REPORT on the PRE-FOUNDATION in NORWAY
by O.L. of the MISSISSIPPI ABBEY
for the GENERAL CHAPTER of 1999
Our
journey to Norway actually began in 1972 when a young Norwegian woman left her
native country to enter the monastery of Laval in France. Sr. Ina Andresen became a very valuable
member of the Laval community but felt God's call to return to Norway to see if
it would be possible to reestablish the Cistercian life there. In 1990 she received permission to do
this. Soon after her return to Oslo she
received a letter from the Lutheran
mayor of the commune of Frosta, in mid-Norway, inviting her to the island of
Tautra, a part of the commune, where there were still ruins of the 13th
century Cistercian monastery.
In
1992 Sr. Ina asked our community if we could send a sister to live with her and
after some discernment we agreed to send Sr. Marjoe Backhus. They lived on the island of Tautra for
almost two years and were able to discern a call from God for a foundation
there. Sr. Ina became seriously ill and
had to return to Laval. Sr. Marjoe
returned home. The support group that
grew up around the sisters while they were there continued to pray for the
return of Cistercian life and to meet regularly to study our spirituality
together. Bishop Georg Muller of
Trondheim wrote a letter to the General
Chapter in 1996. Dom Bernardo called a
meeting of the Abbesses of Wrentham, Laval and Mississippi to see if anyone was
able to address Bishop Muller's request for a foundation of Cistercians in his
diocese. No one could make a commitment
at that time but all wanted to support the foundation if a community accepted
it.
In
August of 1997, with the assistance of a facilitator, the Mississippi community
discerned a call to make a foundation.
In November of that year Bishop Muller visited us, at our request, to
explain his desire for a Cistercian foundation in his diocese. In late December of 1997 and early January
of 1998 Mother Gail and another sister visited
the Trondheim diocese in Norway to gather facts and then report to the
community. With the help of a
professional facilitator we discerned that we should go to Norway. The definitive vote to begin the process of
a foundation in Norway was made by the Conventual Chapter on January 29,
1998. It was unanimous.
The
foundresses were named on Palm Sunday, 1998, and Mother Gail, Sr. Rosemary
(designated superior) and Sr. Ina went to Norway to search for property in
August of 1998. Bishop Muller offered
to provide the funds for purchasing the property. This process has been completed with the purchase of about seven
and a half acres on the island of Tautra with several buildings there that the
sisters will use until a monastery can be built. On November 4, 1998 the Conventual Chapter voted unanimously to
assume the responsibility of setting up a new Cistercian community before the
Order and the Church.
The
seven Foundresses left for Norway in late February of 1999 (five from OLM, Sr.
Ina and a Norwegian-born sister from Wrentham, Sr. Hanne-Marie). On March 25th
there was a solemn blessing of the pre-foundation on the island of Tautra with
over 200 Norwegians present, both Catholic and non-Catholic. Dom Colmcille and the community of Roscrea
have agreed to be Father Immediate when the pre-foundation becomes autonomous
and Dom Bernard and his community of Mellifont have provided a chaplain. The sisters have begun their work for self
support with a fine quality soap and candles.
It is difficult to assess the possibility of vocations at this
time. There seems to be a sufficient
interest in all the Scandinavian countries.
The community at Mississippi accepts its responsibility to provide
necessary personnel in the years ahead.
The reception of the sisters by the people has been really overwhelming
and quite heart warming.
We are hopeful that the Chapter will approve
this pre-foundation as an official foundation.