Misplaced Pages

#644355

42-493: The community publishes a bi-monthly magazine called Berne . Since March 2007, Ward Cortvriendt has been the 70th abbot. In 2009 the abbey celebrated its 875th anniversary. Besides the professed members the abbey also has some people who feel closely connected with the community: participants of the group Ruach, the community of Berne and the Bernecircle. Berne Abbey was founded in 1134, the year of Norbert of Xanten 's death, by

84-532: A community that would be somewhat monastic as far as house ministry. The whole idea was that his active priests needed an ascetic and contemplative haven and that was the purpose of the abbey discipline. Norbert chose a valley in the Forest of Coucy (a grant from Barthélemy de Jur , the Bishop of Laon ), about 10 miles from Laon, named Prémontré . Hugh of Fosses, Evermode of Ratzeburg , Antony of Nivelles, seven students of

126-451: A foundation in 1134 with the newly established Premonstratensian Order , also called Norbertines after their founder Norbert of Xanten . From the nearby Mariënweerd Abbey an abbot and some canons were sent to his castle. This time Fulcold himself also joined the community. His wife, Bescela, also chose a religious life in Berne and later in the monastery of Altforst, a Norbertine nunnery linked to

168-423: A new abbey church was built, which was enlarged in 1927 by architect Hendrik Willem Valk with money donated by farmers after the death of the peasant apostle Gerlacus van den Elsen, to whom on the outside wall the sculptor Joseph Cantre cut a cornerstone of his portrait as a tribute. The architect Valk also designed the abbey gate. The new main building dates from 1999 and was designed by the architect Oomen. In 2006

210-537: A number of miracles. In settlement after settlement he encountered a demoralized clergy, lonely, often practicing concubinage and feeling that the official Church cared little about them. In Paris he would have witnessed the Canons of St. Victor , who had adopted the ascetic ideals of William of Champeaux . At Clairvaux and Citeaux he would have seen the Cistercian reforms among the monks. He also became acquainted with

252-447: A state of worldliness. He declined higher religious roles because he didn't want the restraints that came with the positions. He later underwent a profound conversion after he was thrown from a horse when a bolt of lightning frightened the animal. Following this incident, he went to Xanten and pursued a devout, penitent life. He adopted such strict discipline that it killed his first three disciples. This may be why he failed to reform

294-501: Is represented by 3 members on the 33-seat local council. From 2000 until August 1, 2007, the mayor of Vilvoorde was former Belgian prime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene . The mayor since 2013 is Hans Bonte , also a member of the Federal House of Representatives . The Nervii , and later the Romans , probably already settled in this strategic place near the river Zenne . The name Filfurdo

336-659: The Diocese of Laon in France. On Christmas Day, 1120, Norbert established the Canons Regular of Prémontré . For a Rule of life, Norbert chose the Rule of St. Augustine as was common among communities of priests -‘canons’. In addition he adapted some of the customs of the Cistercians. Even more of these would be brought in later by Norbert's successor, Abbot Hugh of Fosse. In effect he produced

378-535: The States of Holland . The canons withdrew inside the thick city walls of 's-Hertogenbosch . After the siege of 's-Hertogenbosch in 1629 they sought shelter in the various parishes and in the safer southern part of the Netherlands. The religious were not discouraged, and the abbot obtained a house at Vilvoorde , near Brussels, from which he directed the spiritual and temporal interests of his dispersed community. Several of

420-547: The schism following the election of Pope Innocent II in 1130, Norbert supported Innocent and resisted Antipope Anacletus II . In Norbert's last years, he was chancellor and adviser to Lothair II, the Holy Roman Emperor, persuading him to lead an army in 1133 to Rome to restore Innocent to the papacy. When Norbert died in Magdeburg on 6 June 1134, both the canons at the cathedral and the canons at St. Mary's Abbey claimed

