Abadía del Niño Dios,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Entre Ríos Province Entre Ríos (, "Between Rivers") is a central province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires (south), Corrientes (north) and Santa Fe (west), and Uruguay in the east. Its capital is Paraná ( ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, is a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of the Cono-Sur Congregation. Upon its establishment in 1899, it became the first Benedictine foundation in

Hispanic America The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...

. As of 2000, the monastery was home to 42

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s, under the leadership of Abbot Fr Carlos Martín Oberti.

History

Abadía del Niño Dios was founded by monks from the Abbey of Belloc on August 30, 1899, becoming the first Benedictine monastery in

. Within four years of its establishment, it was raised to the status of a simple priory. On February 12, 1929, the monastery became an independent abbey. Since then, the community has made a number of foundations in the Cono Sur Region, including the monasteries of Cristo Rey ( Tucumán, Argentina) and Pascua (

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). In 1982, the monks of Victoria took over supervision of the simple priory of San Benito in Llíu Llíu,

Limache Limache is a Chilean town and township in the Marga Marga Province, Valparaíso Region. Limache is the only township of Chile that has two urban areas: San Francisco de Limache on the north side of the Pelumpén stream, and Limache Viejo on the s ...

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Apostolic work

The monks of Abadía del Niño Dios support themselves through various forms of work. The monastery runs a guest house where

spiritual direction Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the div ...

and sacramental assistance is provided to members of the surrounding area. The monks also staff a training college that offers degrees in a number of fields, including philosophy, theology, and agricultural sciences. Enrollment at the college is 350, while a further 500 students receive instruction from the monks at primary and secondary schools in Victoria proper. Additionally, the monks market a number of products, including ''Monacal'', a liquor made from 73 medicinal herbs. Additionally, honey, gelatin, wax, homeopathic medicines, and candles are produced by the community. Finally, some members of the monastic community are engaged in pastoral work in their home diocese, where they offer retreats, provide pastoral assistance to the local bishop, and assist communities of women religious with spiritual direction.

Personnel

As of 2000, the community at Victoria included 42 monks, 16 of whom were ordained

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...

. The monks of Abadía del Niño Dios are under the leadership of Abbot Fr Carlos Martín Oberti, who is assisted in his duties by Prior Francisco José Robles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abadia del Nino Dios Benedictine monasteries in Latin America Catholic Church in Argentina 1899 establishments in Argentina Religious organizations established in 1899 Buildings and structures in Entre Ríos Province Benedictine monasteries in Argentina

History

Apostolic work

Personnel

See also

References