Abbey News
Thursday, September 11, 2008
From The General Chapter. . .
Not much news from the Chapter these days. The current business is reading of the house reports for all the houses in the Order. According to the statistics of January 1, 2008, there are 2,185 monks and 1,782 nuns, for a total of 3,967 persons living in 47 different countries. At the present time there are 97 monasteries of monks and 72 of nuns. That means there are 169 house reports to be read and discussed.
 These house reports are drawn up by each community after a good deal of dialog and then presented to the Chapter. A recent comment from the Chapter states that there were long reports from Regions like South America and Africa. Those regions have a lot of life and are full of interest and promise, with striking problems as well, mainly due to the political, economic and cultural climate that is the background to the lives of the monasteries.
However, listening to those reports in the afternoon, while the erratic air-conditioning plant seemed to be pumping in hot air rather than fresh, was a trial that had more than one capitulant struggling to keep awake. Here we see a portion of the Chapter in session.
It is reported that our new Abbot General, Dom Eamon Fitzgerald of Mount Melleray Abbey, Ireland . Was born in 1945 and was re-elected abbot of his abbey in 2007 for his 4th 6-year term. They will now have to proceed to an election of a new abbot to succeed him. The Order's gain is Mount Melleray's loss.
The question was asked: Is there an installation ceremony for an abbot general as there is for a newly elected abbot of a local house? The answer is, sort of! A newly elected abbot of an abbey is officially 'installed' as abbot by the Father Immediate of the house immediately after the election. At that time he is given the keys of the abbey, crosier, ring and pectoral cross. All the professed monks then make their promise of obedience to their new abbot.
An email with the question was sent to our Abbot at the Chapter and brought this reply: . . .ceremony was his yes, profession of faith and oath of fidelity to the magisterium. No blessing by bishop - just a hug and congrats from each one here. They changed his title on his name badge from Vice-Promotor to Abbot General within seconds after the election!!!!
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