Candidus et Canonicus Ordo Praemonstratensis | |
 Shield of the Premonstratensians | |
| Abbreviation | OPraem |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1120 |
| Type | Catholic religious order |
| Headquarters | Viale Giotto, 27, 00153 Rome,Italy |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 41°52′44.07″N12°29′19.39″E / 41.8789083°N 12.4887194°E /41.8789083; 12.4887194 |
Region served | Worldwide |
| Membership | 1600+ (2024)[1] |
| Josef Wouters | |
Main organ | General Chapter |
| Affiliations | Catholic Church |
| Website | www |
TheOrder of Canons Regular of Prémontré (Latin:Candidus et Canonicus Ordo Praemonstratensis), also known as thePremonstratensians, theNorbertines and, inBritain andIreland, as theWhite Canons[2] (from the colour of theirhabit), is areligious order ofcanons regular in theCatholic Church. They were founded inPrémontré nearLaon in 1120 byNorbert of Xanten, who later becameArchbishop of Magdeburg. Premonstratensians are designated byO.Praem (Ordo Praemonstratensis) following their name. They are part of theAugustinian tradition.
Norbert was a friend ofBernard of Clairvaux and was largely influenced by theCistercian ideals as to both the manner of life and the government of his order. As the Premonstratensians are notmonks but canons regular, their work often involves preaching and the exercising of pastoral ministry; they frequently serve in parishes close to their abbeys or priories.[2]
The order was founded in 1120.[3] Saint Norbert had made various efforts to introduce a strict form of canonical life in various communities of canons inGermany; in 1120 he was working in the now-extinctAncient Diocese of Laon, inPicardy, northeasternFrance. There, in a rural place calledPrémontré, he and thirteen companions establisheda monastery to be the cradle of a new order. As they were canons regular, they followed theRule of St. Augustine, but with supplementary statutes that made their life one of great austerity.[2] Common prayer and celebration of the Eucharist was to be the sustaining dynamic of the community.[4]
In 1126, when the order received papalapprobation byPope Honorius II, there were nine houses; others were established in quick succession throughout western Europe, so that at the middle of the fourteenth century there were some 1,300 monasteries for men and 400 for women. The Norbertines played a predominant part in the conversion of theWends and the bringing ofChristianity to the territories around theElbe and theOder. In time, mitigations and relaxations emerged, and these gave rise to reforms and semi-independent congregations within the Order.[2]
The Norbertines arrived in England about 1143, first at Newhouse inLincoln, England; before the dissolution underHenry VIII there were 35 houses.[2] Soon after their arrival in England, they foundedDryburgh Abbey in the Borders area ofScotland, which was followed by other communities atWhithorn Priory,Dercongal Abbey andTongland Abbey all in the Borders area, as well asFearn Abbey in the northern part of the nation. Like most orders they were almost completely devastated by the successive onslaughts of the Reformation, French Revolution, and Napoleon, but then experienced a revival in the 19th century.[5]
By the beginning of the nineteenth century the order had become almost extinct, only eight houses surviving, all in theHabsburg monarchy.[2] However, there was something of a resurgence, and at the start of the twentieth century there were 20 monasteries and 1000 priests. As of 2005[update], the number of monasteries had increased to nearly 100 and spread to every continent. In 1893, Father Bernard Pennings and two other Norbertines from Berne Abbey arrived in the United States of America to minister to Belgian immigrants in northern Wisconsin.De Pere, Wisconsin became the site of the first Norbertine Abbey in the new world.[6]
By their nature as canons regular the Premonstratensians have always engaged in pastoral work of various kinds, including what would now be called retreat centres (nearly everywhere), and care for pilgrims (as atConques) and, like many religious houses, have often run schools on a variety of scales (Averbode Abbey, Berne Abbey,United States,Australia). In order to support themselves, the different communities have down the centuries, and in modern times, operated small-scale manual activities (SME) such as printing (Averbode Abbey,Tongerlo Abbey,Berne Abbey), farming (Kinshasa,Ireland,Postel Abbey), forestry (Schlägl Abbey,Geras Abbey,Slovakia), and cheese-making (Postel Abbey). They have also entered agreements with breweries (Tongerlo Abbey, Postel Abbey, Park Abbey,Leffe,Grimbergen) and undertaken artistic bookbinding (inOosterhout).[7] Other activities have included the running of an astronomical observatory (Mira, Grimbergen).
