PREMONSTRATENSIAN
388
PREMONSTRATENSIAN
active. The third is taken from monastic orders, succurrendum, wear the white scapular under their
The fourth and fifth are characteristic of the Nor- secular dress and have certain prayers to say. The
bertine Order, to which these special devotions were spirit of the Third Order must evidently be the spirit
bequeathed by the founder. The title of the first of the order itself. The members should possess zeal
chapter of the "Statuta", " De tremendo altaris Sac- for souls, love mortification, and practise and pro-
ramento", seems to indicate that devotion to the mote an enlightened devotion to the Holy Eucharist
Holy Eucharist as a sacrifice and sacrament should and to the Immaculate Conception. As a modern
have the first place in the heart of a son of St. Norbert. author (Duhayon, S.J., " La Mine d'or", c. v) St. Norbert wrote an
Office in honour of
the Immaculate Con-
ception which con-
tained these words:
"Ave, Virgo quaj Spi-
ritu Sancto prceser-
vanf e, de tanto primi
parentis peccato tii
uniphasti irmovia'
The third chapter of
the "Statuta begm',
with these w or 1
"Horse DeiparT \ ir
ginis Maria' can li li
ordinis nostri piti
nse singularis ct
Guerenus writes m his
commentaries on tht
Canticle of Cantick
"St. Norbert with
his holy Order was
Monday E France
"By the institution
of the Third Order in
the midst of the
stream of temporal
anxieties St. Norbert
ha.s introduced the re-
ligious life into the
family circle. No-
body before St. Nor-
bert had conceived
the idea of realizing
in the Church a state
f life which should be midway between the cloister and the world, or in other w jrds a religious or-
1 r which should pen- i tr ite into the Chris- ti in homes. . . . \ftf r his death it was imitated by other
raised up by Divine Pro\idcnce to render conspicuous foundirs, especiallj bj St. FrancLs and St. Dominic'
in his day two mysteries, the Blessed Sacrament of the Propagatio.v of the Order. — The order increased
Holy Eucharist and the Immaculate Conception of very rapidly and, in the words of Adrian 1\, it spread
Our Lady". its branches from sea to sea. Before the death of
As to the second end, zeal for souls, the preface to Hugh of Fosse, the first abbot general, a hundred
the "Statuta" says: "Our order is the propagation of and twenty abbots were present at the general chap-
God's glory; it is zeal for souls, the administration of ter. Of the_ first disciples, nearly all became abbots
the sacraments, service in the Church of God. Our of new foundations, and several were raised to the
order is to preach the Gospel, to teach the ignorant, episcopal dignity. Development was chiefly effected
to have the direction of parishes, to perform pastoral through the foundation of new abbeys, but several
duties, etc." At the
time of St. Norbert
the clergy were not
numerous, often badly
prepared for their
ministry, and disso-
lute. Besides, there
■were numerous vil-
lages without church
or priest. What was
needed was clerical
training to imjiart
piety and learning.
The order has had its
share in the carrj-ing
out of this good work,
and the Norbertine
Abbeys have been
called, by popes and
bishops, seminaries of
missionaries and par
Abbey of Tepl, Bi
religious communities
tihvady in existence
"ished to adopt the
■iistitutions of Pre-
i^iitrO and wereaffil-
uiud to and incorpo-
rali-d with the order.
We have already
mentioned the names
of abbeys foun<led in
i'lance, Belgium, and
CuTinany, but colo-
nies of the sons of St.
Norbert were sent to
nearly every country
of Europe and even
to Asia. In 1130 King
.Slc])hen gave them
his cast Icon the River
Kcrcs, and tlius was
founded the Abbey of
ish priests. From its beginning the order has accepted St. Stephen, the first of nuraerou.s monasteries in Hun-
parishes which were, and are still, in many cases ad- gary. Almaric, who had shared in St. Norbert's apo.s-
ministered by Norbertine priests. That the Order of folate, a famous preacher in aid of the Crusades, was
Pr6montr6 may obtain benefices and administer par- requested by Innocent II to preach in Palestine. At
ishes was again decided by Benedict XIV by the the head of a chosen band of Norbertines he set out in
Bull "Oneroso" of 1 Sept., 17.50. 1130 for the Holy Land, where he was hospitably re-
CoMPOSiTiON OF THE Order. — The order is com- eeived by Fulco of Anjou, King of Jerusalem, and by
posed of three classes: (1) priests and clerics under an William, Patriarch of the Holy City. In the following
abbot or provost; (2) nuns who embrace the Rule of year Almaric founded the Abbej' of St. Abacuc.
St. Norbert; (3) members of the Third Order of St. Henry Zdik, Bishop of Olmiitz, made a pilgrimage to
Norbert. Both priests and nuns have a two years' Jerusalem. He visited St. Abacuc and was so much
novitiate and make solemn vows. In some countries touched by what he saw that he asked to be received
Norbertine nuns are now bound by simple vows only, into the order. Having obtained some religious, he
In the monasteries there are laybrothers and lay- returned to Bohemia and founded the Abbey of Mount
Bisters who likewise make their vows. The members Sion at Strahov, Prague. This abbey flourished so
of the Third Order, originally called /ra(res et sorores ad much that it was called the seminary of bishops, hav-
