f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013

History
Peter Sheppard
In 1947, the Monastery was raised to
the dignity of an Abbey. Dom Adalbert van
Duin OSB, was elected as the first Abbot
and was installed on June 16, 1947 by
His Grace, the Most Reverend Dr. Finbar
Ryan, O.P., Archbishop of Port of Spain, in
the presence of great crowds of people,
including many of the leading personages
of the day.
Under the able leadership of Dom
Mayuel de Caigny OSB and later, of Dom
Hugh Van Der Sanden, OSB, one of the
Benedictine monks, Brother Gabriel
Mokveld OSB, undertook the tremendous
job of converting the overgrown, bushy
hillside into the beautiful, stately edifice
we see today. Living quarters, refectory
and kitchens were constructed, and the
chapel was extended. A “rest house” was
built to accommodate the many pilgrims
who began to frequent “the Mount”, and
a small “guest house” was built to provide
Mount St. Benedict Church and private garden
lodging for those wishing to rest their
souls in the peace and quiet beauty of the
hills of the Northern Range of Trinidad.
The monks had become very selfsufficient
over the years, building viable
businesses in the areas of beekeeping,
honey making, candle making, baking,
chicken hatching and rearing, school
administration, pilgrimage hosting, and
so on. Currently, Mt. St. Benedict yogurt is
a commodity, regularly sold in many local
groceries.
In 1943, at the request of His Grace,
Dr. Finbar Ryan, the monks undertook the
training of young men for the Priesthood,
and the Archdiocesan Seminary of St.
John Vianney and the African Martyrs
was opened to students from the entire
Caribbean area.
In 1946, “The Abbey School” was
opened. Students came not only from
Trinidad and Tobago, but also from
many West Indian islands and South
America. The Abbey School provided a
sound Catholic education and tuition
to Oxford and Cambridge Ordinary- and
Advanced-Level School Certificates,
and also opportunities for its students
to develop socially and physically
through involvement in many sports and
achievement award programmes. Some
1250 boys passed through its doors before
the school closed down in 1986. With the
closing of the Abbey School, a regional
Drug Rehabilitation Centre was installed in
its place. This Centre is still in operation.
The monks of Mt. St. Benedict also
provide monks to act as parish priests for
Catholic communities in San Fernando,
Pointe-à-Pierre, St. Augustine and the
islands of St. Vincent and Bequia.
The worldwide shortage of vocations
has hit monastic life very hard and Mt.
St. Benedict is no exception. The present
community of monks is numerically a mere
shadow of its earlier days when as many
as fifty monks lived, worked and prayed at
the monastery.
At the same time, Mt. St. Benedict has
sent forth its own daughter community,
to establish a new monastery on the
Essequibo River, in the interior of Guyana.
This new undertaking is staffed by monks
from both Guyana and Trinidad, including
former Abbot, Fr. Hildebrand Green OSB,
Brother Pascal Jordan OSB Former Abbot,
Fr. Francis Alleyne OSB, has been elevated
as Bishop of Guyana, a tremendous
honour for the Benedictines of Trinidad
and Tobago.
Pilgrims continue to visit the Monastery
on the Hill and to enjoy the peace and
tranquility of this serene spot, a unique
experience for the whole family. Daily Mass
is offered for the personal intentions of all
who request it, and there is an opportunity
to meet and obtain spiritual counseling
from one of the professed members of
the community. The Benedictines have
served Trinidad well for close to a hundred
years, but today, as vocations decline
and fewer young men seem drawn to
the contemplative life, the monks too
are suffering from the current economic
problems facing us all. They deserve
our financial support through sales at
their souvenir shop, mass offerings and
personal gifts. Why not pack the kids
and take a drive up St. John’s Road in St.
Augustine to the monastery. It’ll be a trip
they’ll always remember.
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The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago