The Hungarian Roots of the Cistercians in Texas

The Hungarian Roots of the Cistercians in Texas responds to the growing number of those American monks, students, alumni, parents and friends asking about the Hungarian roots of our monastery, the Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of Dallas. It contains a brief summary of the Cistercians in Hungary from its inception to the end of the 19th century and a more detailed sketch of the Order¿s rapid development in the first half of the 20th century. In the latter I emphasize the unfolding of the...
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The Hungarian Roots of the Cistercians in Texas responds to the growing number of those American monks, students, alumni, parents and friends asking about the Hungarian roots of our monastery, the Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of Dallas. It contains a brief summary of the Cistercians in Hungary from its inception to the end of the 19th century and a more detailed sketch of the Order¿s rapid development in the first half of the 20th century. In the latter I emphasize the unfolding of the threefold vocation that characterizes the ¿charism¿ of the Congregation of Zirc: a harmonious synthesis of being monk, priest and teacher. The second part of the book contains short biographies of three ¿martyr¿ Cistercians Abbot Vendel Endrédy, Fr. Lóránt `Sigmond and Fr. János Anasztáz Brenner, and a selection of their writings. Here I try to show how the Cistercian ideal has proven its authenticity by producing its own witnesses. The word `martyrs¿ is in quotation marks because only one of them, Fr. Anasztáz, was actually murdered on account of his effective priestly ministry.