In 2015, there were some 1000 male and 200 female members of the Order.[8]
The Feast of All Norbertine Saints and Blesseds is celebrated internally on November 13.[9]
The Norbertines have also had a major presence in the area ofGreen Bay, Wisconsin, owningWBAY television and radio stations until the mid-1970s. The Norbertines ran two local boys high schools until 1990 and still run four local schools in De Pere and Green Bay. Among these schools is St. Norbert College, the only Norbertine higher education institution in the world.[10]
The Order has several abbeys of women who, though technically called canonesses, follow the life of anenclosed religious order and are therefore more commonly termed Norbertinenuns. Like the Norbertine communities for men, those for women are autonomous. Unusually,[citation needed] within the religious communities of theCatholic Church, the Norbertine Order has always seen the spiritual life of the canonesses as being on an equal footing with that of its priests andlay brothers. In theMiddle Ages, the Premonstratensians even had a fewdouble monasteries,[11] where men and women lived in cloisters located next to each other as part of the same abbey, the communities demonstrating their unity by sharing the church building. Today, it is common for a foundation of canonesses to have links not only with other canonesses, but also with a community of canons.[citation needed]
The Premonstratensians were among the religious orders with their own rite who kept this rite afterPope Pius V suppressed such rites with a continuous tradition of less than two hundred years. The Premonstratensian Rite was especially characterized by a ritual solemnity. The Premonstratensian Rite was also characterized by an emphasis on thePaschal mystery unique among the Latin rites. This was especially seen in the solemnity with which the daily conventional High Mass and office was celebrated during the Easter octave, especially vespers which concluded with a procession to the baptismal font, a practice paralleled among the Latin rites only in similar processions still found in theAmbrosian Rite. Another unique practice of the Premonstratensian Rite was the celebration of a daily votive Mass in honor of theVirgin Mary in each of its abbeys and priories.[citation needed]
Since Norbertine abbeys (and most priories) are autonomous, practices and apostolates are different, depending on the needs of the local Church. Some houses are contemplative in character whilst others are highly active in pastoral ministry. However, each is guided by the Rule of Saint Augustine and the Constitutions established by theGeneral Chapter, which is held every six years.
The general Chapter includes representatives from both male and female communities. The head of the Order, termedAbbot General, resides inRome, and he is assisted in his duties by the Definitors (High Council) as well as commissions established for various aspects of the Order's life such as liturgy and inter-abbey communications.[citation needed]
As of 2012, there were Premonstratensian abbeys or priories throughout the world: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the USA.[8]
There are seven circaries (Premonstratensian term for anecclesiastical province[12]):[13]
Anglica Circary
Bohemica Circary
Brabantica Circary
| Gallica Circary
Germanica Circary
Hungarica Circary
Portuguesa Circary
|
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Norbertines celebrate "all Norbertine Saints and Blesseds" on November 13.[31]
Norbertine Blesseds include:
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St. Norbert College inDe Pere, Wisconsin, United States, is the only institution of higher education sponsored by the Order. Elsewhere they also sponsor/operate schools or serve in pastoral care capacities at parish schools.
Schools founded or sponsored by the order include:
Northern Ireland'sHistorical Abuse Inquiry investigated reports thatBrendan Smyth, a member of the Norbertine Order, was allowed to continue paedophilia for more than four decades, even after Smyth himself had admitted in 1994, the same year that he was jailed for his crimes, that "Over the years of religious life it could be that I have sexually abused between 50 and 100 children. That number could even be doubled or perhaps even more."[33][34][35] Reviewers of the case agree that there was a deliberate plot to conceal Smyth's behaviour, incompetence by his superiors at Kilnacrott Abbey.[citation needed]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Premonstratensians".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
