Burgundian village which, from the eighth century
until the French Revolution, was the seat of a Benedictine Abbey
Its monks are
to taught to cherish and esteem the essential elements of the Catholic
faith: the true love of God and neighbour, which means living in the state
of grace and imitating the life of Christ Our Lord, thereby giving praise
to God and achieving eternal salvation for themselves and others. Their
lives are dedicated to maintaining the legacy of the Roman Catholic tradition
by means of deep reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, filial devotion
to the Blessed Virgin MARY, fidelity to the Holy Father, a dignified liturgy,
emphasis on mental prayer and spiritual reading (lectio divina), and wearing
the traditional religious habit.
Their wish is
to help as many souls as possible benefit from their contemplative life
by means of:
1. Group retreats for men preached in French according to the SPIRITUAL
EXERCISES OF ST. IGNATIUS, which he ³received as from the hands of
the Most Blessed Virgin² (Pope Pius XI) and which, from the time
of their appearance, have been and continue to be a powerful incentive
for the conversion and sanctification of souls. Individual retreats in
English can be arranged.
2. The publication of free monthly newsletters, which present the lives of the saints and other holy persons as well as the essential truths of the Catholic faith in a concise and attractive form.
The Abbey's
liturgy is celebrated in Latin, with the exception of readings at Mass.
The Solemn Mass in choir is sung each day with Gregorian Chant according
to the Roman Missal of 1970, ³ad orientem,² facing the Lord.
Most of the private Masses ‹ concelebration takes place only on Holy
Thursday ‹ are celebrated using the Tridentine Rite as found in the
Roman Missal of 1962. All the hours of the Divine Office (Vigils, Lauds,
Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, Compline) are chanted in Latin with Gregorian
chant (Vigils are recited recto-tone at 5:30 A.M.), following the 1962
Breviarium Monasticum adapted to the Roman Calendar of 1969.
Abbaye Saint-Joseph
21150 Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
France
abbaye@clairval.com