462-568: The "Apostle of Antwerp". In 1126 Pope Honorius II appointed Norbert to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg , where he put into practice the precepts he instituted at Prémontré. Several assassination attempts were made as he began to reform the lax discipline of his see. He was instrumental in protecting the Church's rights against the secular power during the Investiture Controversy . In

SECTION 10

#1732897656645

504-451: The British in 1944, Vilvoorde was administered by a joint British and Belgian municipality, with temporary British and Belgian Mayors, Lt Col (then Major) JME Howarth Esq and (Later Prof.) Robert Senelle , before transferring back to a civilian administration. Vilvoorde became (and still is) one of the largest industrial areas around Brussels, with a population that grew to five times what it

546-566: The Cistercian administrative system that created an international federation of monasteries with fair amount of centralized power, though local houses had a certain amount of independence. These reforms, written up in their “Charter of Charity” would affect him significantly in his own future work. At the Council of Reims in October 1119, Pope Calixtus II requested Norbert to found a religious order in

588-615: The Netherlands. Though dispersed, the canons met frequently at Heeswijk or in some presbytery, and at the death of the abbot they always elected another, so that from the foundation of the abbey in 1134, there is an unbroken succession of abbots. At the end of the eighteenth century the French Republic confiscated the house at Vilvoorde and so put an end to the community's refuge in Belgium . But novices continued to be admitted, who had their time of probation and made their studies either at

630-517: The Norbertine Fathers. The first stone of St. Norbert College for classical and commercial students was laid in 1901. The abbey founded, or in some cases re-founded, a number of communities, including: 51°39′18″N 5°28′21″E  /  51.65500°N 5.47250°E  / 51.65500; 5.47250 Norbert of Xanten Norbert of Xanten , O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Gennep-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep ,

672-572: The Premonstratensian order. Vilvoorde Vilvoorde ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvɪlvoːrdə] ; West Flemish : Vilvôorde ; French : Vilvorde [vilvɔʁd] ; historically known as Filford in English ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Halle-Vilvoorde district ( arrondissement ) of the province of Flemish Brabant . The municipality comprises

714-620: The United Kingdom, South America, Zaire, South Africa, India and Australia are involved in education, parochial ministry, university chaplaincy also youth work. St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin , is the first institution of higher education to be founded by the Norbertine order . St. Norbert College also houses the Center for Norbertine Studies, a collaborative partnership between the college and

756-500: The abbey grew, making it a spiritual and secular center in this region of The Netherlands . Priests were sent to parishes and the parishes given to the abbey, often with all the additional rights. In this way the village of Berlicum came into the possession of Berne Abbey in 1240, and Heeswijk in 1284. In 1285 Oudheusden , Elshout, Hedikhuizen , Vlijmen and Engelen were added to them, and in 1369 Bokhoven , in 1613 Lithoyen, in 1846 Haarsteeg, and in 1948 Middelrode. Finally in 1964

798-451: The abbey. In comparison with the contemporaneous monastic foundations in Germany and Belgium, Berne Abbey was relatively late to acquire these parishes. After a century of existence the monastery changed its direction. The strict monastic period ended and the focus shifted now from works in the monastery to work outside the abbey. Not only the secular authority, but also the spiritual authority of

840-464: The abbey. The Gymnasium St. Norbert was established, and still exists today as the Gymnasium Bernrode . Around 1920 the abbey began production of their liturgical publications in their own printing office. By acting as publishers and booksellers their religious message was spread. Next to the abbey there is a still a printing office, a bookshop and a publishing group for Liturgy. In 1893 the abbot

882-459: The abbey. The appointed guardians of the abbey were at first the dukes of Cleve . In 1248 the dukes of Brabant took over this duty and finally in 1399 the counts of Holland and the Dukes of Guelders . Berne Abbey has always been held in high esteem, as is proved by the privileges which were granted to it. It possessed the right of patronage over nine parishes, which were always served by priests from

