Newspaper Page Text
Published by the
Catholic Lay
men’s Association
of Georgia
“To Bring About
a Friendlier
Feeling Among
Neighbors Irre
spective of Creed”
Vo). XXV. No. 3. THIRTY-TWO PAGES AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, MARCH 31, 1944 ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR
TRAPPISTS OPEN MONASTERY IN GEORGIA
I'wenty-two members of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, who travelled by train
from their monastery at Trappist, Kentucky, are shown above as they were waiting to get into the auto
mobiles in which they would travel the rest of the way to their new monastery near Conyers. The
habits, which they wore all during the trip distinguished the priests from the lay brothers. The priest
wearing the white habits with the black scapulars, the brothers wearing the dark habits.—(Photo by B.
W. Callaway—Courtesy of The Atlanta Constitution.)
BARN LOFT TRANSFORMED INTO MONASTERY CHAPEL—Immediately upon-their arrival at their
new monastery near Conyers, Georgia, the Trappist monks and brothers converted a portion of the loft
of the barn on their property into a chapel, installing the five altars and the organ which they had
brought with them from the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. One of the monks is pictured plac
ing an altar stone in the main altar. One of the lay brothers is engaged in unpacking candlesticks and
a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which will be placed beside and above the tabernacle.—(Photo-
Courtesy of The Atlanta Journal). — —
Trappist Monks Pass Through Atlanta
Order of Cistercians of the
Strict Observance Acquire
Farm Property Near Conyers
Twenty Trappist Monks From the Abbey of Our Lady of
Gethsemani in Kentucky Are Now Engaged in Con
verting Barns and Other Buildings to Monastic Use
Until Conditions Permit Erection of the Monastery of
Our Lady of the Holy Ghost
(Special to The Bulletin)
CONYERS, Ga.—The Feast of
St. Benedict, Match 21, the an
niversary day of the founding, in
1098, of Notre Dame de Citeaux,
the Motherhouse of the Cister
cian branch of the great Benedic
tine Order, at Saint Georges,
Cote d’Or), France, witnessed in
1944 a new monastery of the
Order of Cistercians of the Strict
Observance, the establishment of
a new monastery of the Order of
Cistercians of the Strict Observ
ance, in Rockdale County, near
Conyers, Georgia, by Trappist
Monks from the Abbey of Our
Lady of Gethsemani, Trappist,
Kentucky.
Twenty-one religious from the
monastery in Kentucky form the
pioneer colony of the new mon
astery w'hich will be called in
the Order, “Our Lady of the Holy
Ghost’’, with “Monastery of the
Holy Ghost” as its popular name.
With the gladly granted per
mission of His Excellency the Most
Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara, D. D„
J. U. D., Bishop of Savannah-
Atlanta, the Right Rev. Frederick
M. Dunne, O. C- S. O., Abbot
of the monastery in Kentucky,
came to Georgia some months ago
to inspect several sites which
might be available as a location
for the new monastery.
The site finally decided upon
is a 1,465-acre tract in Rockdale
County, about thirty mileS from
Atlanta, near Conyers, and more
than four miles off the highway
between Atlanta and Augusta.
The property, which contains culti
vated farm land, fields suitable for
grazing, and considerable timber
land, crossed by a running stream,
is part of the farm formerly own
ed by Colleen Moore, the motion
picture actress.
It was purchased from Mercer
Harbin, of Atlanta, and it is
understood that a cash considera
tion of $45,000 was involved in
the transaction.
The members of the Trappist
Order arrived in Atlanta on the
afternoon of March 22, and went
directly to the farm by automo
biles, where they began imme
diately to make the property
ready for occupancy.
Living quarters were set up in
a large white-brick, tin-roofed
barn. In less than twelve hours
the loft had been partitioned into
a chapel, sleeping quarters, and
a community room. In an adjacent
grain house a kitchen and dining
room were established and the
austere community was ready to
begin its routine monastic day
which starts at two o’clock in
the morning.
Ten tenant houses are located on
the property, and all are now
occupied by farmers who will
move as soon as they can con
veniently do so.
The living quarters of the monks
were hastily partitioned into in
dividual stalls about five ‘feet
wide and nine feet long for sleep
ing purposes. Mattresses stuffed
with straw arc placed on the
bunks, which are made of ordinary
wood.
For the time being the barn
will serve as a cloister and a
chapel and the farm’s outbuildings
as kitchen and refectory. Later
the Trappists will built here, where
native Georgia granite is available
in abundance, a monastery alike
in form to those of medieval
times.
Since the Trappists maintain
themselves by their own labor,
many of them are experts in scien
tific agriculture and devote years
of patient study and work to the
development of superior strains of
vegetables, grain and cattle. Their
farms are always models of scien
tific farming and, though they ob
serve the rule of their religious
life which goes back to the found
ing of their Order at La Trappe,
France, two hundred years ago,
and beyond that to the great Abbey
of Citeaux nine hundred years
ago, and even beyond (hat to
Monte Cassino, where St. Bene
dict drafted his rule of monastic
life, they use all I he modern farm
equipment that can be secured
to further their husbandry.
Here, as at the other Trappist
(Continued on Page 4-A)
BISHOP OF SAVANNAH-ATLANTA EXTENDS.
WELCOME TO TRAPPIST MONKS WHO ARE
ESTABLISHING A MONASTERY IN GEORGIA
I
(Special to The Bulletin)
ATLANTA, Ga.—His Excellency
the Most Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara,
D. D., J. U. D., Bishop of Savan-
nah-Atlanta, who paid his first
visit to the newly established mon
astery of the Order of Cistercians
of the Strict Observance, near
Conyers, on the afternoon of
Sunday, March 26, expressed his
great pleasure at the coming of
thp Trappists to the Diocese of
Savannah-Atlanta ir. the following
words of welcome:
“The coming of the Trappists
to Georgia is, undoubtedly, one
of the most important events in the
long history of this Diocese and
this State. That the secular press
should have acclaimed their ar
rival so eloquently is but one
indication o f the immense signifi
cance of the establishment on
Georgia soil of a Trappist mon
astery-
“Today, another sanctuary of
prayer and sacrifice has been set
up in our midst. From this san
ctuary, night and day, prayers of
saintly men will ascend before
the throne of God—prayers that
will in turn bring down on our
Diocese and our State, the heaven
ly dew of God’s special graces.
“Truly, may we say, ‘this is
the day that the Lord hath made;
let us rejoice and be glad there
in.’
“In the name of all our clergy,
Religious and laity, as well as in
my own, I bid the Trappist Monks
a most cordial welcome to this
Diocese. We rejoice in their
coming. We thank God they are
here. Our soil will receive a new
consecration by their prayers and
sanctified labors, and the example
of their lives will spur us all to
imitate even from afar, their
spirit of utter devotion to the
things of God.
“To the Right Rev. Abbot Fred
eric Dunne, O. C. S. O., we ex
press our sentiments of profound
gratitude for his great goodness to
us in giving us the privilege of
having in our midst a Monastery
of his Order.
“It is our fervent prayer that
the new foundation that has be
gun so auspiciously may ever
prosper in the sight of God and
be the means of procuring for all
of us a rich measure of God’»
choicest gifts.”