Savannah Priory
Monastery information | |
---|---|
Other names | Savannah Priory |
Order | Benedictine |
Established | 1877 |
Mother house | Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania |
Diocese | Savannah |
People | |
Founder(s) | AbbotNulliusLeo Haid,O.S.B. |
Abbot | TheRight Rev.Martin Bartel,O.S.B. |
Prior | Rev. David Klecker, O.S.B. |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Monastic |
Completion date | 1963 |
Site | |
Location | 6502 Seawright Drive, Savannah, Georgia31406 United States |
Coordinates | 32°0′34″N81°5′33″W/ 32.00944°N 81.09250°W |
TheBenedictine Priory of Savannahis aCatholicmonastery ofBenedictinemonkslocated inSavannah, Georgia.[1]The priory was founded in 1877, and is adependencyofSaint Vincent ArchabbeyinLatrobe, Pennsylvania,and thereby belongs to theAmerican-Cassinese Congregation.[2]It currently operates theBenedictine Military Schoolfor boys.
History
[edit]First mission
[edit]In 1866, the Catholic bishops of the United States had met inBaltimorefor theSecond Plenary Councilheld there to continue providing order to the Catholic Church, which was still newly established in the nation. One of the decrees which resulted from that assembly was to call on all the bishops of the country to establish an outreach to the newly emancipatedAfrican-Americanslaves. In keeping with this mandate,William Hickley Gross,C.Ss.R.,at that time theRoman Catholic Bishop of Savannah,invited the Benedictine monks ofSt. Vincent AbbeyinLatrobe, Pennsylvania,to contribute priests to this mission in his diocese.[3]
In response to his invitation,AbbotBoniface Wimmer,O.S.B., the founder of Benedictine life in the United States, sent two German-born monks to Savannah in 1874. The monks quickly began missionary work amongst newly freed slaves, opening St. Benedict Parish in the city that year, and aparochial schoolthe following year.[3]
Soon after settling there, the monks were able to obtain some parcels of land on theIsle of Hope,off the coast of Savannah, where they opened the first monastery in theSouthern United States.Within a year, however, all the members of the monastic community had died ofyellow fever.[3]
Second mission
[edit]In 1877, the abbot sent a new group of monks to Georgia, under the leadership ofDomOswald Moosmueller, O.S.B., to continue the mission to the former slaves. The monks bought 713 acres onSkidaway Island.At this site (now believed to be preserved, not part of a golf course, and is currently undergoing archaeological research) they built a new monastery and school. Unfortunately, in less than ten years, the project was abandoned as a failure because the monks could not attract enough interest among the African American community in their enterprise.[3]
Benedictine Priory of Savannah
[edit]The ten monks of the mission, now operating under the authority ofBelmont AbbeyinNorth Carolina,made the decision to move to Savannah, where they established a monastery at 31st and Habersham Streets, adjacent to Sacred Heart Parish, which they then served. Recognizing the need for a Catholic boys' school, they established Benedictine College in 1902, later the Benedictine Military School, next to the church. In 1963, both the priory and the school moved to their current location on the southside of Savannah.[3]Shortly after moving to the new location, the monastic community chose to return to the authority of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe.
Current status
[edit]Today the community consists of seven monks, all of whom serve on the staff of the school in various capacities. The monks also provide sacramental assistance in the Diocese of Savannah.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Geographic Database".Order of St. Benedict.
- ^"Directory".The American-Cassinese Congregation.
- ^abcdef"About Us: History".Benedictine Military School.
- Religious organizations established in 1877
- Benedictine monasteries in the United States
- 19th-century Christian monasteries
- African-American history in Savannah, Georgia
- African-American Roman Catholicism
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
- 1877 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)