When was the Bridgettine order founded?
The Bridgettines were founded in 1344 by Birgitta of Sweden and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. The order is formally called the Order of the Most Holy Saviour and follows the Rule of Saint Augustine.
Questions about Bridgettines
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why was the Bridgettine monk Richard Reynolds executed and later canonized?
Richard Reynolds, a monk of Syon Abbey, refused to accept the Oath of Supremacy and was executed as a traitor on the 4th of May 1535. Pope Paul VI canonized him as a martyr on the 25th of October 1970, under the title Angel of Syon.
What happened to the Bridgettine community after Queen Elizabeth I's accession?
Queen Elizabeth I's persecution of Catholics forced the Bridgettine community out of England. They fled first to the Low Countries, then to Rouen in France, and finally settled in Lisbon in 1594, not returning to England until 1861.
What are the branches of the Bridgettine order today?
The Bridgettines today include a Medieval branch with four monasteries, a Spanish branch founded by Marina de Escobar in the 1630s, the largest Swedish branch founded by Elizabeth Hesselblad in 1911, and a UK branch based at Iver Heath since 1931.
What caused the 2002 controversy in the Bridgettine order?
In 2002, six Indian sisters fled Bridgettine houses in Italy and approached the Benedictine Abbot of Subiaco after facing mistreatment. Bishop Silvio Cesare Bonicelli of Parma issued a decree letting them join Benedictine nuns, and the Holy See then required the abbot to resign.
Where is the Bridgettine order's only monastery of monks located?
The only Brigittine monastery of men in the world is the Monastery of Our Lady of Consolation in Amity, Oregon. Brother Benedict Kirby founded it on the 16th of March 1976, and the monks support themselves by selling chocolate fudges and truffles.