Southern Star Abbey

Last updated

Abbey of Our Lady of the Southern Star
Monastery information
Other namesKopua
Order Trappist
Established1954
Mother house Mount Melleray Abbey,
Cappoquin, Waterford, Ireland
Dedicated to Mary
People
Important associated figuresFr Niko Verkley (Superior)
Site
LocationKopua,
Takapau, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

The Abbey of our Lady of the Southern Star, also known as Southern Star Abbey, is a Trappist abbey located in a remote, rural area of the North Island, New Zealand in the Diocese of Palmerston North. The monastery supports itself by operating a dairy farm. It is located at Kopua near Takapau between Dannevirke and Waipukurau, Central Hawke's Bay. [1]

Contents

History

Prescott land

In 1948 a farming couple at Kopua, Thomas and Rosalie Prescott, decided to give their farm of 360 hectares (890 acres) to the Catholic Church with the long-term idea of an agricultural college being established on it. Their only condition was that in some way a life-interest be reserved for Rosalie, and a home provided for their adopted intellectually handicapped son, John. It was a fine, productive property, ready made for monks who lived off land they cultivated, while they centered their contemplative lives on the full observance of the seven periods of formal liturgical prayer that punctuated each day. [2]

Finding monks

At that time, Kopua was within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Wellington. Archbishop McKeefry approached the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky to establish a monastery, thinking that they might be interested because one of their monks Thomas Merton was the son of a New Zealander, Owen Merton. He also approached Koningshoeven Abbey in Berkel-Enschot, the Netherlands. Neither abbey expressed interest. But eventually Mount Melleray Abbey in County Waterford in Ireland agreed to the foundation. [2]

Foundation

On 9 June 1954, six monks from Mount Melleray arrived in Kopua. [3] The founding community was led by Fr. Basil Hayes. [1] The pioneers lived in the shearers' quarters on the property [1] while they built their first dwelling and began working part of the farm. In 1955 more monks arrived and the temporary monastery began to take shape. Wooden buildings were transferred from the former Pahiatua Polish camp to provide kitchen, dining room and library. These buildings, intended to be temporary, still serve their purpose today. [1] A Wellington lawyer, Thaddeus McCarthy, began drafting the complicated contract providing for the gradual transfer of the Prescott farm to Trappist ownership. [4] Other groups arrived from Ireland in 1958 and 1959. Fr. John Kelly and Fr. Conleth O'Byrne completed the Irish contingent arriving in 1967 and 1969, respectively. [1]

Threatened withdrawal

Even though he had approved of this arrangement while on a preliminary visit, back in Ireland the Mt Melleray abbot was having second thoughts and threatened to withdraw his men. He had come to think the initial transfer of land was inadequate; at least 120 hectares were necessary to sustain a self-sufficient community of 20 or more monks. "The ownership of a sufficient amount of land is the foundation rock of a Cistercian foundation. Take away our land and we cease to exist as Cistercians". Worried lest he lose the Trappists as he had lost the Carmelites who he had tried to establish in his archdiocese before, McKeefry consulted the Sydney Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Romolo Carboni, who intervened to smooth over the misunderstanding. It had been due to differing appreciations of land areas, land titles and New Zealand tax law relating to gifts; the deed of transfer was more than adequate security. [4]

Life of the community

From its inception the monastery attracted a great deal of Catholic interest and some vocations. By 15 September 1959 it was considered sufficiently stable for the connection with Mt Melleray to be ended, and the General Chapter of the Order raised Kopua to the status of an abbey. [1] The monastery was constituted as the Abbey of Our Lady of the Southern Star. On 9 April 1960 Fr. Joachim (later Joseph) Murphy OSCO was elected to the office of Abbot [1] and he was formally installed in a ceremony conducted by McKeefry in August 1960. Murphy continued as Abbot until 1986. During these years the changes in the Catholic Church made by the Vatican Council II made an impact. Renewal was required of the community. Monks were offered the opportunity for higher studies in Rome, Latin gradually gave way to English in the Liturgy and the emphasis placed on fraternal life in community led to significant changes in lifestyle. [1] During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Murphy and his team of priests quietly helped Bishop Owen Snedden (then McKeefry's assistant) with the painstaking work of criticising and commenting on draft English translations of various liturgical books as the church changed gear from the universal use of Latin. The Abbey became a retreat centre for many people. One notable regular visitor was James K Baxter, a leading New Zealand poet. [5] Thomas Prescott died in 1962 and, in 1972, at the urgings of his widow so as to put into partial effect the couple's hope for the establishment of an agricultural college, a farm cadet scheme began. The family homestead accommodated up to six young men who received basic farm training from the monks before going on to an agricultural college. This institute closed in 1980. In 1979 a community of 30 celebrated its silver jubilee with the temporary buildings becoming permanent. [6] Rosalie Prescott continued to live with her son, John, on the property until her death on 17 July 2003, four days short of her 104th birthday, and John Prescott then joined the community. [1] Following the retirement of Fr. Joseph Murphy, Fr. Basil Hayes was elected abbot in 1986, but he died in June 1989 and Fr. John Kelly became superior of the community. He was elected Abbot in 1992. The community elected Br. Brian Keogh, a monk of Tarrawarra Abbey, Australia, as their Abbot in 1998. [1] From its foundation the monastery has provided for itself, carried out its charitable works and fulfilled its obligations of hospitality through the Guest House from mixed farming: dairying, beef, sheep, pigs and potatoes. Other subsidiary enterprises have been: cropping, the grafting of root stock for orchardists, growing carrots (for the Rabbit Board), strawberry plants and orchids. By the year 2000, dairying and beef production were the main farming activities. [1]

