The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the

Order of Saint Benedict The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Ordo Sancti Benedicti, abbreviated as OSB), are a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church following the Rule of Saint Benedict. They are also sometimes called the Black Monk ...

Origin

The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monastic

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

s that nevertheless retain their own autonomy, established by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

in his brief "Summum semper" (12 July 1893), subsequently approved by his successors. Pope Pius XII explicitly ordered this union to be regulated by a "Lex Propria", which was later revised after the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

Organization of the Benedictine Confederation

Most Benedictine ''houses'' are loosely affiliated in 19 national or supra-national congregations. Each of these congregations elects its own Abbot President. These presidents meet annually in the Synod of Presidents. Additionally, there is a meeting every four years of the Congress of Abbots, which is made up of all abbots and conventual priors, both of monasteries that are members of congregations, as well as of those unaffiliated with any particular congregation. The Congress of Abbots elects the Abbot Primate, who serves a four-year term as the Confederation's representative and administrative head, although without direct jurisdiction over the individual Congregations. The Confederation has its headquarters at

Sant'Anselmo Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino ( en, Saint Anselm on the Aventine) is a complex located on the Piazza Cavalieri di Malta Square on the Aventine Hill in Rome's Ripa rione and overseen by the Benedictine Confederation and the Abbot Primate. The ''Sant' ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, which is the seat of the Abbot Primate and hosts the quadrennial Congress of Abbots. Sant'Anselmo is also home to the Benedictine Pontifical Athenaeum, the Collegio Sant'Anselmo, and the "Church of Sant'Anselmo". Communities of Benedictine nuns and Religious Sisters are joined in 61 congregations and federations that are associated with the Confederation, although they do not have full membership. In November 2001 after a consultation process with all monasteries of Benedictine women around the world, it was decided to use the nam
Communio Internationalis Benedictinarum
(CIB) to designate all communities of Benedictine women recognized by the Abbot Primate as such and listed in the ''Catalogus Monasteriorum O.S.B''. The first attempt to group Benedictine monasteries into national Congregations was at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. Only the English Benedictine Congregation survives from this early attempt at centralization, and in historical reality even this Congregation is a 17th-century foundation although it was given juridical continuity with the medieval English Congregation by the Papal Bull "Plantata" of 1633. Primacy of honor is given to the

Subiaco Cassinese Congregation The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Pietr ...

, since this Congregation includes the Abbey of Monte Cassino, where St Benedict wrote his Rule and was buried (although Fleury Abbey also claims to house the remains of the founder). Founded in 1872, the Congregation has its origin in the Congregation of the Abbey of Santa Giustina, founded in

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

in 1408 by Dom

Ludovico Barbo Ludovico Barbo, O.S.B. (1381–1443), also referred to as Luigi Barbo, was a significant figure in the movement to reform monastic life in northern Italy during the 15th century. Originally a canon of the community which became the Canons Regul ...

. The Benedictines suffered badly in the anti-clerical atmosphere at the time of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

and the modern Congregations were mostly founded in the 19th century when monasticism was revived. The majority are essentially national groupings, although the Subiaco Congregation (originally the Cassinese Congregation of the Primitive Observance) has from the first been truly international because of its interest in foreign mission. Since the time of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, there have been independent Benedictine communities in the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

(especially

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

) traditions which maintain official friendly relations with the Benedictine Confederation, although they are not formally linked with it or its congregations. Throughout the Benedictine confederation and its subdivisions, independence and autonomy among communities are uniquely valued; too highly for Pope Pius XI, who complained that the largely nominal confederation was "an order without order". The basic unit has always been the individual abbey, rather than the Congregation. This explains why some houses (e.g. Monte Cassino, Subiaco, Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls (Rome), Montserrat and Pannonhalma) have unbroken histories of more than a thousand years while the Congregations to which they belong are more recent. This balance between autonomy and belonging is one of the distinguishing features of the Benedictine Confederation, and brings with it both strengths and weaknesses. One immediate consequence is that there is often great diversity of observance even between houses of the same Congregation: in liturgy, timetable, pastoral involvement and habit.

Congregations of Benedictine Monks

The present Confederation of Congregations of Monasteries of the Order of Saint Benedict, officially, the "Benedictine Confederation" of monks, consists of the following congregations in the order given in the ''Catalogus Monasteriorum OSB'' (dates are those of the foundation of the congregations – Primacy of honour is given to the Cassinese Congregation, though the English Congregation is the oldest, because Monte Cassino was the original Abbey of St. Benedict himself. The older Camaldolese and Sylvestrine congregations joined the Confederation only in the mid-20th century). The number of houses, monks, and priests is that found in the 2019 edition of the ''

Annuario Pontificio The ''Annuario Pontificio'' ( Italian for ''Pontifical Yearbook'') is the annual directory of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It lists the popes in chronological order and all officials of the Holy See's departments. It also provides name ...

''''Annuario Pontificio'' (Citta del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2019)

List of the Abbots Primates of the Benedictine Confederation

* 1893–1913:

Hildebrand de Hemptinne Hildebrand de Hemptinne (10 June 1849 - 13 August 1913) was a Belgium Benedictine monk of Beuron Archabbey, the second Abbot of Maredsous Abbey, and the first Abbot Primate of the Order of St. Benedict and the Benedictine Confederation. Biograp ...

