USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > History of the Trappist abbey of New Melleray in Dubuque County, Iowa > Part 4
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1 See title MT. MELLERAY, p. 29 supra. Also title OTHER CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES, infra, P. 54.
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THE TRAPPIST ABBEY OF NEW MELLERAY.
a hall and reception room. Here he is entertained by the guest-father, in this monastery, the Sub-Prior. Hither too comes the Superior or Abbot to welcome his guests. As hospitality is one of the most ancient and valued privileges of the monks, and is enjoined upon them by the Rule of St. Benedict,1 refreshment is early offered to the guests. This is sometimes brought to the reception room, but more often the guests are conducted to the strangers' refectory. The guest-father, or a lay brother who is assigned to that duty, devotes himself to the comfort and convenience of the strang- ers, and they are shown all objects of interest in the monastery and about it .? Should a desire be expressed to remain a night or to spend some time at the Abbey, a pleasant room is pro- vided and the comfort of the stranger is assiduously observed. It is unnecessary to say to those familiar with the customs of foreign lands that, at departing, a sum of money, such as the visitor is able to spare, or such as he thinks is a just equiva- lent for his entertainment, or such as his conscience dictates, should be quietly given to the guest-father to be bestowed in charity.
The grounds immediately surrounding the monastery are laid out with much beauty. To the rear of the building ex- tend two distinct avenues of trees resembling cloisters-the branches having been trained so as to form an arch overhead. In this secluded and silent retreat the monks may be seen walking in their brief moments of leisure. One seems to be within the nave of some great cathedral, the light dimly fall- ing through the boughs above. These cloistral avenues are one of the chief beauties of New Melleray. Several well- kept gardens are also to be seen, and the graveyard with its simple crosses familiarizes the monks with the thought of death. Nor do they think of this as a foe. During the build- ing of the monastery the monks resided in a wooden house which is still in existence, and is considered and used at
1 Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 53.
2 See MT. MELLERAY, p. 29, supra.
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THE TRAPPIST ABBEY OF NEW MELLERAY.
present as a sort of lodge. The general dimensions and ap- pearance of the Abbey are somewhat as follows:
The stone Abbey was first inhabited in 1875, twenty-six years after the laying of its corner-stone in 1849. This build- ing, which is not yet finished, neither the church nor the cloister being complete, extends in the form of a partly com- pleted cross two hundred and twelve feet in the longer arm and one hundred and twenty in the shorter. These arms are thirty-five feet wide. Within them are contained the various apartments which constitute the home of the monks. The Abbey is built of limestone. The walls are laid carefully and firmly. Not far from it on a slight elevation is the cross which indicates the neighborhood of a monastery. Upon its walls ivy is growing, and the Abbey, even since 1875, has assumed an appearance of some age and antiquity.
HISTORY OF NEW MELLERAY.
The Abbey of Mt. Melleray, County Waterford, Ireland, became overcrowded with members. The land was unpro- ductive and not well adapted to the support of so large a community, and, as France was closed against them, and the Abbey of St. Bernard had already been established in Eng- land, it was thought best by Abbot Bruno to attempt the settlement of a branch of the community in America. After much deliberation Father Bernard McCaffrey and Brother Anthony Keating were chosen by Abbot Bruno as the pio- neers of the movement and were instructed to select, if possi- ble, a desirable place for a Trappist establishment in America. They left Mt. Melleray on the 25th of July, 1848, and arrived at length in New York, but they effected nothing at once. After some time they were invited by a friend in Pennsylvania to inspect a locality in Bedford County of that State, but this place did not prove satisfactory, and was therefore rejected. Soon after this decision was reached, Brother Anthony re- turned to Mt. Melleray, and Father Bernard determined to go
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to the Trappist monastery of Gethsemane, in Nelson County, Kentucky, which had been founded in 1800. Here he was entertained kindly, but remained for some time in a sort of forced inaction. The Abbot of Mt. Melleray was not dis- couraged and was still determined to find a suitable place for his monks who overcrowded his monastery, and so in January, IS49, two were sent out as an advance guard. These were Father Clement Smyth and Brother Ambrose Byrne, who sailed in the steamship Sarah Sands. These were as unsuc- cessful as the others had been and nothing was accomplished.
