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Hanga Abbey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HangaAbbey
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StMaurus&StPlacidusAbbey,Hanga,Ruvuma Region,Tanzania,isaBenedictinemonasteryofthe CongregationofMissionaryBenedictinesofSaint Ottilien.Establishedin1957byAbbotBishopEberhard SpiessasaformationhouseforAfricanmonastic candidates,themonasteryiscurrentlyhometo122monks. AbbotFrThadeiMhagamaisthecommunity'ssuperior.

HangaAbbey
Monasteryinformation Other names Order StMaurus&StPlacidusAbbey CongregationofMissionary BenedictinesofSaintOttilien,Order ofSaintBenedict

Contents
1History 1.1OriginsofAfricanMonasticism 1.2ExpansionoftheMonasticCommunity 2ApostolicWork 3Dependencies 4Personnel 5Seealso 6References 7Furtherreading 8Externallinks

Established 1957 Dedicated to Diocese StMaurusandStPlacidus RomanCatholicArchdioceseof Songea People Founder(s) AbbotBishopEberhardSpiess,OSB Abbot Prior ThadeiMhagama OdoNanyanje Site Location Hanga,Ruvuma,Tanzania

History
OriginsofAfricanMonasticism
SincetheirearlydaysinGermanEastAfrica,theMissionaryBenedictinesfocusedexclusivelyonestablishing RomanCatholicismamongAfricancommunities.Theworkofthemissionarymonks,whichincludedthe creationofparishes,schools,andhospitals,didnotallowforaconcertedeffortinrecruitingAfricanmonastic vocations.However,afewindividualMissionaryBenedictinemonksdidtaketheinitiative.FrSeverin Hofbauer,whohadcreatedaminorseminaryin1926,attemptedtorecruitthoseseminarianswhoexpressed aninterestinmonasticlife.By1948,Hofbauer'ssuccessor,FrOtmarMorger,knewofseveralyoungmen interestedinjoiningthemonasticcommunityatPeramiho.However,theCongregation'sArchabbot ChrysostomusSchmiddeniedthemthisrequest,desiringthatAfricansformtheirownmonasticcongregations ratherthanbecomeMissionaryBenedictines.[1] AbbotBishopEberhardSpiesswasmorereceptivetothedesireofAfricanstojointheOttilienCongregation. However,herealizedthattheexistingTanzaniancommunitiesofNdandaAbbeyandPeramihoAbbey, exclusivelyEuropeanandpredominantlyGerman,wouldnotbeideallocationsfortheformationofAfrican

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monks.Therefore,Spiesschosetocreateafoundationseparatefromtheseabbeys,amonasterythatwould allowAfricanmonkstheopportunitytoadapttheRuleofBenedicttotheirownculturalcircumstances.With thisinmind,in1956heformedateamofMissionaryBenedictineswhowouldactasformatorsforAfrican monasticcandidates.Thenextyear,an"Africanmonastery"wasopenedatLiganga,Tanzania.Thisearly foundationwasquicklyoverwhelmedwithnumerouscandidates,andsoonrelocatedtoHangavillage,within theRomanCatholicArchdioceseofSongea,80kmeastoftheAbbeyofPeramihoand70kmnorthof Songea.[2] DescribingthisfirstAfricanmonasticcommunity,Spiesswrote,"Themainideaofmonasticadaptation consistsoftheattempttoshapethemonasteryandtheliferhythmofthemonksinsuchawaythatitpreserves theessentialelementsofBenedictinespiritualitywhileatthesametimereflectingAfricanthinkingand feeling."[3]Further,Spiesshopedthatthesizeofthemonasticcommunitywouldberathersmall,inorderthat itwouldnotrunintowhatheperceivedtobesomeofthedownsidesoflargermonasteries,includingalackof flexibilityandadaptability. TheHangafoundationwasgrantedtenyearstoadaptBenedictinelifetoanAfricanculturalsetting.This initialperiod,lastinguntil1965,sawateamofGermanMissionaryBenedictinesresideatthemonastery. Theseincludedanagronomist,aformationdirector,andamasterbuilder,aswellasFrChrysostomus(notto beconfusedwithArchabbotChrysostomusSchimd),whoactedasthecommunity'sfirstsuperior.[4]

ExpansionoftheMonasticCommunity
ThenumberofmonksatHangaquicklygrew,thoughthenumberofmonksordainedtothepriesthood remainedverysmall.Suchlargenumberspresenteddifficultiesfortheearlycommunity,andmadeit challengingtomatchtheidealofasmall,independentAfricanmonasteryashadbeenenvisionedbyAbbot BishopEberhardSpiess.Inlargepart,thiswasbecauseHangalackedanyprecendent.Thus,elementsfrom existingMissionaryBenedictinemonasteriessuchasStOttilien,Ndanda,andPeramihowereappliedtothe situationatHanga.Selfsufficiencyinthesepopulous,culturallyEuropeanmonasterieswascharacterizedby largescaleagriculturaloperations,artisanalwork,andthepracticeofsophisticatedtrades.Suchmonasteriesas NdandaandPeramiho,thoughexistingonAfricansoil,infactreceivedpersonnelandsupportfromEurope. Withthisinmind,themonksofHangastruggledtorelysolelyonlocalresourcesandtalents.[5] Year Monks(ordained) 1960 15(2) 1970 46(2) 1980 76(4) 1990 153(10) Despitetheseinitialdifficulties,themonasteryreceivedapprovalfromtheHolySeeonJune18,1965.Atthis time,theinitialorientationteamofGermansreturnedtotheAbbeyofPeramiho.Sixyearslater,themonastery achievedindependence,beingraisedtothestatusofaconventualprioryundertheleadershipofConventual PriorFrGregoryMwageni.[6]

