The Norbertines! One of my favorite orders. They've basically changed my life.
The Priests:
Abbey draws people from distances who wish to assist at the community’s liturgy.
St. Michael’s Abbey is an autonomous abbey of the Norbertine Order. The canonry currently has 48 priests, and 23 seminarians studying for the priesthood. All members of the abbey live a full priestly and monastic common life; with daily attendance at the choral Office in the abbey church and life in community.
The abbey’s principal apostolate is its school, St. Michael’s Preparatory School. Confreres also provide Sunday ministry at over thirty parishes and institutions in the diocese of Orange and other dioceses in Southern California. They teach at schools – from elementary to college level – throughout the Orange and Los Angeles dioceses.
Because of its ever growing number of young priests and its liturgical apostolate, St. Michael’s Priests from St. Michael’s Abbey give spiritual direction and retreats to many different religious communities, both in California and internationally. The seminarians conduct an annual day and night summer camp for boys on the abbey grounds for five weeks each summer, and teach in the community’s schools before their final vows and ordination. The time of formation before ordination is at least ten years for those who enter the community with a bachelor’s degree, and proportionately longer for younger men.
Great, right? Well, there's also Norbertine Sisters; Contemplative and Active.
Contemplative: The Norbertine Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph
(See the Postulant [in black] behind the last Novice [in white] on
the right? That's my sister ^.^)
(Oh, and the Postulant on the farthest right? Yeah, my sister. She's awesome.)
Active:
The Congregation of the Norbertine sisters is one of the branches of the Norbertine spiritual family which lives according to the Rule of St. Augustine in the spirit of St. Norbert. According to the teaching of Saint Augustine, the unity in mind and heart within our communities should overflow into love embracing all peoples.
The Norbertine way of life for sisters in the region of Czechoslovakia was suppressed by the closure of cloistered contemplative convents during the government of emperor Josef II. Our Congregation was founded in 1902 in Svatý Kopeček, Czech republic by Fr. Vojtech Frejka, O. Praem., from the Abbey of Strahov, to renew the Norbertine way of life in the region. The new congregation was started to perform external works while maintaining and preserving contemplative elements. Our Congregation continues to have a contemplative active character.
Our Charism is not expressed with a specific external ministry. Our main mission is to reply in the spirit of St. Norbert and the traditions of the Norbertine Order to the challenges of our times and needs of the church. As St. Norbert, we bring the values of the Gospel into today´s world, give witness through our common life, bring people to God through our liturgy, and invoke God’s blessings for all people.
The Norbertine sister is a woman with deep relationship with God sustained by daily adoration of the Eucharistic Christ, contemplation of the Gospel, and liturgical prayer. Norbertine sisters are called by God in the spirit of Saint Norbert to be real and to remain balanced in witnessing of values that are eternal and transcendental. All this is performed in a life of community with a permanent effort to be one in heart and soul in God. We allow the Virgin Mary to teach us to be completely devoted to God and to serve his people..
Like St
Norbert, we want to bring the Gospel into today’s world. Here in Wilmington, we
live our mission through ministering to the poor, teaching religious education,
working in the book store, and in the parish office.
So there you have it. A growing family, a deeply rooted tradition.
Pax Christi,
A Crazy Norbertine Fan Girl
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