Struggle and Ascent
The History of Mount Angel Abbey
Struggle and Ascent
The History of Mount Angel Abbey
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Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 9780814665039
Number of Pages: 224
Published: 15/07/2020
Width: 15.2 cm
Height: 22.9 cm
The history of religious institutions is too often stereotyped as devoutly formulaic, excising or overlooking the inherent drama in most community histories. This is especially the case with Mount Angel Abbey. In its almost 140 years of existence, it has known triumph and tragedy. The sacrifices of a founding generation were joined to the devastation of two fires. An initially insular community of Swiss monks became Americanized and expanded to Canada and Mexico. Despite periods of financial crisis and the occasional scandal, the momentum of a unique monastic culture left its mark. In many ways, Mount Angel's history is the history of a pilgrim Church, a steady and transformative sign of God's kingdom on earth. Includes black-and-white photos.
"Fr. Joel has condensed 140 years of Mount Angel Abbey's history into a well-constructed 190-page narrative. He situates abbey's story in the political and religious history of the Europe and North America. He has made very good use of monastic archives. I hope that his work inspires others to tell us more about the personalities and the material and spiritual history of this fascinating community." Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, Monastery of the Ascension, editor of A Benedictine Reader: 530-1530 "Fr. Joel Rippinger's latest contribution to American monastic history, Struggle and Ascent: The History of Mount Angel Abbey, presents a fascinating story in an engaging style. He situates well the 140-year history of the oldest Benedictine Abbey west of the Rockies within the context of both the history of the American Northwest and the history of the Church in the United States. What is especially attractive is the way Rippinger weaves biographical sketches of interesting community members and in-depth treatment of various works of the Abbey into the overall historical narrative. The framework of `struggle and ascent' enables him to treat head-on the missteps and scandals that occurred while finding good reason to affirm the resilience, the faith, and the contribution to the life of the Church in the Pacific Northwest that rightly characterizes the monks of Mount Angel Abbey through the decades." Abbot Benedict Neenan, OSB, Conception Abbey, Conception Missouri "As a protestant pastor and Benedictine oblate with Mount Angel, I've made regular pilgrim retreats every year up to Mount Angel Abbey over the past two decades. The vision from the hilltop reminds me of being at Monte Cassino, where Benedict wrote in the Rule that we ascend by descending along steps of humility. Following the steps and pages of this well-written historic narrative, through the many challenges and celebrations of life in community, we see anew the vision of Benedict's Rule lived out daily among the monks through lives of stability, fidelity, and obedience to Christ since the 1880s." Rev. Dr. David Robinson, Oblate of Mount Angel Abbey, Author of Cloud Devotion: Through the Year with The Cloud of Unknowing, and Lead Pastor, Cannon Beach Community Church, Cannon Beach, Oregon