An unforeseen accident however resulted in the foundation of New Melleray when the direct efforts of Father Bruno had seemed unavailing. Early in 1849 Bishop Loras, of Dubuque, who was travelling in Europe, visited the Abbey of Mt. Melleray, and expressed a strong desire to have a colony of Trappists founded in his diocese. He offered them a tract of prairie land lying about twelve miles from the city of Dubuque in a southwesterly direction. Abbot Bruno immedi- ately determined to accept the offer if the situation was favor- able, and wrote directly to Father Clement in America about the offer in Dubuque. Father Clement sent Brother Ambrose to examine the land and its location. Upon close inspection it satisfied Father Ambrose, and, considering it an eligible site for a Trappist monastery, he accepted the offer. A place, therefore, in America had been found for the second Trappist colony in the United States. The acceptance of Brother Ambrose was ratified by Abbot Bruno, and the latter immedi- ately sailed for America. He hastened to Dubuque across a county unsupplied with good means of intercommunication, bringing with him Father James O'Gorman and some lay brethren. The names of the lay brothers were: Brothers Timothy, Joseph, Barnaby and Macarius. On the 16th of July of that same year of 1849, Abbot Bruno, of Mt. Melleray in Ireland laid the foundation of New Melleray Abbey in Dubuque County, Iowa. Seven monks were present on this occasion. Three of them were priests, viz: the Abbot Bruno, Father James O'Gorman and Father Clement Smyth. Father
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O'Gorman was appointed the first Superior, and Abbot Bruno returned to Ireland.
Again, on the 10th of September, 1849, sixteen members of the Mt. Melleray establishment were sent out to New Mel- leray. One was a priest, viz: Father Patrick Mahon; two were choir brethren, viz: Brothers Bernard Murphy and Benedict McNevin, and sixteen were lay brothers. This de- tachment sailed from Liverpool for New Orleans on board the sailing ship " The Carnatic of Boston." Six of these brothers died of cholera as they came up the Mississippi, and their bodies repose at different places along its banks.
But the emigration from Mt. Melleray had not ceased. Neither the fate of their brethren, who had died upon the way, nor the long and wearisome journey could deter them, and so, on the 12th of April, 1850, a third detachment of twenty-three arrived at New Melleray. These were headed by Father Francis Walsh, who immediately became Superior. Up to this date then, the 12th of April, 1850, Mt. Melleray had sent to Dubuque between forty and fifty of its inmates. Of the last detachment twenty-two were Irishmen and one, Brother Jules, was a Frenchman. Thus, by 1850 the new Abbey had entered vigorously upon its American life, and the settlement of Trappist monks in Iowa was no longer tentative but an established fact. It may be interesting and useful to append a brief sketch of the eight Superiors1 who have ruled the Abbey since 1849.
FATHER JAMES O'GORMAN.
Father James O'Gorman was appointed the first Superior on the 15th of July, 1849, the very day the institution, organ- ized as a community, began its existence. It was understood from the beginning that Father James was to be only tempo- rarily a Superior. He was to remain in office only until such
1 The technical difference between an Abbot and a Superior is that the for- mer is elected by his monks and blessed by a Bishop. The latter is appointed by the house to which the monastery is subordinate, or, being elected by his own monks, is subordinate to the mother house.
-
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time as another from Mt. Melleray should arrive to take his place. Upon the arrival of his successor Father James resign- ed his office into his hands. Father James was a remarkably eloquent man, he was in all senses of the word an excellent preacher, and he is to the present time spoken of by the peo- ple living in the neighborhood of the Abbey as the " best preacher New Melleray has yet produced." Father James was created afterwards Bishop of Nebraska, and died in Omaha in IS74.
FATHER FRANCIS WALSH.
This Superior, who succeeded Father James O'Gorman, and was appointed by .Abbot Bruno of Mt. Melleray, resigned his position after he had held it for two years. In the year IS58 he asked for and received permission to go on mission- ary duty. This characteristic of Father Francis-i. e., the desire to go into the world and preach the gospel-is quite unknown among the Trappists, but is a distinctive trait of the active orders of monks. It was most fully developed among the Friars, the followers of St. Francis and St. Dominic. Father Francis was a devoted priest for thirty years, and in 1888 returned to New Melleray where he still lives. His go- ing out to discharge missionary duty was an exceptional case.
