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The '''Subiaco Cassinese Congregation''' is an international union of [[Order of Saint Benedict|Benedictine]] houses (abbeys and priories) within the [[Benedictine Confederation]]. It developed from the '''Subiaco Congregation''', which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of [[Dom (title)|Dom]] [[Pietro Casaretto]], O.S.B., as a reform of the way of life of monasteries of the '''Cassinese Congregation''', formed in 1408, toward a stricter [[contemplation|contemplative]] observance, and received final approval in 1872 by [[Pope Pius IX]]. After discussions between the two congregations at the start of the 21st century, approval was given by [[Pope Benedict XVI]] in 2013 for the incorporation of the Cassinese Congregation into its offshoot, the Subiaco Congregation. The expanded congregation was given this new name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osb.org/new/1301new.html|work=The Order of Saint Benedict|title=Decree of Incorporation|date=February 2013}}</ref>
== History ==
{{more references|section|date=September 2021}}
Father Casaretto (1810–1878) from the age of seventeen was a monk of the [[Abbey of Santa Maria del Monte]] which was a member of the ancient [[Benedictine Confederation|Cassinese Congregation]] of Benedictine monasteries. Due to his poor health later, after his [[ordination]] as a [[priest (Catholic Church)|priest]], he was advised to seek [[exclaustration]] (a temporary leave of absence for discernment). Instead, he accepted assignment to a parish which had been entrusted to the [[pastoral care]] of the Congregation, but only on condition of being accompanied by a few of his brother monks. Furthermore, his stipulation was that they be allowed to follow an exact observance of the monastic life as laid down in the [[Rule of St. Benedict]]. To be revived in this was the practice of perpetual [[abstinence]] from meat and the celebration of [[Matins]] at 2:00&nbsp;a.m. This was seen as an act of defiance in some quarters, but Casaretto had won the confidence of [[Pope Pius IX]] and the [[Kingdom of Sardinia|King of Piedmont]]. His vision was fulfilled with the establishment of a small monastic community in 1843.
The new foundation received approbation within the Congregation in 1846 with the visit of the Abbot of their mother community. That same year, it also found support from the [[Holy See|Vatican]] with its approval of 18 articles Casaretto had submitted to serve as shaping the character of the foundation. Additionally, he founded a small [[seminary]] nearby to prepare monks for serving overseas. This was a step away from the purely European focus of the Cassinese congregation.
Over the next few years, three other Cassinese monasteries joined Casaretto's experiment. At this point, the Cassinese Congregation formed these communities into a new [[ecclesiastical province|Province]] of [[Subiaco, Lazio|Subiaco]], granting these communities a degree of autonomy. By 1867, monasteries in Belgium, England and France had also joined this new Province. That was the year that Casaretto had decided that conditions in the mother Congregation were such that a complete split would be best. For this he convened an extraordinary [[Diet (assembly)|Diet]], which declared such a break, and established the monasteries of the Province as the '''Cassinese Congregation of the Primitive Observance'''. One new feature of this congregation, breaking with monastic tradition, was the establishment of a single [[abbot]] for the congregation, titled the Abbot General, with the [[Superior (hierarchy)|Superior]] of each monastery being titled simply a [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|prior]], who was to be elected [[triennial]]ly, rather than for life.
This step drew the criticism of excessive centralization of monastic life, but the new congregation thrived, and received final [[papal]] approval in 1872, only five years after its inauguration. Yet Casaretto's vision was not to survive intact. Within a few years of his death, a committee of [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinals]] called an extraordinary [[General Chapter]] in 1880. In the course of this, they cancelled the congregational nature of the monastic [[religious vows]] and re-established both the lifetime office of Abbot as the Superior of each monastery and the practice of the monk's vowing stability in a single community.
Following decades saw the consolidation and expansion of the Congregation. Growing hostility by the governments of Italy and France saw temporary suppression of various abbeys. This led them to establish new foundations in [[Bengal]], New Zealand and the [[Philippines]] by the end of the 19th century. The congregation was flourishing however, at the start of the 20th century, with the number of monks growing from about 1,000 in 1920 to over 1,400 by 1937. New foundations were taking place, but this growth also came through the affiliation of the formerly [[Anglican]] monastery of [[Prinknash Abbey]] which chose to affiliate itself with this Congregation, after its [[religious conversion|conversion]] to the [[Catholic Church]].
