Author Topic: St Bruno (Read 667 times)

poche · « **on:** October 06, 2013, 04:21:57 AM »

Bruno was born in Cologne of the prominent Hartenfaust family. He studied at the Cathedral school at Rheims, and on his return to Cologne about 1055, was ordained and became a Canon at St. Cunibert's. He returned to Rheims in 1056 as professor of theology, became head of the school the following year, and remained there until 1074, when he was appointed chancellor of Rheims by its archbishop, Manasses. Bruno was forced to flee Rheims when he and several other priests denounced Manasses in 1076 as unfit for the office of Papal Legate. Bruno later returned to Cologne but went back to Rheims in 1080 when Manasses was deposed, and though the people of Rheims wanted to make Bruno archbishop, he decided to pursue an eremitical life. He became a hermit under Abbot St. Robert of Molesmes (who later founded Citeaux) but then moved on to Grenoble with six companions in 1084. They were assigned a place for their hermitages in a desolate, mountainous, alpine area called La Grande Chartreuse, by Bishop St. Hugh of Grenoble, whose confessor Bruno became. They built an oratory and individual cells, roughly followed the rule of St. Benedict, and thus began the Carthusian Order. They embraced a life of poverty, manual work, prayer, and transcribing manuscripts, though as yet they had no written rule. The fame of the group and their founder spread, and in 1090, Bruno was brought to Rome, against his wishes, by Pope Urban II (whom he had taught at Rheims) as Papal Adviser in the reformation of the clergy. Bruno persuaded Urban to allow him to resume his eremitical state, founded St. Mary's at La Torre in Calabria, declined the Pope's offer of the archbishopric of Reggio, became a close friend of Count Robert of Sicily, and remained there until his death on October 6. He wrote several commentaries on the psalms and on St. Paul's epistles. He was never formally canonized because of the Carthusians' aversion to public honors but Pope Leo X granted the Carthusians permission to celebrate his feast in 1514, and his name was placed on the Roman calendar in 1623. His feast day is October 6.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=575

shin · « **Reply #1 on:** October 06, 2013, 07:19:43 AM »

'He hath a demon within him who persists in any grave sin.

And because of this the Apostle admonishes us, where he says: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body (Rom. 8:12). For as long as sin remains in a man, for so long is he bound and captive and possessed by the devil. Such a man, blind and dumb, if he be offered to the Lord, if he be converted to penance, the Lord shall straightaway heal him; so that the evil spirit being driven out of him he may speak and see.'

St. Bruno

wallflower · « **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2013, 03:48:09 PM »

When I went to St Peter's Cathedral, I was very strongly drawn to a statue. When I got closer it was of St Bruno. I'm still not sure why but he made a strong impression on me and I have felt somewhat attached to him ever since.

poche · « **Reply #3 on:** October 07, 2013, 12:31:33 PM »

The Carrthusians are the only religous community in the Catholic Church that has not had the need for a reform.

Frances · « **Reply #4 on:** October 07, 2013, 03:17:57 PM »

Fr. Doran mentioned St. Bruno and the Carthusians, "num quam reformata quia numquam deformata." Only order to be "unchanged by V2."

poche · « **Reply #5 on:** October 09, 2013, 12:51:01 AM »

The Order Today
State of the Order
In 1984 we celebrated the 900th anniversary of the day Master Bruno, our Father, entered the desert of the Chartreuse with his companions, and engaged himself in the path with the help and grace of God that we are still trying to live and follow today.

The uninterrupted existence of our Order transcends the twists of history, a sign of Gods pleasant disposition towards the Order.

Today, there are 19 Charterhouses with approximately 370 monks and 5 Charterhouse with approximately 75 nuns. The latter can be found in France, Italy, and Spain. The homes of the monks are found in Europe, the United States and in South America, where one house is in the early stage of its foundation in Argentina: inception in September 1997. Charterhouses Around the World.

Actually, we hold it very dear to our heart that John-Paul II encourages contemplative orders to establish themselves in communities in the younger church. We are actively pursuing the possibility of the presence of the Order outside of the western world and a presence in Korea has been decided by the last General Chapter of the Order.

Government of the Order
Supreme authority of the Carthusian Order belongs to the General Chapter, which meets every two years at "La Grande Chartreuse", "mother and font of the Order."

During the Chapter, the Definitory, eight monks elected by the priors of the Charterhouses, form an executive branch and "Plenary Assembly" forms the legislative branch. In between the General Chapters, the Order is run by the Prior of La Grande Chartreuse called "Reverend Father", aided by a Council. One last important element of the Carthusian government is the institution of Visitors : every two years, each house is visited by two Fathers, usually priors at other homes.

The Statutes
Bruno was a living model, but he never wrote down monastic rules for his brothers. Bruno and his first successors, « …belonged to the school of the Holy Spirit, letting themselves be forged by experience, elaborated a unique hermitical way of life, transmitted from one generation to another, not by the pen, but by example. »

Statutes I.1

Guigues put to paper the Customs in use at La Grande Chartreuse: it was the first text of Carthusian rule. In time, additions and modifications were made as necessary. We had to adapt to conditions of new times and locations.

Early on, the Carthusian named their Rules of life the Statutes.

After the council of Vatican II, the "Renewed Statutes of the Carthusian Order" were written in 1971 and 1973. IN order for them to be in order with Canon Law in 1983, these statutes were further revised and became the "Statutes of the Carthusian Order", approved by the General Chapter of 1987.

These statutes, a real work of monastic spirituality, are for us the transmission of a voice of prayer. They lead us to contemplation or the "savoring knowledge" of God, to which our lives are entirely consecrated ("Savoring Knowledge" : expression of Guigues II, Carthusian author of the 12th century).

http://www.chartreux.org/en/order-today.php