FATHER CLEMENT SMYTH.
Father Clement was the third Superior. Hitherto the Su- periors had been appointed by the Abbot of Mt. Melleray. Now for the first time the monks were permitted to exercise their own choice. The new Superior proved to be an excel- lent one. He was kind, considerate, humble. A brother among brethren, he possessed the true community spirit, and in the pursuit of his ends-i. c., the advancement of the mon- astery in repute and of the monks in holiness-he made him- self all to all. There were no details of monastic life which were too trifling for him. Quietly, and indeed instinctively, he saw into everything, and with firmness or with severity, as one or the other was required by the occasion, advanced the
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interests of New Melleray. After holding office for about six years he became coadjutor to Bishop Loras, of Dubuque, and, after that prelate's death, succeeded him as Bishop of the Dio- cese. He soon became a favorite in Dubuque through his affability, his condescension, and his unfeigned kindness of heart. That same nature which had rendered him so beloved in the monastery produced a like effect in his diocese. He was beloved in every corner of it, and died universally regret- ted, after a comparatively brief enjoyment of his pastoral staff, in Dubuque in 1865:
FATHER IGNATIUS FOLEY.
Father Ignatius Foley held office only part of one year. He then returned to his own monastery of Mt. Melleray, and di- rectly after his arrival took an active part in the conduct of the classical school attached to the Abbey,1 and intended chiefly for the training of ecclesiastical students. Some years later he became president of the seminary, and still holds this office. He has been very successful in filling this position, and under his care many young men have been educated who are now priests in missionary work-some in America, others in Australia.
FATHER BERNARD McCAFFREY.
Father Bernard, like Father James O'Gorman, held office only until such time as another from Mt. Melleray should come to take his place.
FATHER EPHRAIM McDONALD.
On the 25th of February, IS59, Father Ephraim took office as Superior. He had been Prior and novice-master of Mt. Melleray. Through the agency and active assistance of Father Clement, then Bishop of Dubuque, the monastery was raised to the dignity of an Abbey,2 and shortly after Father
1 Supra, P. 35.
2 The technical difference between an Abbey and a monastery is that an Abbey is generally exempted from Episcopal control. That is to say, the
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THE TRAPPIST ABBEY OF NEW MELLERAY.
Ephraim was elected first Abbot1 and blessed in the Cathe- dral of Dubuque, the sermon being preached on that occasion by the Bishop of Chicago.
Abbot Ephraim held his office for a little more than twenty- one years, and returned to Mt. Melleray in 1883. He is still living in the mother-monastery and is now in his seventy-first year. He was remarkable for his piety and austerity. He gave a considerable part of each day to private prayer; his attitude while thus engaged can hardly be forgotten by those who witnessed it. As long as his health permitted he observ- ed the rule to the letter, taking during half the year, Sundays excepted, but one meal in the day, and that at half after two in the afternoon, having arisen at two o'clock in the morning. He took his part in the hardest and most menial field labor, and made himself all in all to his brethren. His humility was remarkable, for, although Abbot and Superior, he made everyone feel that honors and distinctions and dignities were nothing to him but burdens.
FATHER ALBERIC DUNLEA.
About six weeks after the resignation of Abbot Ephraim, Father Alberic became Superior of New Melleray. He had also held the office of master of novices at Mt. Melleray. He was looked upon there as a thorough Trappist, a strict observer of the rule, and his manner, naturally grave and serious, was a perpetual lesson for his novices. At New Mel- leray, and in his new position as Superior, he proved himself a thorough Trappist. He was full of ardor and full of zeal. He retired from office in 1889, after having governed the
Bishop of the diocese has no inherent right to interfere in the affairs of an Abbey which are managed by its Abbot and its monks. Different regulations may exist in different cases, but as a rule an Abbey is independent.
1 The Abbot in the middle ages was a most important personage, wearing the insignia of a Bishop, and entirely independent of the Bishop of the diocese in the exercise of his authority. The Abbot is elected by the monks of his Abbey and owes, as a rule, no allegiance to any superior power except, as in the case of the Trappists, to the Pope, and La Grande Trappe, the mother- house.
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community almost six years. He is now Prior, or second in authority in the community.