* 1913–1947: Fidelis von Stotzingen * 1947–1959:

Bernard Kälin Bernard Kälin (21 March 1887 – 20 October 1962) was a Swiss Benedictine monk of Muri-Gries Abbey, an abbot of Muri-Gries Abbey, and the third Abbot Primate of the Order of St. Benedict and the Benedictine Confederation. Biography Josef Mart ...

* 1959–1967: Benno Gut * 1967–1977:

Rembert Weakland Rembert George Samuel Weakland (April 2, 1927 – August 22, 2022) was an American Benedictine monk who served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002. Shortly before his mandatory retirement at the age of 75, it was revealed in the pre ...

* 1977–1992:

Viktor Josef Dammertz Viktor Josef Dammertz (8 June 1929 – 2 March 2020) was a Germans, German Benedictine monk of St. Ottilien Archabbey located in Bavaria, Germany, which is part of the Benedictine Congregation of Saint Ottilien. He was elected and served as the si ...

* 1992–1995: Jerome Theisen * 1996–2000:

Marcel Rooney Marcel Thomas Rooney (born September 20, 1937) is an American Benedictine monk, abbot, liturgist, musician, and author. He is a member of Conception Abbey located in Conception, Missouri, which is part of the Swiss-American Congregation. He prev ...

* 2000–2016: Notker Wolf * 2016–present:

Gregory Polan Gregory Polan (born January 2, 1950) is an American Benedictine monk, priest, abbot, scripture scholar, musician, and author. He is a member of Conception Abbey located in Conception, Missouri, which is part of the Swiss-American Congregation a ...

Sant’Anselmo

Sant'Anselmo on the Aventine ( it, Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino) is complex located on the Aventine Hill in

's Ripa rione and overseen by the Confederation. The complex comprises the "

College of Sant'Anselmo The College of Sant'Anselmo ( it, Collegio Sant'Anselmo) is an international Benedictine college founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1887 and located in Rome, Italy. Situated on the Aventine Hill, it is one of four Benedictine institutions that occupy th ...

" ( it, Collegio Sant'Anselmo), the " Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm" ( it, Pontificio Ateneo Sant’Anselmo), the Church of Sant'Anselmo ( it, Chiesa Sant'Anselmo), and serves as the curial headquarters of the Confederation ( it, Badia Sant'Anselmo).

College of Sant’Anselmo

The ecclesiastical residential

is juridically considered the successor of the homonymous college of the Cassinese Benedictine Congregation which was founded in 1687. The present college was reestablished in 1887 and moved to the newly constructed "Sant'Anselmo" on the Aventine Hill in 1896. Today the residential college houses an average of one hundred Benedictine monks from about forty countries, as well as other religious, diocesan priests, and lay people. As a house of formation, it offers a monastic environment for those who study at the onsite Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm or at other Roman pontifical universities. The present Rector of the college is Rev. Mauritius Wilde, O.S.B.

Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo

The

Anselmianum The Anselmianum, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm ( it, Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo; ) is a pontifical university in Rome associated with the Benedictines. It offers courses in philosophy, theology, liturgy, monastic studi ...

, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm ( it, Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo; ), is the pontifical university in

associated with the Benedictines. The institution includes faculties of Philosophy, Theology (Sacramental Theology, Monastic Studies), the Institute of Historical Theology, as well as the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy. It grants certificates and diplomas in various subjects, as well as Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctoral degrees. Originally the university exclusively served only Benedictines, but now is open to external students. The present Rector of the Athenaeum is Rev. Bernhard A. Eckerstorfer, O.S.B.

Church of Sant'Anselmo

The Church which was consecrated on November 11, 1900 and is constructed of three naves, divided by

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

columns, and includes one main altar and two side altars. A large section on the east and west ends near the apse includes the traditional stalls for the monastic choir. The church serves as a place of worship for the Benedictine residential college community and the students of the Athenaeum. It is also known, especially to the Romans, for the performances of

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe dur ...

offered by the monks during the Sunday liturgical celebrations of

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , mea ...

. Since 1962, the church has also been the starting point of the penitential procession presided over by the Pope on Ash Wednesday, and which ends at the basilica of Santa Sabina where the first stationary mass of

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Jesus, temptation by Satan, according ...

is celebrated. The present Rector of the church is Rev. Doroteo Toić, O.S.B.

Gallery

Collegio Sant'Anselmo 9061.jpg Collegio Sant'Anselmo 8663.jpg Avantin - panoramio.jpg Chiesa Sant'Anselmo 7704.jpg Chiesa Sant'Anselmo 3956.jpg Chiesa Sant'Anselmo 3941.jpg Chiesa Sant'Anselmo 1585 2.jpg Sant'Anselmo Monastic Choir Stalls.jpg Sant'Anselmo College Refectory.jpg Interior Courtyards at Sant'Anselmo.jpg

Notes

References

External links

The Benedictine Confederation of Congregations of Monasteries of the Order of Saint Benedict
(official website)
International Atlas of Benedictine MonasteriesCollegio Sant'Anselmo
Italian and English
Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo
Italian and English
Chiesa Sant'Anselmo
Italian and English

with an introduction to the Benedictine Confederation. {{Catholic congregation Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century Religious organizations established in 1893