The [[Spanish Civil War]], followed soon after by World War II, saw a change in fortunes of the Congregation. Widespread destruction and dispersal of religious communities did not spare the monks. The entire community of "El Pueyo" was murdered during this conflict. Growth was able to resume after these conflicts, especially in the French province, which made new foundations in Asia and Africa. In 1959, the General Chapter of the Congregation chose to re-take its original name of Subiaco.<ref>[http://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org/the-congregation/the-history/?lang=en History of the Congregation]</ref>
== Current status ==
{{As of|2021}}, the Congregation consists of 64 monasteries, with another 45 women's houses affiliated or "aggregated". There are 1,250 members located in 24 countries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Organization and Function|url=http://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org/la-congregazione/organizzazione-funzioni/}}</ref>
The congregation was formed with the aim of rediscovering the ancient simplicity of the monastic life, which had become obscured over the centuries. As such, its houses tend to be focused more on an enclosed contemplative life rather than pastoral involvement with the larger community through the operations of schools or parishes. Compared to the other member congregations of the Benedictine Confederation (apart from the [[Ottilien Congregation]]), the Subiaco Confederation is one of the most internationally diverse, due to the widespread missionary activity of its abbeys.
The residence of the Abbot President of the congregation is at the [[Sant'Ambrogio della Massima|Abbey of St. Ambrose]] ({{langx|it|Sant'Ambrogio della Massima}}) in Rome. It was founded by the sister of St. Ambrose in the 4th century as a monastery of nuns.<ref>[http://romafelix.com/sambrmass.htm "Sant'Ambrogio della Massima". Hidden Churches of Rome. Retrieved 19 June 2018.]</ref>
On Thursday, September 22, 2016, capitulars of the General Chapter meeting in Rome, elected as the new Abbot President, Abbot Guillermo Arboleda Tamayo. He is the first Abbot President of the Congregation from the Americas. He was born in 1956, ordained priest in 1980, and professed as a monk of Santa María de la Epifanía (Guatapé) in 1986. He previously served as Abbot of the '''[http://www.abadiasantamaria.org Abbey of Santa Maria de la Asunción (Envigado)]''' and Administrator of '''[http://www.monjesbenedictinosguatape.org Santa María de la Epifanía (Guatapé)]'''.
== Structure of the Congregation ==
The congregation is currently made up of:
: '''Eight provinces''': the Italian Province, the English Province, the Flemish Province, the French Province, the Spanish Province, the African and Madagascar Province, and the Vietnamese Province
: '''The Philippine Pro-Province''' (2 houses)
: '''Extra-provincial''' monasteries, subject directly to the Abbot President of the Congregation
: '''Monasteries of Women'''
As to membership, the most recent ''Catalogus Monasteriorum'' published by the [[Benedictine Confederation]] (2015) notes the following (the figures cited do not include novices, oblates, or temporary professed): <ref>''Catalogus Monasteriorum O.S.B.'' (SS. Patriarchae Benedicti Familiae Confoederatae: Curia dell'Abate Primate, Editio XXII 2015).</ref>
===Italian Province===
[[Image:Abbey of Saint Scholastica, Subiaco.jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of [[Subiaco Abbey]]]]
* [http://www.abbaziamontecassino.org/ Archabbey of Monte Cassino] (6th century): 13 monks
* [http://www.benedettini-subiaco.it Monastery of St. Scholastica] and Sacro Speco (6th century) Subiaco: 19 monks
* [http://www.abbaziasantagiustina.org Abbey of St. Justina], Padua (970): 15 monks
* [http://www.monasterosangiovanni.com Abbey of St. John the Evangelist], Parma (980): 10 monks
* [http://www.badiadicava.it Abbey of the Holy Trinity], Cava (1011): 8 monks
* [http://www.monasterosangiacomo.it/ Abbey of St. James the Greater], Pontida (1076): 14 monks
* [http://www.praglia.it/wordpress Praglia Abbey], Praglia (1080): 44 monks
