The Benedictine tradition since Vatican II: Catholic monasticism in the modern world

Abstract

How have Catholic Benedictine monasteries responded to the need for religious renewal in times of increased secularism? Vatican II (1962-1965) is of great importance to any assessment of how Benedictine monks are attempting to retain their relevance in the framework of secularization and a secular social order. Vatican II championed a closer engagement between the Church and the modern world, and the bishops who gathered for the council sought to update Catholic practices and customs in response to modern challenges. In this chapter, I discuss three monasteries that present very different styles of monastic culture and liturgical life in the post-conciliar period. The monasteries are the Abbey of St. Madeleine at Le Barroux in southern France, where the Extraordinary Rite (or Latin Mass) is the principal form of liturgical practice; the Abbey of St. Pierre at Solesmes, where the postconciliar Novus Ordo Missae (or New Right) is used, while the emphasis on monastic traditions; and St. Benedict’s Monastery at Arcadia in New South Wales, Australia, where the New Rite is used, along with a reformist view of religious life that stresses change as interpreted in the council documents. 1 Each of these and a number of other monasteries were visited by the author between 2002 and 2008, which included extended stays at these monasteries as a participant observer as well as follow-up visits where possible. 2 This chapter argues that Catholic monasticism since Vatican II reveals a number of different responses to the reform of religious life set out by the conciliar decree Perfectae caritatis (On the Up-to-Date Renewal of Religious Life), which called for a renewal of religious life. While some of these responses are reactionary, others seek to integrate the reforms more harmoniously. Furthermore, each of the monasteries discussed reveals significant differences in how they are maintaining and promoting their Benedictine traditions under modern conditions.