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Quickly,Hangaevolvedintoalargemonasticcomplex,includingasecondaryschoolforcandidatesofmale religiousinstitutes,extensiveagriculturaloperations,andvariousworkshops.Further,themonksbeganto administerasecondaryschoolforpupilsfromHangavillageyouthworkwouldbeoneofthecommunity's primaryapostolates.Atthesametime,themonastery'slargenumbersallowedforthefoundationofanumber ofdependenciesthroughoutTanzania.[7] OnDecember13,1993,themonasterybecametheAbbeyofHanga,underthepatronageoftheBenedictine saintsMaurusandPlacidus.OnJanuary2,1994,FrAlcuinNyirendawaselectedabbot,becomingthefirst AfricanabbotwithintheOttilienCongregation.[8]

ApostolicWork
ThemonasticcommunityofHangaprovidesvariousformsofapostolicwork.Monksadministerguesthouses attheabbeyitself,inDaresSalaam,andinMbeya.Additionally,themonksareinvolvedina"Culturaland ResponsibleTourism"program. Themonasteryisalsohosttomultipleeducationalinstitutes,includingHangaReligiousSeminary,Hanga VocationalTrainingCenter,NakaguguFormationHouse,StBenedictSecondarySchool,andStLaurent PrimarySchool.[9]Asof2011,thereligiousseminarycounted143pupils,while280attendedStBenedict's SecondarySchool.[10]

Dependencies
ManyofthemonksoftheAbbeyofHangaareoccupiedatanumberofdependentmonasticfoundations. Oneofthese,Mvimwa,becameanindependentAbbeyin2001.[11] StJohnBoscoFormationHouse,Nakaguru,ArchdioceseofSongea:Foundedin1987BroOdilo Matembo,superioroftwomonks. StTeresiaofLisieuxPriory,Katibunga,DioceseofMpika:Foundedin1987,raisedtoSimplePrioryin 2011PriorFrWillibrordNzota,superioroftenmonks. StJoseph'sFarm,Nole,DioceseofNjombe:Foundedin1988FrSalvatoriNgimbudzi,superioroffive monks. StPlacidusProcure,DaresSalaam,ArchdioceseofDaresSalaam:Foundedin1992BroKizito Ndunguru,superioroftwomonks. StBernard'sPriory,Kipalapala,ArchdioceseofTabora:Foundedin1984,raisedtoSimplePrioryin 1992PriorBroRomanusKazyoba,superioroffivemonks. StBenedict'sMonastery,Mbeya,DioceseofMbeya:Foundedin1993asadomusreligiosaBro GodfridMbawala,superioroffourmonks. StBenedict'sMonastery,Pugu,ArchdioceseofDaresSalaam:Foundedin1888,destroyedin1889, refoundedin1999asdomusreligiosaFrRichardMigodela,superior.

Personnel

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AsofMay18,2011,97solemnlyprofessedmonks(21ofthempriests)weremembersofthemonastic communityatHanga.Atthistime,theabbeyalsoincluded20temporallyprofessedmonks,fivenovices,and eightpostulants. AbbotFrThadeiMhagamaisthecurrentsuperiorofthemonasticcommunity.Hewaselectedandconfirmed foratwelveyeartermonJanuary14,2004,andreceivedtheabbatialblessingonMarchc25,2004.Abbot ThadeiisthesecondAbbotofHanga,succeedingAbbotFrAlcuinNyirenda,whoreignedfrom19942004. AbbotThadeiisassistedinhisdutiesbyBroOdoNanyanje,prior,andBroGwidoHyera,subprior.[12]

Seealso
CongregationofMissionaryBenedictinesofSaintOttilien RomanCatholicisminTanzania OrderofSaintBenedict

References
1. ^Sieber,OSB,Godfrey(1992). TheBenedictineCongregationofSt.Ottilien.StOttilien:EOSVerlag.p.91. ISBN3880966451. 2. ^Sieber,OSB(1992). TheBenedictineCongregation.pp.9192. 3. ^Sieber,OSB(1992). TheBenedictineCongregation.p.92. 4. ^"AbouttheAbbey"(http://hangaabbey.org/welcome/abouttheabbey/).Retrieved17September2012. 5. ^Sieber,OSB(1992). TheBenedictineCongregation.pp.9293. 6. ^"AbouttheAbbey"(http://hangaabbey.org/welcome/abouttheabbey/).Retrieved17September2012. 7. ^Sieber,OSB(1992). TheBenedictineCongregation.p.93. 8. ^"AbouttheAbbey"(http://hangaabbey.org/welcome/abouttheabbey/).Retrieved17September2012. 9. ^"HangaSchools"(http://hangaabbey.org/schools/).Retrieved17September2012. 10. ^ Schematismus.StOttilien.2011.p.84. 11. ^ Schematismus.StOttilien.2011.pp.8586. 12. ^ Schematismus.StOttilien.2011.p.78.

Furtherreading
GodfreySieber,OSB,TheBenedictineCongregationofSaintOttilien,StOttilien:EOSVerlag,1992. pp9094

Externallinks
OfficialSite(English)(http://hangaabbey.org/) Photographs(EnglishandKiswahili)(http://www.inkamana.org/ohio/hanga.htm) Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hanga_Abbey&oldid=578847785" Categories: AfricanMonasteriesoftheCongregationofMissionaryBenedictinesofSaintOttilien

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