SECTION 20

#1732897656645

924-605: The body. The two parties resorted to Lothair III who decreed the body should be buried in the Norbertine Abbey. In 1524, Martin Luther preached in the city and, as a result, Magdeburg became a Protestant city. Numerous attempts were made over the centuries by the Abbey of Strahov in Prague to retrieve Norbert's body. Only after several military defeats at the hand of Emperor Ferdinand II

966-453: The canons of Xanten , who denounced him as an innovator at the Council of Fritzlar in 1118. He then resigned his benefice, sold all his property and gave the proceeds to the poor. He visited Pope Gelasius II , who gave him permission to become an itinerant preacher and he preached throughout lands in what is now western Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and northern France, being credited with

1008-507: The celebrated school of Anselm , and Ralph of Laon were among his first thirteen disciples. By the next year the community had grown to 40. They all took their vows and the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré was founded. The young community at first lived in huts of wood and clay, arranged like a camp around the chapel of Saint John the Baptist , but they soon built a larger church and a monastery for

1050-485: The city its charter of rights as soon as 1192, mainly to ensure the support of the inhabitants against powerful neighbouring Flanders . The rights to build defensive walls and to export its products gave Vilvoorde a great economic boost, driven mostly by the cloth industry. In the 14th century, thanks to its position on the Zenne, Vilvoorde became an important military centre and could compete against Leuven and Brussels for

1092-517: The city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo and Houtem and the small town of Peutie. The official language of Vilvoorde is Dutch , as in the rest of Flanders . There is a French-speaking minority of about 33.7%, concentrated especially in the Koningslo and Beauval quarters, bordering the Neder-Over-Heembeek neighbourhood of Brussels . The French-speaking minority

1134-412: The deepening of the canals around 1830 and the advent of the railways in 1835. Soon, the medieval buildings gave way to newer and better constructions. The 1489 city hall was replaced by the neoclassical building we see today. In the 1920s, the canal was broadened and deepened again, lined with new industrial zones, and an inland port was built to receive the freightliners. Following its liberation by

1176-466: The enemy. This prayer having been heard, Fulcold converted his castle at Berne into a monastery, where he himself became a lay brother. Blessed Fulcold died on April 12, 1149, on which day his name is recorded in the hagiology of the Premonstratensian order. Fulcold initially brought Augustinian canons from Rolduc Abbey to Berne to start the monastery, but was dissatisfied with their lack of discipline, and sent them back again. He made another attempt at

1218-526: The house at Heeswijk or in some presbytery of the order. King William I of the Netherlands confirmed the continued existence of the abbey in 1824, as did Pope Gregory XVI in 1832. The abbots lived mostly in Heeswijk , where they had a small castle . With the arrival of better times Abbot Neefs in 1847 enlarged it and inaugurated the community life. In 1857 the abbey was finally located in Heeswijk and in 1879

1260-409: The interior of the church was substantially changed by the realignment of the different floor levels on a single surface. The second organ was moved to the balcony. The pewa were removed and replaced by chairs. The church was painted in three shades of yellow and equipped with a new lighting system. The community grew in numbers, and in 1886 the abbot opened a college, entirely staffed by priests from

1302-466: The knight and nobleman Fulcold of Berne, lord of Teisterband, in the Dutch town of Berne , on the banks of the river Maas , two miles south-east of Heusden and about six miles north-west of 's-Hertogenbosch . Numerous legends surround its foundation. One is that Fulcold, when hotly pressed in battle, made a vow to build an abbey, if, by throwing himself into the river Maas, his life might be preserved from

Berne Abbey - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-543: The new order, but Norbert counseled him to remain a layman and marry. Norbert prescribed a few rules and invested Theobald with the white scapular of the order, and thus, in 1122, the Third Order of St. Norbert was instituted. He continued to preach throughout France, Belgium and Germany and was successful in combatting a eucharistic heresy in Antwerp proposed by one Tanchelm . In commemoration of this, Norbert has been proclaimed

