Mount Angel Abbey facts for kids
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 Location in the United States
Location in Oregon
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| Monastery information | |
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| Order | Benedictine |
| Established | October 30, 1882 |
| Mother house | Engelberg Abbey |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon |
| Abbot | The Right Rev. Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B. |
| Prior | Rev. William Hammelman, O.S.B. |
| Archbishop | The Most Rev. Alexander Sample |
| Site | |
| Coordinates | 45°03′25″N 122°46′30″W / 45.057°N 122.775°W |
Mount Angel Abbey is a Roman Catholic monastery. It is home to Benedictine monks. The abbey is located in Saint Benedict, Oregon, near Salem. It was started in 1882 by monks from Engelberg Abbey in Switzerland. The abbey sits on top of Mount Angel, a 485-foot-high hill. It even has its own post office! In 2021, about 51 monks lived there.
Contents
History of Mount Angel Abbey
How Mount Angel Abbey Started (1882–1903)
Mount Angel Abbey began on October 30, 1882. Benedictine monks came to the United States from Engelberg, Switzerland. Father Adelhelm Odermatt, a monk from Engelberg Abbey, had the idea. He was working in Missouri at the time.
Five years later, in 1887, the monks opened a school. They called it Mount Angel College. In 1889, they also started a seminary. A seminary is a school for people who want to become priests. They did this at the request of Archbishop William Gross of Oregon City.
Growing Over Time (1904–Present)
In 1904, the community officially became an abbey. This meant it was now independent from its original monastery in Switzerland. Thomas Meienhofer, who was also from Switzerland, became the first abbot. An abbot is the head of an abbey.
In 1926, a second fire destroyed the monastery building. The monks had to live in private homes and nearby church buildings. They started rebuilding soon after. In 1930, they built Aquinas Hall. A gym was added in 1936.
In 1939, Mount Angel Abbey started its first "daughterhouse." This is a new monastery called Westminster Abbey (British Columbia) in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1946, the college closed. The monks then focused on their seminary and a school for boys. In 1959, they built a retreat house. This was a place for regular people to come for spiritual reflection.
In 1965, two more monasteries were started from Mount Angel Abbey. These were Ascension Priory in Idaho and Our Lady of the Angels Abbey in Cuernavaca, Mexico. In 1980, Father Bonaventure Zerr became the seventh abbot. He helped build a new library. This library was for seminary students and for people doing scholarly research. The famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto designed the library.
Even though the seminary is very important, the abbey also lets other students study there. They can get degrees in philosophy and theology. In the 1970s, about 125 monks lived at the abbey. This made it one of the largest Benedictine communities for men in the United States.
Abbots of Mount Angel Abbey
Here are the abbots who have led Mount Angel Abbey since 1904:
- 1904-1910 Thomas Aquinas Meienhofer
- 1910-1921 Placidus Fuerst
- 1921-1934 Bernard Murphy
- 1934-1950 Thomas Aquinas Meier
- 1950-1974 Damian Jentges
- 1974-1980 Anselm Galvin
- 1980-1988 Bonaventure Zerr
- 1988-1997 Peter Eberle
- 1997-2001 Joseph Wood
- 2001-2009 Nathan Zodrow
- 2009-2016 Gregory Duerr
- 2016-present Jeremy Driscoll
Mount Angel Seminary and School of Theology
Mount Angel Seminary was once part of the old Mount Angel College. Today, it serves many western dioceses (church areas). It has about 170 students. The seminary's main church has a tall tower. This tower holds the largest free-swinging bells on the west coast! In 2006, a new seminary building won an award for being environmentally friendly. A new bell tower was built in 2007 to celebrate the abbey's 125th birthday.
The seminary has programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. The undergraduate program focuses on a bachelor's degree in philosophy. Students can also study literature or religious studies. The seminary offers degrees to both students studying to become priests and other students. The Graduate School of Theology offers several advanced degrees.
Mount Angel Library
The Mount Angel Library was designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. It was built in 1970 and updated in 1980. Both seminary students and theology students use the library. It has 240,000 physical books and 100,000 electronic books. It has the largest collection of theology books in the Northwest United States.
Besides many books, the library also has an archive of old manuscripts. Some of these handwritten documents date back to the 12th century. The library has also made many manuscripts digital. This means you can view them on a computer. Many of these are from England, France, and Italy.
Mount Angel Abbey Museum
The Mount Angel Abbey Museum has a collection of interesting items. You can see displays of mounted animals and different rocks and minerals. There are also unique objects, old church clothes, and religious items. You can even find things from the Civil War there.
Benedictine Brewery
In 2018, a special brewery opened at the abbey. It was the third monastic brewery in the United States. Monks often brew beer as part of their tradition. This is true for the Benedictine monks at Mount Angel Abbey. The abbey is a 350-acre monastery. It is located on a wooded hill above the small town of Mount Angel. Now, the monks at the abbey brew their own beer!
See also
- Engelberg Abbey, the original monastery that started Mount Angel Abbey
- Westminster Abbey (British Columbia), a monastery started by Mount Angel Abbey
