The Ottilien Congregation, often also known as the St. Ottilien Congregation and as the Missionary Benedictines, is a congregation of religious houses within the Benedictine Confederation, the aim of which is to combine the

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 ...

way of life with activity in the mission field.

History

The congregation was founded in 1884, incorporating the houses founded on the vision of Andreas Amrhein, a monk of

Beuron Archabbey Beuron Archabbey (in German Erzabtei Beuron, otherwise Erzabtei St. Martin; in Latin ''Archiabbatia Sancti Martini Beuronensis''; Swabian: ''Erzabtei Beira'') is a major house of the Benedictine Order located at Beuron in the upper Danube va ...

, who, finding it impossible to realise the vision of the Benedictine mission within Beuron, left to begin an independent community. He set up a house in 1884 at Reichenbach in the

Oberpfalz The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...

, but the site was too remote, and in 1887 the community moved to what is now St. Ottilien Archabbey in

Oberbayern Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...

. In the same year the first missionary monks left for the Apostolic Prefecture of South

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

in German East Africa, a territory which now comprises several dioceses in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

, which the monks serve from the abbeys of Peramiho, Ndanda and Hanga and several smaller houses. Similarly the Congregation's Zululand mission (begun in 1921) is now an independent monastery serving the

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

it once helped to create. In 1908 an Asian mission field was added, comprising two abbeys in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

and China, which after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

were re-constituted as

Waegwan Waegwan is the seat of government for Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It consists primarily of the administrative district of Waegwan- eup. It is situated on both sides of the Nakdong River, which is traversed by railroad, a ...

Abbey in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. There is also a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

Digos Digos, officially the City of Digos ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Digos; fil, Lungsod ng Digos), is a 2nd class component city and capital of the province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 188,376 people. ...

Mindanao Island Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of t ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Further monasteries were established in North and South America after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and more recently several new foundations have been made in the Third World, mostly in Africa. The Archabbot of St. Ottilien is ex officio president of the congregation. Women religious have formed part of the Missionary Benedictine enterprise from the beginning, based at first at St. Ottilien but shortly after at their own house nearby. They have developed independently and today form the Congregation of Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing.

Demographics

As a Congregation founded with the purpose of evangelizing German East Africa, it is no great surprise that the vast majority of early monks were Germans. As the Church grew in Africa and Asia, the Missionary Benedictines eventually began to accept indigenous vocations. Though the Congregation's European houses currently possess the greatest number of solemnly professed monks, these will soon be outnumbered by the African monasteries. As of March 17, 2015, the Benedictine Missionaries feature four houses with monastic populations in excess of one hundred monks: * Hanga (143) * Waegwan (122) * St Ottilien (113) * Münsterschwarzach (113)

List of member houses and ''dependencies''

Europe

*Germany: ** Sacred Heart Archabbey, St Ottilien (1887) ***'' Sacred Heart Priory'', Jakobsberg ***''Monastery of the Holy Redeemer'', Monte Irago, Spain ** St Felicity's Abbey, Münsterschwarzach ***'' St Benedict's Priory'', Damme ***'' Christ the King Priory'',

Schuyler Schuyler may refer to: Places United States * Schuyler County, Illinois * Schuyler County, Missouri * Schuyler, Nebraska, a city * Schuyler County, New York * Schuyler, New York, a town * Schuyler Island, Lake Champlain, New York * Schuyler C ...

, United States **Holy Trinity Abbey, Schweiklberg ** Königsmünster Abbey,

Meschede Meschede () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis. Education One of the five branches of South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (also: Fachh ...

***''St Benedict's Cella'',

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

*Austria: ** St Joseph's Abbey, Fiecht *Switzerland: ** St Otmar's Abbey,

Uznach Uznach is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Uznach is first mentioned in 741 as ''Uzinaa'' in a grant from a noble lady at Benken Abbey to the Abbey of Saint G ...

***'' Our Lady of the Plentiful Catch Monastery'', Osornoe,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

** Monastery of St Odile, Malandji (suspended in 1996) *

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

: ** Prince of Peace Conventual Priory, Tigoni ***''St Benedict's Monastery'', Nairobi ***''Our Lady Queen of the World Monastery'', Nanyuki ***''Monastery of Peter the Fisherman'', Illeret **St George Study House, Langata (Congregation) **St Benedict's Procure, Eldoret (Congregation) *

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

: ** Sacred Heart Abbey, Inkamana ***''St Boniface Monastery'', Waldfrieden,

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

***''St Benedict's Study House'', Cedara *

: ** St Maurus and St Placidus Abbey, Hanga ***''St John Bosco Formation House'', Nakagugu ***''St Teresia of Lisieux Priory'', Katibunga,

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

***''St Joseph's Farm'', Nole ***''St Placidus Procure'', Dar-es-Salaam ***''St Bernard's Priory'', Kipalapala ***''St Benedict's Monastery'', Mbeya ***''St Benedict's Monastery'', Pugu **Holy Spirit Abbey, Mvimwa ***''St Benedict's Monastery'', Sumbawanga ***''St Bernard's Monastery'', Kipili ** Our Lady Help of Christians Abbey, Ndanda ***''St Maurus Procure'', Kurasini ***''St Benedict Parish'', Sakarani **St Benedict's Abbey, Peramiho ***''St Raphael's Priory'', Uwemba *

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

: ** Incarnation Conventual Priory, Agbang ***''St Maurus and St Placidus Monastery'', Kara ***''Cella St Boniface'', Lomé *

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

: ** Christ the King Priory, Tororo (Congregation)

Asia

* China (People's Republic): **

Holy Cross Abbey Holy Cross Abbey ''(Mainistir na Croise Naofa)'' was a Cistercian monastery in Holycross near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir. It takes its name from a relic of the True Cross or Holy Rood. History A supposed fra ...

Yanji Yanji (; Chosŏn'gŭl: 연길, ''Yeon-gil;'' Hangul: 옌지, ''Yenji;'' alternately romanized as Yenki) is a county-level city in the east of China's Jilin Province, and is the seat of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. Its population i ...

(suppressed in 1946) ***''Holy Cross Monastery'', Kouqian *India: ** St Michael's Priory, Kumily (Congregation) *

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

: ** St Benedict's Territorial Abbey, Tokwon (1909-1949) ** St Maurus and St Placidus Abbey,

***''St Benedict's Monastery'', Seoul ***''St Joseph's Monastery'', Namyangju ***''St Benedict's Monastery'', Busan ***''St John the Baptist Monastery'', Daegu ***''St Benedict's Village for the Aged'', Kumnam ***'' St Paul's Abbey'', Newton II *** ''St Benedict's Monastery, '', Hwasun *

: ** St Benedict's Conventual Priory,

***''St Anselm's Study House'', Davao ***'' St. Scholastica's Priory,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

America

* Colombia: **St Benedict's Conventual Priory, El Rosal *

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

: **Priory of the Epiphany of the Lord,

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

(Congregation) *United States: ** St Paul's Abbey, Newton, New Jersey *

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

: ** St Joseph's Abbey, Güigüe

References

External links

Congregation of the Missionary Benedictines official website
{{authority control Religious organizations established in 1884 Benedictine congregations 1884 establishments in Germany