PREMONSTRATENSIANS / NORBERTINES
A LOOK AT OUR WAY OF LIFE

We give ourselves in service to one another and to people in need, with special emphasis on service and advocacy for the poor. We commit ourselves to our traditional ministries, while being open to new ones. We strive to live with the tensions that are associated with the relationship between contemplation and action, community life and apostolic service.

Norbertines profess: 

We dedicate ourselves to a life of self-giving, rooted in the conventual celebration of Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.

Norbertine living is centered round the people and the building that constitute a particular local church.  The primary focus of our mission is the ministry of common life and worship with the confreres in the community. As ‘Norbertines’ we desire communion between people, and so we share our faith, ideals and values, and our material goods, with each other on our common pilgrimage towards God.  As ‘canons’ we are dedicated to the dignified and public celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) in choir each day.  Our life and liturgy as a canonical community is the foundation of our ministry and service in the midst of our local Diocese. 

As Canons Regular of Prémontré, we live in "two worlds of grace."
(our thanks to Father James Baraniak for the following)

The first "world of grace" is that day-to-day, life-sustaining grounding that comes from living in common. Much like our families of origin, Norbertines have a place to live which we can call home and to which we can come home.

There, at home, we will find men ranging from 88 to 23 years of age. Given the plethora of gifts, talents, interests and abilities, each Norbertine has his own task to complete to make the home run smoothly and comfortably. Each man contributes to the common cause; yet when he is away for ministerial or familial responsibilities, he is missed! The individual is missed because we do not live simply like a community of bachelors dwelling separately under the same roof; rather; we live together as brothers, in relationship to and with one another.

Therefore, the principle task that each Norbertine embraces as his own task is living a common life around a common table at the daily Eucharist -- the "font and summit" of our life together. Daily, we are fed by the Word of God and by the Body of Christ, fortifying us to become the very Body of Christ! The natural extension of that sacred table is the table we gather around in the dining room. The presence of Christ becomes most obvious as we eat together, recreate together, celebrate Liturgy of the Hours together and simply enjoy each other's presence. Through our participation in this common and holy life, a spirit of peace, charity and brotherhood abides.

It is because of the grounding we find at home in liturgical, spiritual and familial ways that we are empowered to venture into our second "world of grace": a common ministerial outreach!

By virtue of our baptismal call and by means of our vowed life as Canons Regular, we serve the needs of the local church through our common ministry to the poor and marginalized, the young and the old. Locally, this ministry -- as a community serving local communities -- has found expression in our educational apostolates on the elementary, secondary and collegiate levels. Norbertines serve in these institutions as teachers, professors, administrators, counselors, campus ministers, financial officers, and in governance as board members and trustees.

We serve in parishes entrusted to the Order, and provide pastoral assistance to pastors of diocesan parishes. Our men are engaged in sacramental celebration and pastoral care at area healthcare facilities including hospitals, nursing homes and retirement villages. Further away, our men serve as chaplains in various branches of the American Military Apostolate and in foreign and medical missionaries established by our community. Closer to home, some of our men minister to the Norbertine Community itself as abbot, prior, house superior, provisor and directors of formation and vocation.

"Living in Two Worlds of Grace" is an experience that has shown much prosperity and growth over the years and, most recently, for St. Norbert Abbey in particular. Our parishes are growing in numbers, facilities and resources. The number of men -- and our newly ordained -- assisting in parishes is growing.

Not everyone may be called to religious life or priesthood; the demands of such a lifestyle are great! And yet the rewards received from living a life marked by Christian fraternity and gospel service are often unmatched by what the world sometimes treasures as 'successful,' 'fulfilling' or 'rewarding."