Romanian Greek Catholic monastery moving to Wisconsin

(HRM) - A community of Eastern Catholic monks, Holy Resurrection Monastery, is moving to a new home in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The small community, currently consisting of five monks, is buying the former St. Mary’s Convent (currently known as “Maria Haus”) in the village of St. Nazianz, about 50 miles south of Green Bay.

The monastery belongs to the Romanian Greek Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton, OH, one of the four Byzantine Catholic jurisdictions in the United States. Bishop John Michael Botean of the Romanian Catholic Eparchy said, “I am delighted to give my blessing for this move. I have been praying for many years that our monastery find a permanent home where they can really thrive and grow.”

Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay also expressed delight when learning of this planned move. “I know that the Catholic community of North Eastern Wisconsin will welcome our new monastic neighbors with joy. Their prayerful and hospitable presence will enrich us all. I encourage all Catholics to become better acquainted with the monks and with the rich heritage of the Christian East that they embody.”

The monks’ new home has a long and storied history in St. Nazianz. The village itself is named for one of the great Eastern Fathers of the Church, St. Gregory Nazianzen. “This name was in itself one of the great signs we felt the Lord was giving us,” says the superior of Holy Resurrection, Abbot Nicholas Zachariadis. “How many towns in America are named after a Father of the Church, let alone of the Eastern Church?”

Coming to St. Nazianz, the monks will become part of a long Catholic tradition going back to the founding of the village community in 1854 by the German pioneers led by Father Ambrose Oschwald. The property the monks are buying was originally used by the religious sisters founded by Father Oschwald. Subsequently it was occupied by the Salvatorian Sisters who used it for various purposes until 2000 when they sold it to private owners. For the past decade the building and grounds have been used as a small retreat center, a ministry that the monks will continue.

The monastery will have about a dozen guest rooms for private retreatants and small groups. They also plan to develop a program of one day retreats and adult enrichment workshops designed to immerse people in the rich spiritual and liturgical tradition of the Eastern Christian tradition. The monks primarily use English in their liturgical services.

The monks are also interested in taking up invitations to speak to parishes and other organizations about their life and traditions. “This is most definitely the age of the New Evangelization,” said Abbot Nicholas, “and we need to be a part of it! The truth is that no single tradition is big enough to evangelize the whole world, or even the smaller worlds of our local communities. If the Church is to fulfill its mandate, it needs to draw on the witness of the whole of its traditions, East and West. That’s why Pope John Paul II was so insistent that the Church had to ‘breathe with both lungs,’ something Pope Benedict has echoed many times.”

You can also see more information about the property on the monastery’s website: www.hrmonline.org. The website also contains a link to the monastery’s most recent financial information, as well as the necessary link and contact information if anyone feels moved by the Lord to support them by a donation. Above all, though, the monks are asking for prayers!

The monks anticipate being in a position to begin their receiving guests who wish to make individual or group retreats beginning in the early Spring of 2012. For more information, please contact Abbot Nicholas via their website, or by email: monks@hrmoline.org.