** Sadhu Benedict Math, Maheshwarapash, [[Daulatpur Thana, Khulna|Daulatpur]], [[Bangladesh]] (1990): (dependent on Praglia)
** [http://www.abbaziasangiorgio.it Abbey of St. Gregory the Great], Venice (982): 3 monks (dependent on Praglia)
* [http://www.santuariodimontevergine.com Abbey of St. Mary of Montevergine], Montevergine (1124): 14 monks
** [[Abbey of Saint Peter (Assisi)|Abbey of St. Peter]], Assisi (970): 5 monks (dependent on Montvergine)
* [http://www.abbaziadisanmartino.it Abbey of St. Martin], Palermo (1347): 10 monks
* [http://www.finalpia.it/home.html St. Mary's Abbey, Finalpia], Finale Ligure (1477): 13 monks
** Priory of Saints Martin and Benedict, Pegli: 2 monks (dependent on Finalpia)
* [http://www.abbazialascala.it Abbey of St. Mary of the Stairs], Noci (1930): 15 monks
* [http://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org/project/abbazia-di-san-pietro-di-sorres/ Abbey of St. Peter of Sorres], Borutta (1955): 10 monks
* Abbey of St. Mary of Farfa, Farfa (6th century): 6 monks
** Abbey of St. Peter, Perugia (966): 5 monks (dependent on Farfa)
* [http://www.abbazianovalesa.org Monastery of Saints Paul and Andrew], Novalesa (726): 7 monks
* [https://www.monasteromodena.com/ Monastery of St. Peter], Modena (983): 8 monks
* Abbey of St. Mary of the Mountain, Cesena (10th century): 7 monks (dependent on Modena)
* [http://www.miracoli.abruzzo.it Monastery of Our Lady of Miracles], Miraculi (1925): 8 monks
* [https://www.monasterogermagno.it/germagno/ Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul], Germagno (1974): 10 monks
* Monastery of Benedictine G.B. Dusmet, Nicolosi: 4 monks
* [http://www.monasterodumenza.it Monastic Community of the Most Holy Trinity], Dumenza (1989): 9 monks
===English Province===
[[Image:Eugenie tomb.jpg|thumb|right|Tomb of [[Empress Eugénie]] in [[St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough]]]]
* [http://www.pluscardenabbey.org Pluscarden Abbey], Moray (1230): 21 monks
** [http://www.stmarysmonastery.org St. Mary's Monastery], Petersham, Massachusetts (1987): 4 monks (dependent on Pluscarden)
* [http://www.chilworthbenedictines.com St. Augustine's Abbey], Chilworth (1861): 10 monks; formerly at [[St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate|Ramsgate]]
* [http://farnboroughabbey.org St. Michael's Abbey], Farnborough (1895): 4 monks
* [http://www.prinknashabbey.org Prinknash Abbey], Gloucestershire (1896): 12 monks
* [https://christdesert.org Monastery of Christ in the Desert], Abiquiu, New Mexico (1964): 27 monks
** Monastery of Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, San Miguel, Mexico (1987): 10 monks  (dependent on Christ in the Desert)
** Monasterio Benedictino De Santa María y Todos Los Santos, Texin, Telocelo, [[Veracruz]], Mexico (1997): 10 monks (dependent on Christ in the Desert)
** [http://www.thientamosb.org Monastery of Thien Tam], Kerens, Texas (2009): 6 monks  (dependent on Christ in the Desert)
* [http://chicagomonk.org Monastery of the Holy Cross], Chicago, Illinois (1989): 7 monks
* [http://www.kristobuasemonastery.org Monastery of Kristo Buase], Techiman (1989), priory ''sui juris'' i.e., granted independent status in 2016: 12 monks
===Flemish Province===
* [http://www.abdijaffligem.be Affligem Abbey], Affligem, Belgium (1062): 12 monks
* [http://www.abdijdendermonde.be Dendermonde Abbey], Dendermonde, Belgium (1837): 11 monks
* [http://www.sintpietersabdij.be St. Peter's Abbey], Steenbrugge, Belgium (1094): 7 monks
* [[Pietersburg Abbey|St. Benedict's Abbey]], Pietersburg, South Africa (1910): 14 monks
* [http://www.keizersberg.be Keizersberg Abbey] (''Regina Coeli''), [[Leuven]], Belgium (1899): 5 monks
*  [[St. Paul's Abbey, Oosterhout|Abbey of St. Paul]], Teteringen/Oosterhout (1907): 8 monks
* [http://willibrordsabdij.nl St. Willibrord's Abbey], Slangenburg, Doetinchem, Netherlands (1945): 8 monks
** Sint-Maartenskommuniteit, Tilburg, Netherlands: 3 monks (dependent on St. Willibrord's Abbey)
===French Province===
* [http://www.apqv.fr Abbey of St. Mary of La Pierre-qui-Vire], [[Saint-Léger-Vauban]], France (1850): 46 monks
