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. History Muenster incorpo ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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 (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, the ...

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

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. 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 Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

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 form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

; 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; ) 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 of the Public Land Survey System used in the United St ...

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 head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

's duties were similar to those of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

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, prov ...

. The Territorial Abbey was suppressed in 1998 to become part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon () (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 appointment of the former dioc ...

. 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 in 1919. The church served as the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

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 The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monks A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

. 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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

, and 10

brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) 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 endearingl ...

. The

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

Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by Benedict of Nursia, St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up ...

. St. Benedict 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 - 2024 Died)

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 ( ) is a city in western Cooke County, Texas, Cooke County, Texas, United States, along U.S. Route 82 in Texas, U.S. Route 82. The population was 1,53 ...

: St. Peter’s May 21, 1903. *

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

July 18, 1903: St. Joseph * Marysburg July 19, 1903: Marysburg Assumption Church * Annaheim July 22, 1903: St. Ann Church * Englefeld: Holy Guardian Angels was founded Aug. 1, 1903 * Watson 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 Cologn ...

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 Humboldt may refer to: People * Alexander von Humboldt, German natural scientist, brother of Wilhelm von Humboldt * Wilhelm von Humboldt, German linguist, philosopher, and diplomat, brother of Alexander von Humboldt Fictional characters * Hu ...

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) * St. Benedict 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 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 German-Canadian culture in Saskatchewan