Sep 17, 2020
The Rise of St. Michael’s Abbey, California
Over the past twenty years, the Norbertines of St. Michael’s Abbey, Silverado, California has grown from a Monastery with a dozen monks to becoming one of the largest monastic communities in the western hemisphere. The growth of this Monastery can be attributed to a renewal in religious life thanks to the reform efforts undertaken by sincere priests, religious, bishops and the faithful who have restored the integrity of religious life and the Catholic faith. This growth can also be attributed to a deeper longing by both young men and women today who seek a deeper encounter with the Lord and to serve Him more faithfully in a religious order that is serious about its mission.
In 2017, the Norbertines of St. Michael’s Abbey launched a 7 part video series called the ‘City of Saints’, that talked about the various ministries, apostolates and miracles that have taken place thanks to the hand of God working in the lives of these monks in Southern California.
This video series brought attention to the hidden world of monasticism and how the spiritual life of the Church is dependent on the prayers, intercessions and apostolates of these monks in California and around the world. This video series also served as a platform to promote the development of a new Abbey, pictured above, now on course to completion that would house hundreds of monks in the years if not centuries to come.
About the Norbertines
The Norbertines were founded in 1120 by St. Norbert, a close friend of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a pioneer of Western monasticism. St. Norbert dedicated his life to asceticism, preaching and ministry in Western Europe. His life and apostolic works attracted many young men to follow him and serve him. Over the course of his lifetime, St. Norbert and his contemporaries were responsible for establishing the foundations of religious life, holy orders and monastic formation in the Western world.
St. Norbert and his successors played a pivotal role in establishing a network of monasteries and parishes in Europe, many of which are still active today in France, Germany and Austria. The Norbertines arrived on the shores of North America towards the latter half of the 19th and 20th Century due to the arrival of Catholic migrants from mainland Europe. Today the Norbertines operate several abbeys in North America as well as institutions for higher learning. St. Michael’s Abbey, California is a testimony of this legacy that began in the 12th Century, whose religious have faithfully served the Holy Mother Church for many centuries.
History of the Abbey
The story of St. Michael’s Abbey begins at the end of World War II. Soviet forces occupying Eastern Europe, sought to enforce their radical ideologies on the peoples of these nations. Various member states who were under soviet occupation became victims of radical totalitarianism. Freedom of speech, access to public libraries and other essentials freedoms were undermined by communist ideology.
Such ideologies were in hostile to the Catholic faith. Hundreds of thousands of Catholic Institutions in Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Croatia and other Eastern states were at risk of being destroyed or being forced to shut down in order to comply with this new regime. In 1950, seven priests from the Norbertine Abbey of St. Michael in Csorna, Hungary sought asylum in the United States shortly after the Hungarian government nationalized the country’s school system and sought to arrest and imprison all Catholic clergy and religious.
These monks arrived in the United States shortly after this decree and began a decade long search to find a new home. After a decade of working in various Catholic Institutions they were able to establish their own monastic community in California thanks to the support of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Over the course of time, the Abbey evolved in its mission from originally forming priests for various dioceses in California to becoming their own thriving monastic community.
Ministry and Outreach
The Monks of St. Michael’s Abbey plays an important role in ministering to people of all age groups and backgrounds. The monks undertake ministries who those struggling with various forms of addictions, restoring dignity and self worth to those suffering from various forms of abuse, engaging in youth ministry and young adult formation, and finally ministering to the faithful.
For the past few decades the monks host regular summer programs and retreats for men and boys to grow in their understanding of what it means to be a man and one vocation to serve the Church. This impetus to providing comprehensive formation programs led to the creation of Bethlehem Priory, a Norbertine community of Sisters established in 1997 to serve as the Sister Abbey to St. Michael’s Abbey.
These sisters have ministered and served young girls and women, and have given an identity to women who have come from abusive homes and households. Over the past three decades, the community of Sisters has also seen a significant growth in vocations resulting in a new capital campaign to construct a new Abbey to accommodate this growth.
Renewal and Reform
The rise of St. Michael’s Abbey and its Sister Abbey — the Bethlehem Priory over the past two decades is truly remarkable considering the fact that the Catholic Church in the United States has suffered from immense turmoil and internal divisions. Yet, much remains to be seen and done in bringing about a further sense of renewal in many Dioceses and Catholic institutions across the country.
The Norbertines themselves have institutions that fail to live up to the teachings of the gospels, St. Norbert’s College in Wisconsin is one of them, in need of urgent renewal and reform. Numerous Abbeys operated by other Norbertine communities in North America, Europe and Asia are also in need of renewal. The recent developments at St. Michael’s Abbey and Bethlehem Priory is a cause of hope and celebration, however, immense efforts are required to bring about a greater renewal among other sisters Abbeys around the world.