FATHER LOUIS CAREW.
In September, 1889, Father Louis succeeded Father Alberic, and is the present Superior. He came from Mt. Melleray as did his predecessor. In that community he held several im- portant offices. He was successively sub-prior, master of novices, and procurator. Even while discharging some of these community offices he took a leading part in conducting the Mt. Melleray ecclesiastical seminary. For years he taught the class in philosophy, and with success, and many of his pupils are to-day hard-working priests in many parts of the United States.
The character of Father Louis, who is now in his forty-first year, can be described in a few words. He has wonderful self-control, he is never taken by surprise. No event, how- ever unexpected, seems to disturb his equanimity. He seems always prepared for any emergency and his temper is never ruffled. He has great force of mind, but there is no violence, no anger. He appears to take in at a glance his complicated duties as Superior, and then with intense force of mind, and free from all bitterness and violence, he accomplishes his ends without occasioning any pain to his brethren, and without any harshness of action. His self-possession, his gentleness and his firmness make his government efficient, and a light yoke on the community.1
The history of the Abbey since its foundation must be viewed in the light of its spiritual and its temporal develop- ment. The establishment of a community so ascetic upon the prairies of Iowa is, in itself, a remarkable circumstance. There is but one other Trappist Abbey in the United States, that of Gethsemane, in the State of Kentucky. The reasons which
I This brief sketch of the various Superiors of New Melleray is chiefly from MSS. furnished to the author by Reverend Father Placid of that Abbey.
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induced the Abbot of Mt. Melleray to accept the offer of the Bishop of Dubuque were simple ones. The offer was the most generous which had been made, and Dubuque is, as is well known, strongly Catholic. Perhaps the early French settlers determined the religion of that part of Iowa; at any rate, the proportion of Roman Catholics in Dubuque County is far above the average in the State. The knowledge of this circumstance may have had some effect in leading Abbot Bruno to determine upon the acceptance of Bishop Loras' offer. Since the arrival of the Trappists this religious belief has spread. But it may be doubted whether, outside of the immediate vicinity of the Abbey, its influence in determining the religious views of the population of the county has been marked. There has been erected a parish church near the Abbey in which the monks preach every Sunday, and the neighboring community is very strongly of the Catholic faith, and very regular in its attendance at the services of the church. The monks have been an important factor in impressing the neighboring inhabitants with the conviction that there are some persons who are willing to devote themselves entirely to the interests of their own souls, and to the good of their neighbors. This latter duty the Trappists are eager to fulfill, and do fulfill in many ways-i. e., in charity, in preaching, and in many good works. Thus, although they are commonly and justly considered a community of ascetics, it is unjust to con- sider them as leading a life wholly selfish in its devotion to their own spiritual welfare and future happiness alone. Trap- pist priests have no objection whatever to undertake the work of the sacred ministry within their monastic enclosure, but it is foreign to their vocation to go out into the world for this purpose.
They have also been of great advantage to the surrounding farmers by introducing improved methods of agriculture, and fine breeds of stock. As a horticultural and agricultural school was one of the most important features of Melleray Abbey in 1830, so, although the same completeness of equipment is not to be found here, they have kept abreast of the times,
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THE TRAPPIST ABBEY OF NEW MELLERAY.
and their stock farm has been renowned. The Cistercians have always been devoted to agricultural improvements, and the Trappists at New Melleray are no exception to the gen- eral and ancient rule. The grounds of the Abbey which are neatly kept, the avenue already mentioned, and in fact all the improvements which are to be seen in the neighborhood of the Abbey, are the work of their own hands. It has taken many years to bring these cloistral avenues to their present perfec- tion, but they are the work of time and the labor of the monks. The gift of Bishop Loras of seven hundred acres of land was the nucleus of the estate which they now possess, and which consists of more than two thousand acres. The land is rolling and diversified with more undulations than is common in the interior of the State. Grain is raised to some extent-greatly wheat-which is nearly all used in the monas- tery, for bread forms a very large and important article of their food. Scarcely any of the grain is sold, for the corn and other grains besides wheat are used for the stock. They have been great stock-raisers, and their income depends . greatly on this product. It is perhaps enough to say here that their stock is famous and is in good demand. A tran- script from the auditor's books in the appendix will indicate the amount of their property. i
About the monastery are several gardens where all sorts of vegetables are raised, these being an important article of diet. Grapes also are to be seen growing, and from them a simple and pure wine is made, for the use of the monastery, and for visitors.