Current status

In 2011 the Monastery has a community of 10–12 monks. As part of a $3.5 million project, it opened a new guest house in June 2008 [1] which is a considerable departure from the simple buildings which have served the community since its inception. This building is the first stage of a possible rebuilding of the entire monastery. [7] The three-stage project will take 50 years to complete, and is financially supported by private donations. With the guest house completed, work is projected to begin on a family centre, accommodation for co-workers and long-staying guests and a hermitage for solitary retreat.

The monastery has a lay community for persons able to commit for a time to lead a community life that overlaps with the monastery. The members of the lay community are called "Companions of the Abbey". They are Christians, married or single, who reside at the abbey and live out the monastery's spirituality as fully as possible whilst remaining members of the laity. This vocation is normally temporary with a minimum period of three months. [8]

Abbots

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Southern Star Abbey Homepage: Cistercian Monastic Life
  2. 1 2 O'Meeghan 2003, p. 256.
  3. ↑ Southern Star Abbey. The Cistercians: Their Life and Ideals. Complete Account of the Trappist-Cistercians. Kopua: Southern Star Abbey, 1960. – Abstract: pp 25–28 have brief account of their coming to Kopua in the Hawke's Bay in 1954
  4. 1 2 O'Meeghan 2003, p. 257.
  5. ↑ Matthews, Richard (1995) James K. Baxter and Kopua, Journal of New Zealand Literature: JNZL, No. 13, pp. 257–265
  6. ↑ O'Meeghan 2003, p. 258.
  7. ↑ Wood, Peter (2010) Home-New Zealand, Dec–Jan
  8. ↑ Hawkes Bay Today Abbey set for stellar revamp 29 December 2007

Related Research Articles

Trappists Roman Catholic religious order

The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Catholic religious order of cloistered monastics that branched off from the Cistercians. They follow the Rule of Saint Benedict and have communities of both monks and nuns that are known as Trappists and Trappistines, respectively. They are named after La Trappe Abbey, the monastery from which the movement and religious order originated. The movement first began with the reforms that Abbot Armand Jean le Bouthillier de Rancé introduced in 1664, later leading to the creation of Trappist congregations, and eventually the formal constitution as a separate religious order in 1892.

New Melleray Abbey Trappist monastery near Dubuque, Iowa

New Melleray Abbey is a Trappist monastery located near Dubuque, Iowa. The abbey is located about 15 miles southwest of Dubuque and is in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Currently the Abbey is home to about 28 monks. Several of the monks work in their business, Trappist Caskets, and some of their food comes from the garden behind the Abbey. The abbot of the monastery is Dom Mark Scott, who was elected by the community for a 6-year term on July 15, 2014.

Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani American Trappist Monastery

The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani is a Catholic monastery in the United States near Bardstown, Kentucky, in Nelson County. The abbey is part of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, better known as the Trappists. Founded on December 21, 1848, and raised to an abbey in 1851, Gethsemani is considered to be the motherhouse of all Trappist and Trappistine monasteries in the United States. Gethsemani is the oldest monastery in the country that is still operating.

Mellifont Abbey

Mellifont Abbey, was a Cistercian abbey located close to Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the Synod of Kells-Mellifont. After its dissolution in 1539 the abbey became a private manor house. This saw the signing of the Treaty of Mellifont in 1603 and served as William of Orange's headquarters in 1690 during the Battle of the Boyne.

Monastery of the Holy Spirit Trappist monastery in Conyers, Georgia

The Monastery of the Holy Spirit, officially the Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit, is a Trappist monastery located near Conyers, Georgia.

Clement Smyth

Timothy Clement Smyth was an Irish born 19th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Dubuque following the death of Mathias Loras.

Mount St Bernard Abbey Monastery

Mount St Bernard Abbey is a Roman Catholic, Trappist monastery near Coalville, Leicestershire, England, founded in 1835 in the parish of Whitwick and now in that of Charley. The abbey was the first permanent monastery to be founded in England since the Reformation and is the sole Trappist house in England. The monks brew the only Trappist beer in Britain.