** Chauveroche Priory, France (1980): 6 monks (dependent on La Pierre-qui-Vire)
* [http://www.belloceturt.org Abbey of Our Lady of Belloc], [[Urt]], France (1875): 27 monks
* [[Landévennec Abbey]], France (1878): 20 monks
** Monastery of Morne-Saint-Benoît, [[Port-au-Prince]], [[Haïti]] (1981): 4 monks (dependent on Landévennec)
* [https://www.encalcat.com Abbey of St. Benedict of En-Calcat Abbey], [[Dourgne]], France (1890): 52 monks
** Monastery of St. Mary, Bouakè, Côte d’Ivoire (1960): 14 monks (dependent on Calcat Abbey)
* [[Tournay Abbey]], Tournay, France (1934): 20 monks
* [http://www.abbaye-fleury.com Fleury Abbey], [[Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire]], France (630): 32 monks
===Hispanic Province===
[[Image:LaMorenetaVirginOfMontserrat.jpg|thumb|upright|Our Lady of Montserrat]]
* [http://www.abadiadesamos.com Abbey of Saint Julián of Samos], [[Lugo]], [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], Spain (655; 960): 19 monks
** Monastery of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico: 5 monks (dependent on Samos)
* [http://monasteriodevalvanera.es Valvanera Abbey], La Rioja, Spain (900): 12 monks
* [http://www.abadiamontserrat.net Abbey of Sant Mary of Montserrat], Barcelona, Spain (1025): 76 monks
** [http://abbaye-cuxa.com Abbey of Saint Michael of Cuxa], Codalet, France: 5 monks (dependent on Montserrat)
** [http://www.santuarielmiracle.com Monastery of Saint Mary (Santuari del Miracle)], [[El Solsonès]], Catalonia, Spain (1899): 6 monks (dependent on Montserrat)
* Estibaliz Priory, [[Estibaliz]], [[Álava]], Spain (1923): 7 monks
* [http://monasteriopaular.com Monastery of Saint Mary of El Paular], [[Rascafria]], [[Madrid]], Spain (1954):<ref>formerly a [[Carthusian]] monastery, [[El Paular Charterhouse]]</ref> 8 monks
* [http://www.abadiasantamaria.org Abbey of Saint Mary of Assumption], Envigado, Colombia (1954): 15 monks
* [http://www.monjesbenedictinosguatape.org Monastery of Saint Mary of the Epiphany], Guatapé, Colombia (1968): 27 monks
* Monasterio de Santa Teresa de Jesús, Lazkao, Spain (1968): 8 monks
* [[Resurrection Abbey]], Ponta Grossa (Brasil): 23 monks<ref>[https://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org/project/abadia-da-ressurreicao-ponta-grossa/?lang=en "Abbey of the Resurrection", Subiaco Cassinese Congregation]</ref>
===Africa and Madagascar Province===
* [[Monastère Bénédictin Sainte-Marie|Bouaké Priory]], [[Bouaké]], [[Côte d'Ivoire]]: 19 monks
* [[Mahitsy]] Monastery, [[Madagascar]] (1955): 23 monks
* [[Abbaye de l'Ascension|Abbey of the Ascension]], [[Dzogbégan]], [[Danyi-Apéyémé]], [[Togo]] (1961): 32 monks
* [[Abbaye Saint-Benoît de Koubri|Koubri Abbey]], [[Koubri]], [[Burkina Faso]] (1963): 23 monks
* [[Abbaye Saint-Benoît de Koubri#Dependencies|Mont Tabor de Hékanmè]], [[Attogon]], [[Benin]] (1998): 7 monks (dependent on Koubri)
===Vietnamese Province===
* Thien An Abbey, [[Hué]] (1940): 43 monks (and 3 secular oblates)
* Thien Hoa Priory, [[Đắk Lắk]] (1962): 12 monks
* Thien Binh Priory, [[Đồng Nai Province|Đồng Nai]] (1970): 51 monks
* Thien Phuoc Priory, [[Ho Chi Minh City]] (1972): 55 monks (and 28 secular oblates)
===Philippine Pro-Province===
* [[Our Lady of Montserrat Abbey, Manila|Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat]], [[Manila]] (1895): 28 monks (and 40 secular oblates
* [http://www.transfigurationabbey.com Abbey of the Transfiguration], [[Malaybalay]] (1981): 14 monks (and 1 Novice;  1 Simply Professed; 24 Secular Oblates; 13 Oblate Novices. Elevated to an abbey by decree of the abbot president, Rt. Rev. Guillermo L. Arboleda, OSB on 2 February 2017. The founder and first abbot elected is Rt. Rev. Eduardo Africa, OSB.
===Extra-provincial===
* [http://www.abtei-kornelimuenster.de Kornelimünster Abbey], Aachen (814): 9 monks
* [http://www.newnorcia.wa.edu.au Abbey of the Holy Trinity], New Norcia, Western Australia, (1846): 12 monks (and 30 secular oblates)
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==Sources and external links==
* [http://www.benedettinisublacensicassinesi.org Subiaco Cassinese Congregation official website]
[[Category:Benedictine congregations]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1867]]