St. Peter's Abbey is in

Muenster, Saskatchewan Muenster ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of St. Peter No. 369 and Census Division No. 15. It is located east of Humboldt on Highway 5. Muenster is named after the cit ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is the oldest Benedictine monastery in Canada. It was founded in 1903.

History

St. Peter's Abbey began in 1903 with the arrival of seven

Benedictine monks The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Ordo Sancti Benedicti, abbreviated as OSB), are a Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), religious order of the Catholic Church following the Rule of Saint Benedic ...

under the obedience of Peter Engel O.S.B. the abbot of Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Many German speaking Roman Catholic immigrants had settled in the area and by 1903 they had over 700 homesteads. The monks established

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es and were able to serve their congregations in the German language. St. Peter Abbey became independent in 1911 and Bruno Doerfler became its first abbot. In 1921 St. Peter's Abbey became the Territorial Abbey of Saint Peter-Muenster. It was formed from a piece of the Diocese of Prince Albert 4,662 square kilometres (1,800 square miles) in size. It included 50

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

; townships 35 to 40, ranges 18 to 22, and townships 37 to 41, ranges 23 to 26 of the

Dominion Land Survey The Dominion Land Survey (DLS; french: links=no, arpentage des terres fédérales, ATF) is the method used to divide most of Western Canada into one-square-mile (2.6 km2) sections for agricultural and other purposes. It is based on the layout ...

west of the 2nd

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

. The

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

's duties were similar to those of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

. The

Territorial Abbey A territorial abbey (or territorial abbacy) is a particular church of the Catholic Church comprising defined territory which is not part of a diocese but surrounds an abbey or monastery whose abbot or superior functions as ordinary for all Ca ...

was suppressed in 1998 to become part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon ( la, Dioecesis Saskatoonensis) (erected 9 June 1933 when the Diocese of Prince-Albert-Saskatoon was split) is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Regina. The current bishop is Mark Hagemoen, following the ap ...

. Today it remains an abbey, but is no longer a separate jurisdiction. St. Peter's Cathedral was built between 1909 and 1910 and decorated by artist

Berthold Imhoff Count Berthold von Imhoff (January 14, 1868 – December 14, 1939), was an artist known for his religious murals and paintings. Born in Germany in 1868, Imhoff immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in Reading, Pennsylvania, ...

in 1919. The church served as the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of the territorial abbey. Located about one kilometre from the village of Muenster it was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 2008. A new church was built adjoining the abbey and St. Peter's College in 1989.

Overview

As of February 2016, it is home to 18

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 ...

monks 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 dedicat ...

. This includes 8

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 ...

, and 10

brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

. The

of St. Peter's is Peter Novecosky. They follow the monastic

Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

St. Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...

wrote a rule for Christian life known for its balance and moderation; this life provides a balance between prayer, work and study for the monks.

Abbots

Priors of St. Peter's Priory *Alfred Mayer, O.S.B. (1901-1906) *Bruno Doerfler, O.S.B. (elected 1906) Abbots of the Territorial Abbey of Saint Peter-Muenster * Bruno Doerfler, O.S.B. (1911 Appointed - 1919 Died) * Michael Ott, O.S.B. (1919 elected - 1926 resigned) * Severin jacob Gertken, O.S.B. (5 Oct 1926 Confirmed - 1960 Died) * Jerome Ferdinand Weber, O.S.B. (28 Jun 1960 Confirmed - 15 Jun 1990 Retired) * Peter Wilfred Novecosky, O.S.B. (19 Oct 1990 Confirmed - 14 Sep 1998 Resigned) Abbots of St. Peter's Abbey *Peter Novecosky, O.S.B. (1998)

St. Peter's Colony

The historic territory of the abbey was also referred to as St. Peter's Colony. 8,000 settlers had arrived in the colony by 1910 and by 1930 it was home to 18,000 Roman Catholics. Most were German Catholics.

Parishes

The parishes of St. Peter's Colony served by the Benedictine monks of St. Peter's Abbey and their foundation dates included: * Leofeld: St. Boniface Parish founded May 17, 1903. was the first church of St. Peter's Colony. *

Muenster Muenster may refer to: * Münster, Germany * Muenster, Saskatchewan * Muenster, Texas * Muenster cheese Muenster ( or ) or munster is a semi-soft cheese from the United States. It is thought to be an imitation of the Alsatian washed-rind Muns ...

: St. Peter’s May 21, 1903. *

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...

July 18, 1903: St. Joseph * Marysburg July 19, 1903:

Marysburg Assumption Church Marysburg Assumption Church & Centre Of The Arts is a Roman Catholic church in the hamlet of Marysburg within the Rural Municipality of Humboldt in Saskatchewan, Canada. The church was designated as a municipal heritage building on September 13, ...

* Annaheim July 22, 1903: St. Ann Church * Englefeld: Holy Guardian Angels was founded Aug. 1, 1903 *

Watson Watson may refer to: Companies * Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals * A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa * Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center * Watson Systems, make ...

May 18, 1904: Sacred Heart Church was founded in 1903 * Lake Lenore May 29, 1904: St. Anthony Church. *

Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters *Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...

July 18, 1904: St. Bruno Church was founded in 1904 In 1919 the Ursuline Sisters opened a convent and in 1922 St. Ursula's Academy. * Humboldt 1905: St. Augustine Church was founded in 1905. St. Elizabeth Convent Cemetery in Humboldt. The first burial was in 1916 with 62 burials by 1996. The Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth arrived from Austria in 1911 and founded a hospital in Humboldt. * Burr Oct. 15, 1905: St. Scholastico Church near Burr *Romance, Southwest of Watson Oct. 1906: St. Oswald Church. Cemetery records the first burial was in 1909. * St. Gregor Jan. 17, 1907: St. Gregory the Great.The first church was built in 1907. * Pilger Aug. 4,1907: Holy Trinity Church, St. Bernard (Old Pilger) *

1907: St. Benedict Church * Dana June 24, 1907: St. Maurus Church was founded in 1907. *

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

1908: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Located north is the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The work was commissioned by Abbot Serverin Gertkin of St. Peter's Abbey. An annual pilgrimage has been held on the site since 1922 * Cudworth Dec. 8, 1912: St. Michael Church * Middle Lake 1915: Canadian Martyrs Church * Peterson 1924: St. Agnes Church *

Naicam Naicam is a small town in rural Saskatchewan. It is located north of the province's capital city, Regina. In 2006 the population was 690. The name of the town is a combination of Naismith and Cameron, the railway construction contractors. Uti ...

May 19, 1925: St. George's

References

External links

Fifty golden years, 1903-1953 : a brief history of the Order of St. Benedict in the Abbacy Nullius of St. Peter, Muenster, SaskatchewanSt. Peter's Abbey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Abbey, Saskatchewan Buildings and structures in Saskatchewan Roman Catholic Church in Saskatchewan Christian organizations established in 1903 Benedictine monasteries in Canada