Cistercian College, Roscrea Catholic secondary school in County Offaly, Ireland

Cistercian College, Roscrea or Roscrea College is a private boarding school in Ireland. It is a Roman Catholic seven-day and five-day boarding and day school for boys, founded in 1905. The current school President is Gavin Clark and the Principal is Gerard Grealish; the Deputy Principal is Catherine Smyth. Its pupil population is primarily made up of boarding students with some day students also attending.

Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea

Mount St. Joseph Abbey is an abbey of the Trappist branch of the Cistercians located in County Offaly, near Roscrea, County Tipperary in Ireland.

Portglenone Abbey

Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey, a Cistercian monastery in Portglenone, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was founded in 1948 by Mount Melleray Abbey in County Waterford. The monks bought Portglenone House, a country mansion built about the year 1810 by the Church of Ireland Bishop, Dr. Alexander who demolished the local castle. History records that Sir Roger Casement often stayed in the house in the early years of the 20th century.

Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Trappistine monastery in Dubuque, Iowa

The Abbey of Our Lady of the Mississippi is located near Dubuque, Iowa. The nuns there are members of the branch of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly referred to as Trappistines. They are a part of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

Peter Thomas Bertram Cardinal McKeefry was the third Archbishop of Wellington (1954–73) and Metropolitan of New Zealand and its first Cardinal.

La Trappe Abbey Monastery in Soligny-la-Trappe, Orne, France

La Trappe Abbey, also known as La Grande Trappe, is a monastery in Soligny-la-Trappe, Orne, France. It is known for being the house of origin of the Trappists, to whom it gave its name.

The Monastery of Our Lady of Jordan was a Strict Observance Cistercian (Trappist) monastery in the community of Jordan in Linn County, Oregon, United States, founded in 1904 and lasting for about six years.

Melleray Abbey

Melleray Abbey was a Cistercian monastery, founded about the year 1134. It was situated in Brittany, Diocese of Nantes, in La Meilleraye-de-Bretagne in the vicinity of Châteaubriant.

Mount Melleray Abbey

Mount Melleray Abbey is a Trappist monastery in Ireland, founded in 1833. It is situated on the slopes of the Knockmealdown Mountains, near Cappoquin, Diocese of Waterford.

Owen Noel Snedden, was Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand. He was the first Auckland-born priest to be consecrated a Roman Catholic bishop.

Saint Mary's Abbey, Glencairn is a monastic community of nuns located in Glencairn, County Waterford, in Ireland. The community belongs to the Trappist branch of the Cistercian order, thus the nuns are also referred to as Trappistines. The original community of this monastic tradition had been welcomed to Ireland by St. Malachy in 1142. The monastery was founded in 1932 by nuns of Holy Cross Abbey—located at that time in Stapehill, Dorset, England—which itself had been founded in 1802 by a small group of refugee nuns from France, led by a nun who had been imprisoned in the Bastille during the French Revolution, and narrowly escaped being sent to the guillotine. The land for the St Marys Abbey, had been bought for them by the Cistercian Mount Melleray Abbey. The monks from Mount Melleray used to operate the farm.

Fransiskus "Frans" Harjawiyata O.C.S.O. was an Indonesian Roman Catholic monastic abbot and member of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, who are more commonly known as the Trappists. Harjawiyata, who was the first Indonesian-born Trappist abbot in the country's history, headed the St. Mary's of Rawaseneng Monastery in Temanggung Regency, Central Java province, from 1978 to 2006. Harjawiyata is credited with helping to develop Christianity in Indonesia by translating Catholic scriptures and chants into Indonesian. He translated the Breviary from Latin into Indonesian, authored several books on spirituality, and composed several Indonesian-language Gregorian chants. His chants are still performed in Catholic churches throughout Indonesia today.

Rawaseneng Monastery

Rawaseneng Monastery is a monastery complex of the Catholic Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.), popularly known as the Trappists, located in Temanggung Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The monastery was officially established on 1 April 1953 as a daughter house of Koningshoeven Abbey in Tilburg, Netherlands. Apart from being a residence for the monks, there are also a church, prayer garden, retreat houses, coffee plantations, dairy farms along with the processing industries within the monastery complex. Ronald Bell, a pilgrim from the United States, shares his impression about this place, "You will get all the stages, praying, meditating, contemplating sacred readings, and working. All of those constitute an inseparable part of the experience." Not far from the monastery complex, it lies the Church of Santa Maria dan Yoseph as the center of the Rawaseneng Parish, just ahead of the Kindergarten and Elementary School of Fatima Rawaseneng which are managed by the Dominican nuns.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.