Issue Number 3: Mary, Queen of Citeaux
This issue brings together rich insights from the monks and nuns of our Order as we strive to honor Mary, Queen of Cîteaux, who, under her title of Our Lady of the Assumption, is our special patroness. Each contribution explores a different facet of this inexhaustible theme, allowing us to see Cistercian Marian devotion from unique historical, theological, spiritual, and experiential perspectives. Special thanks to Our Lady of Cîteaux Abbey for the very beautiful invocation to Our Lady of the Assumption which heads this issue.
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In this Issue of Colloquium
FEATURED ARTICLES
Mary, Queen of Citeaux
Dom david lavich, ocso
Following some earlier monastic precedents, the White Monks clearly manifested a tender devotion toward the Virgin Mother. She was their queen: “Salve, Regina!”
This devotion and loyalty to Mary can be noticed from the very beginning of the Order. Ordinatum est: In honore Reginae caeli et terrae nostra omnia fundari debere cenobia. “It has been decreed: All our monasteries are to be founded in honor of the Queen of heaven and earth.”
This devotion and loyalty to Mary can be noticed from the very beginning of the Order. Ordinatum est: In honore Reginae caeli et terrae nostra omnia fundari debere cenobia. “It has been decreed: All our monasteries are to be founded in honor of the Queen of heaven and earth.”
My Soul Magnifies the Lord!
dom paul mark schwan, ocso
What elements make up a Cistercian devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM)? As a member of the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance, I propose that first it is necessary to look at our Constitutions to see what is said about the BVM and then comment upon their relevance in forming a Cistercian devotion to Mary. In our Constitutions, there are found four references to the BVM.
Monks of Our Lady of New Clairvaux singing the Salve, Regina
Image courtesy of www. newclairvaux.org
Litany of Mary’s Praises
in Blessed Oglerio of Locedio
SR. JULIE ANN PESONGCO, OCSO
Scattered throughout the chapters of Blessed Oglerio’s In Praise of God’s Holy Mother (CF 70) was a remarkable series of Marian acclamations—brief yet profound praises woven into Blessed Oglerio’s meditation on the Blessed Virgin. Considered individually, these acclamations are beautiful literary expressions; gathered together, they form what may fittingly be described as a Litany of Mary’s Praises.
Blessed Joseph-Marie Cassant
MO. AUGUSTA TESCARI
Except in monastic circles—especially French-speaking ones—Blessed Marie-Joseph Cassant is avery little-known Trappist. Discreet, reserved, and unassuming, Fr. Cassant lived his life in a way that drew little attention to himself. He spent nine years at the Abbey of Our Lady of the Desert in southern France, passing almost completely unnoticed. Yet Marie-Joseph Cassant is someone worth
talking about because he is one of the humble and simple people for whom Jesus gives thanks to the Father.
Mẹ Maria: Reflecting on Vietnamese Marian Devotion
SR. MARTA HA THI THANH THUY
I first came to know Our Lady through my family; my grandparents and parents taught us, children and grandchildren, to pray morning and evening prayers by reciting memorized prayers and saying the Rosary.
READ NOWBehold Your Mother
DOM BERNARDO OLIVERA, OCSO
An excerpt from a conference paper given by Dom Bernardo Olivera. The original Spanish text was published as ‘He ahí a tu Madre. La experiencia de un mártir contemporáneo: Christophe Lebreton (1950–1996)’ in III Congreso Internacional sobre el Císter: Actas (Tomo II), Ourense, 2006, pp. 1387–1403.
READ NOW
Christ and the Virgin Enthroned
Rinaldo da Siena (Master of the Clarisse), c. 1270. Tempera and gold on panel, 97 × 59 cm. Diocesan Museum (Oratorio di San Bernardino), Siena. Image sourced via Wikimedia Commons.
Mary and the Monk
dom augustine roberts, ocso
Where does Mary fit among the many elements of monastic life? How does the monk or nun live out a relationship with the Mother of Jesus? Who and what is Mary for me? For many, even in monasteries, the reality of Mary may be one of the truths of faith accepted and recited in the Creed but not really lived or appreciated as referring to a person who intervenes directly in daily life.
(Republished with permission from Word & Spirit, Issue 10, 1988)
SPECIAL FEATURE:
SALVE REGINA: ORIENS COMMUNITIES
In these pages, the communities of the Oriens region offer reflections on their Salve Regina statue of Our Lady: its provenance, its cultural significance, and its role in the Marian devotion of our monks and nuns. Every statue radiates a distinct beauty, imbued with the quiet charm and simplicity so characteristic of the Cistercian spirit. Shaped by a rich cultural heritage, these images from the Oriens region bear the profound hopes of their people—participating intimately in that hidden apostolic fruitfulness to which we are bound by our Cistercian vocation.
read now
COLUMNS
Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth
Francisco de Zurbarán,c. 1630–1640. Oil on canvas, 165 × 218.2 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Image sourced via Wikimedia Commons.
Visio divina
FRANCISCO DE ZURBARÁN:
Christ and the Virgin
in the House of Nazareth
Looking closely at Mary’s face, in fact, we can see that her cheeks are streaked with tears. The mother’s heartbroken expression at the sight of the blood makes us reflect on how deeply her immaculate heart has known the horror caused by our sins. It makes us reflect on the difference between why Mary weeps and why we weep.
READ NOWsacred music
VIRGA JESSE
The Alleluia text celebrates the ‘flower’ that buds from the stump of Jesse: the God-man, the mediator who will definitively reconcile God and humanity. The stump of Jesse’s root is a sign of God’s love for all people, having sprouted and blossomed into the Saviour.
O Root of Jesse’s stem,
Sign of God’s love for all his people,
Come to save us without delay.
However, this Alleluia is sung every year on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, as she is the New Eve whose birth reversed the Fall of Man. During this feast, we remember the stump of Jesse as we read the Gospel account of the genealogy of Jesus.
O Root of Jesse’s stem,
Sign of God’s love for all his people,
Come to save us without delay.
However, this Alleluia is sung every year on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, as she is the New Eve whose birth reversed the Fall of Man. During this feast, we remember the stump of Jesse as we read the Gospel account of the genealogy of Jesus.
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Mary and the Monk
DOM AUGUSTINE ROBERTS, OCSO Where does Mary fit among the many elements of monastic life? [...]
13
Aug
Aug
Litany of Mary’s Praises in Blessed Oglerio of Locedio
SR. JULIE ANN PESONGCO,OCSO The Second Vatican Council taught that the authentic renewal of religious [...]
13
Aug
Aug
Blessed Joseph-Marie Cassant
MO. AUGUSTA TESCARI, OCSO Except in monastic circles—especially French-speaking ones—Blessed Marie-Joseph Cassant is a very [...]
13
Aug
Aug
Mẹ Maria: Reflecting on Vietnamese Marian Devotion
SR. MARTA HA THI THANH THUY I first came to know Our Lady through my [...]
13
Aug
Aug
My soul magnifies the Lord!
DOM PAUL MARK SCHWAN, OCSO What elements make up a Cistercian devotion to the Blessed [...]
13
Aug
Aug
Mary, Queen of Citeaux
DOM DAVID LAVICH, OCSO We might find it curious to note that the name of [...]
13
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Aug
WHO IS BLESSED GABRIELLA?
The step towards the ultimate goal of life always requires a very high act of [...]
31
Mar
Mar