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In the winter of 1814 Jan-Baptist Victoor left Poperinge to settle in the woods of St Sixtus and live there as a hermit. He took up the monastic tradition which had been broken off by emperor Joseph II thirty years before.
In the summer of 1831 the prior and a few monks of the newly founded monastery of Catsberg joined the hermit and a new Cistercian monastery was born.
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The beginning (1831-1836) was hard. Still there was a slow growth of the community, which counted 23 members in 1835 and 52 in 1875.
The community founded other monasteries. In 1850 16 fathers
and brothers founded a house in Scourmont, and in 1858-1860
some twenty brothers were sent to Canada to give new life
to Tracadie (presently Spencer, US).
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Other important events in the first period:
the building of the 'old church' in 1840, the establishment of a
primary school in 1839, the priory became abbey in 1871 and the
farm was developed into a model farm for the region in 1875-1878.
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During the first world war hundreds of refugees and almost 400,000 allied soldiers lived in and around the abbey.
The second world war was a difficult time for the abbey, economically as wall as politically and religiously. There was a lot of human suffering and it is too early to get a clear and objective idea of what happened in those days. |
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The period after the second world war was very decisive for our community. Very important decisions were taken, which have their consequences up to the present day.
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(1) |
Abbot Dom Gerardus Deleye (abbot from 1941 to 1968)
decided in 1945 to reduce the growing brewery to smaller proportions.
The brewery is still a small firm, producing 4800 hectoliters
per year, run by the monks themselves.
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The building of the guests' house in 1964,
quite large in relation to the community of these days . It
illustrates the importance of hospitality of our abbey: openness
tot the outside world.
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| (3) |
The present abbey church was built
in 1968. It shows the essential aspect of seclusion. It is
a modern church built according to the traditional ascetic
Cistercian architecture.This church increases the seclusion
of the monks, because she is only accessible for the guests
and for people calling at the door of the abbey.
The former outer church was given to the parish and to the pilgrims.
Masses were celebrated by the vicar of Vleteren.
During the last years this former abbey church got a new destination
als refectory and library in the renovated cloister.
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The present community counts 21 brothers. Ever since the 19th century the
community counted about 35 members.
A frequently asked question by visitors is: "How many are
you still?" as if we are the last of the Mohicans. Monasteries
and abbeys experience the influence of sociological tendencies of
increasing and decreasing. Of course the general social secularisation
does not remain without impact for our monastery. Thus the new generation
comes at present no longer so numerously, such as in the nineties.
Also the potential customers for our manner of living are today
generally older then in former times.
We believe that God eventually guides people.
We dare to trust Him fully, to trust in his providential care.
We are in Gods hands.
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