They pursue upon their estate the lives of great proprie- tors of land, and feel the same responsibilities for its proper improvement that is felt by lay owners of property. The lay brothers, whose hours of manual labor are more in number than those of the choir brothers, are not numerous enough to adequately cultivate all the lands, and therefore many labor- ers are employed, and some of the land is leased.
1 Appendix V.
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In a word, since the founding of the Abbey, its spiritual and temporal prosperity have been marked. Some years ago a considerable debt was incurred, from no fault of the monks. But this is now rapidly decreasing and will soon, under the able management of the present Superior, be entirely liqui- dated. When the debt was incurred many kind friends of the community came forward, and, along with their heart-felt sym- pathy, proffered substantial help. Among these kind friends there is one never to be forgotten by the inmates of the New Melleray. This is Hon. W. J. Knight of the city of Dubuque. His solicitude for the distressed community was more than paternal, his time and distinguished abilities were most unsel- fishly devoted to its interests, and the community feels that under God they are indebted to him for its continued exist- ence.
The property is purely communistic property. All have the same rights to have their temporal wants supplied, but no one has any special right, no one can claim any portion of the property his own, no one can will any portion of it to another. Novices, before profession, if they choose to leave the com- munity can take with them the property they may have brought with them, and it remains their own so long as they have not united themselves to the community irrevocably.
MEMBERSHIP AND GOVERNMENT OF NEW MELLERAY.
Before beginning an account of the Trappist discipline in New Melleray, and the austere observance of St. Benedict's Rule, it must be premised that the observances of Trappist monasteries differ slightly in minor details. Though all of them practice an ascetic life, the degree of asceticism varies for different reasons.
The colony which followed Dom Augustine to Valsainte in Switzerland, at the time of the French Revolution, was actu- ated by the conviction that the exigencies of the times, which seemed to threaten religion itself with destruction, required
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the most extreme and exact, not to say exaggerated interpre- tation of St. Benedict's Rule, and a return to the austerities of Citeaux in their most rigid form.1 These, as has been said above, went even beyond the rule laid down by De Rance. There arose, therefore, when the Revolution was over and peace was again restored, a dispute among the Trappists of different monasteries as to whether the original rule of Citeaux or the rule of De Rance should be followed. In order to give the highest sanction to any decision the question was carried to the Papal Curia, and by a bull of the Pope, dated October, 1834, it was provided that " with regard to fasts, prayer, and chanting in the choir they shall follow the rule of St. Bene- dict, or the constitutions of Abbé Rance, according to the rec- ognized rule of each monastery."2
By the rule of St. Benedict here mentioned is intended to be meant that rule as interpreted by the monks of Citeaux. This bull, however, was not sufficiently definite entirely and sat- isfactorily to solve the difficulties of the case.
But with a view to a sort of compromise, the entire number of monasteries was divided into three congregations, viz: the congregation of La Grande Trappe, following the primitive constitutions of the order of Citeaux; that of Sept-Fons, fol- lowing the constitution of De Rance; and the congregation of Belgium, following the latter rule somewhat modified.3
The Abbey of La Grande Trappe is considered the mother- house, and gives a name to the congregation to which Melle- ray, Mt. Melleray, and New Melleray all belong. The Abbey of New Melleray follows the more rigid observance of the old rule of Citeaux, as interpreted by Dom Augustine at the Abbey of Valsainte.
There exist two classes of the religious professed, viz: the Choir Brothers, and the Lay Brothers. The first are chosen from among men who have been well educated and have a
1 See supra, p. 6.
? See Appendix I.
: See Appendix II.
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knowledge of the Latin tongue. To this duty they consecrate six or seven hours in the day. The remainder of their time is occupied in manual labor, in meditation, in reading alone and in prayer.
The dress of the choir brother, when in dress of ceremony, is a long and wide tunic, called the cowl, made of white wool- en cloth, with flowing sleeves, and attached to it is a capouch or hood. When at work they wear a dress of white woolen upon which is fixed a black scapular with a leathern girdle.
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