Clement Reyner D.D. (1589–1651) was an English

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monk, who became abbot of

Lamspringe Lamspringe is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km south of Hildesheim. Since 1 November 2016, the former municipalities Harbarnsen, Neuhof, Sehlem and W ...

in Germany.

Life

Born Lawrence Reyner in

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

, Yorkshire, he made his profession as a Benedictine monk in the monastery of St. Laurence at

Dieulouard Dieulouard (; formerly Dieulwart) is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Dieulouard is located between Pont-à-Mousson and Nancy, on the left bank of the Moselle. It is the location of the Gallo-Roman city of ...

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

in 1610 taking the name in religion "Clement". He pursued his studies in St. Gregory's monastery at

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

. (His older brother Clement was also a Benedictine, taking the religious name "Lawrence".)Almond, Cuthbert. ''The History of Ampleforth Abbey: From the Foundation of St. Lawrence's at Dieulouard to the Present Time'', R&T Washbourne, 1903
/ref> Subsequently Reyner the younger was sent on the English mission, and was imprisoned in Yorkshire, as a Catholic priest, on 1 April 1618. On his release he returned to the continent and was graduated D.D. probably at Douai. He served as secretary to the president of his order from 1621 to 1629. Because he knew the language, he was sent as procurator to Germany to negotiate the transfer of monasteries from the

Bursfelde Congregation The Bursfelde Congregation, also called Bursfelde Union, was a union of predominantly west and central German Benedictine monasteries, of both men and women, working for the reform of Benedictine practice. It was named after Bursfelde Abbey. Backg ...

. He effected the transfer of Cismar Abbey,

Rinteln Rinteln () is a small town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the banks of the Weser river above the Porta Westfalica. The town of Rinteln is in the broad valley between the hills of the Weserbergland and the North Lippe Bergland. In rela ...

, and others. He was for half a year prior at Rinteln. the arrival of troops of the protestant

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caused Reyner and his small community of monks to escape across the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...

river in mid-winter. Reyner proceeded to Douai to take his place at the General Chapter then in session.Agius, O.S.B., Dom Denis. "Daily Life at Lamspringe during the Eighteenth Century", English Benedictine Congregation History Symposium 1995
/ref> The monks of monastery of St. Peter at

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requested an English Benedictine to suggest improvements in practice, Reyner was sent to introduce some reforms. He was subsequently president-general of his order from 1635 to 1641. At the ninth general chapter held in 1643 he was declared the first abbot of Lamspringe. He died at St. Michaels' Monastery in

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...

on 17 March 1651. His remains were taken to Lamspringe in 1692, and buried in the church there.

Works

Reyner was editor of the historical work ''Apostolatus Benedictinorum in Anglia, sive Disceptatio Historica de Antiquitate Ordinis Congregationisque Monachorum Nigrorum S. Benedicti in regno Angliæ'', Douay, 1626. The materials for this work were collected by David Baker, and then his friend, John Jones, alias Leander à S. Martino, wrote up the materials into respectable latinity. In the dedication to Cardinal Bentivoglio, Reyner disclaimed authorship.

References

Sources

Augustine Baker, ed. Clement Reyner, ''Apostolatus Benedictinorum in Anglia'' (Laurentius Kellamus, Douai 1626). (Bayerische StaatsBibliothek digital) (in Latin)
;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Reyner, Clement 1589 births 1651 deaths English Benedictines Benedictine abbots