1386-624: The parish of Heikant-Quirijnstok in Tilburg was given into the care of abbey by the diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch . The villages of Dinther and Vorstenbosch are now also linked to the abbey. In 1572, during the Eighty Years' War , the abbey was plundered by the Geuzen . On 25 September 1579, it was burned down. In 1648, when the Peace of Münster was signed, the abbey's last remaining estates were confiscated by

1428-590: The priests of Berne, though compelled to remain in hiding and always in danger, continued to minister to the spiritual needs of their people, which may account for some parts of North Brabant and Gelderland remaining Roman Catholic. The future of the community was provided for by the admission of postulants, who made their novitiate and continued their studies at Vilvoorde or in one of the Belgian abbeys. In this way Berne Abbey has been kept up, while nearly all other monasteries, which had made no such provision, have died out in

1470-685: The religious who joined them in increasing numbers. Going to Cologne to obtain relics for their church, Norbert is said to have discovered, through a dream, the spot where those of Ursula and her companions, of Gereon , and of other martyrs lay hidden. In 1125/6, the constitution for the order was approved by Pope Honorius II . Norbert gained adherents in Germany, France, Belgium and Hungary, and houses of his order were founded in Floreffe, Viviers, St-Josse, Ardenne, Cuissy, Laon, Liège, Antwerp, Varlar, Kappenberg, Nagyvárad ( Oradea / Großwardein ) and elsewhere. Count Theobald II of Champagne wanted to enter

1512-551: The title of most important city in Brabant. From the 15th to the 18th century, however, Vilvoorde suffered a prolonged decline, mainly because of the competition from Brussels, a general malaise in the textile industry, and the result of epidemics and wars, both political and religious. The translator of the Bible into English, William Tyndale , was executed here in October 1536. In 1597 Anna Utenhoven , an Anabaptist accused of heresy ,

1554-643: Was Archbishop of Magdeburg , founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular , and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church . Norbert was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in the year 1582, and his statue appears above the Piazza colonnade of St. Peter's Square in Rome. St. Norbert pursued worldly pleasures in the early part of his life. Even after he was ordained a subdeacon, he continued to live in

1596-677: Was buried alive in Vilvoorde – the last of the Protestants suffering martyrdom for their faith in the history of the Habsburg Netherlands . Anthony van Stralen, Lord of Merksem and Jan van Casembroot were also both executed in Vilvoorde. The advent of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century was a godsend to Vilvoorde, which could quickly capitalize on its proximity to Brussels and its good transportation infrastructure:

1638-430: Was 150 years earlier. The recent economic crises have hit the city hard, especially when Renault closed its doors in 1997. The service industry is now taking the lead in 21st-century Vilvoorde. Mayors of Vilvoorde: 43% of residents in Vilvoorde were born abroad, as of 2015, and 44.89% of residents are non-European, predominantly of Arab and African origin. The city is also home to a large Spanish minority. There

1680-415: Was able to comply with the pressing request of Bishop Messmer of Green Bay , Wisconsin , U.S., to send some priests whose special mission would be to minister to the spiritual needs of Belgian and Dutch settlers in his diocese . Prior Pennings, Father Lambert Broens, and a lay brother were sent in 1895, and were soon followed by other priests. In 1898 St. Joseph's church at De Pere was transferred to

1722-419: Was first mentioned in a 779 document whereby Pippin of Herstal ceded this territory to the Abbey of Chèvremont, near Liège . This name presumably derived from the word equivalents villa at the ford or river crossing. In the 12th century, a small town started to grow, which quickly became a target for the ambitions of the dukes of Brabant and lords of Grimbergen . Henry I, Duke of Brabant granted

Berne Abbey - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-500: Was the abbot of Strahov able to claim the body. On 2 May 1627 the body was finally brought to Prague where it remains to this day, displayed as an auto-icon in a glass-fronted tomb. Norbert was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in the year 1582, and his statue appears above the Piazza colonnade of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Premonstratensian (or Norbertine) Canons in Europe, the US, Canada,

#644355