A community of French
Benedictine monks will establish a community of “traditional monastic
observance” in the Archdiocese of Hobart, according to The Catholic Weekly.Fr Pius Mary Noonan OSB, who will leave the Abbey of Flavigny to lead the establishment of the new foundation, announced the news in a letter distributed to friends of the community earlier this month.
“The community will not be officially established for a couple more months, but we have now reached the point where the news can be shared with our friends and benefactors,” he wrote.
“This is necessary so that you can pray for its success but also so that you can be aware of our need for support as we initiate this project. At this stage we have nothing except the good will of several candidates to the monastic life.”
Fr Pius said the decision came after a long period of discernment and “lengthy negotiations” with abbey authorities in Flavigny and local Church authorities in Australia.
Fr Pius asked for prayers and financial contributions. “We are starting literally from zero, and need to cover basic expenses of establishment, including construction, purchase of land, and operational expenses,” he wrote.
Flavigny was the seat of a Benedictine abbey from the 7th Century until the French revolution.
The current Abbey was founded in Switzerland in 1976, and there are currently about 50 monks in the community.