Renew and Create

A Statement on the American-Cassinese Benedictine Monastic Life, Thirty-sixth General Chapter, Second Session, June 1969

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Problems
  3. Life
  4. Conclusion

Dear Confreres:

The greater part of the second session of the 36th General Chapter of our Congregation, held at Holy Cross Abbey from the 16th to the 20th of June of this year, was devoted to a serious discussion of RENEW AND CREATE, the statement on Benedictine life that had been prepared by the Interim Committee appointed during the first session of the 36th General Chapter.

A copy of the first draft of RENEW AND CREATE had been sent to each of the members of the Congregation and a large number responded with suggestions for revision. These suggestions were carefully studied by the members of the Interim Committee, and the original draft was revised. It was this revised text that the General Chapter accepted, section by section, by a large majority of votes in each case.

After the entire statement had been discussed and voted upon, the Chapter took up the question as to the manner in which the statement is to be understood by our Congregation. This question was resolved as follows:

The General Chapter recognizes Part III of RENEW AND CREATE as expressing the basic orientation and traditional elements of Benedictine life, and strongly recommends that the individual communities take them into serious consideration in seeking to resolve their renewal problems.

I am personally convinced that RENEW AND CREATE can be and should be a source of inspiration for all of the members of the American-Cassinese Congregation as we seek to renew our lives as individuals and as communities. For this reason I am happy to add my own recommendation to that of the General Chapter.

Fraternally yours,
+ Baldwin Dworschak, 0.S.B. [1906-96]
Abbot President (1969)