The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-07-09
MONKS OF Okla.
The Canadian Monastery Of the
Trappists Described by a
Visitor.
THE MOUNT CALVARY HOME,

| THE MOUNT CALVARY HOME
HOW These Holy Men Spend Their
Time in Their Secluded
Habitation.
Ninety miles down the Ottawa is the
ancient and much discussed village OF
Okla, which has history it's own, apart
altogether from the Monastery of the
Irappists (the Farmer Monks) which is
located about four miles from the village
on the road leading to St. Eustacle and
Montreal. Okla can be reached from o.
tawa and Montreal by taking the s t,le1l-
did steamers of the Ottawa River Nayi-
gaslon Company, which land passengers
on the substantial wharf built by the
semlnary. The monastery is twelve
miles from st. Eustache, which is con-
nected with the Canadian Pacific line by
81 short branch railway. The road from
Okla to the monastery has an up hill ten
dency. Soon the old and now aban-
doned home Of the Trappists comes in
view. It is s. Long three~story stone
building, with Il fiue facade facing the
river, built upon the side of a mountain
which rises to sharp peak behind. The
land is rough and rocky and the soil is
thin, though there are some fairly good
farms near the river. On the left, as
the traveller drives from Okla towards the
monastery, there rises a sharp high
mountain Of Calvary, and along the
winding path which leads to it's summit
seven shrines CT small chapels have been
erected, which are visited by numbers OF
plous pilgrims. Approaching the old
monastery, We notice that tbs boulders
nave been carefully removed from some
OF the fields and made into solid stone
fences or walls, young orchards have
been planted, tha horses and cattle ap-
psar to be well cared for. There are
evidences of skill aud great industry in
the farm work. We are now upon the
domain OF the silent monks. The old
monastery is no longer occupied by the
members OF that order. Experience
showed the monks that it was a bad To-
cation for q residence, being exposed to
the cold winds from the Lake of Two
Mountains, while the building is not
very strong. Moreover, a better site was
discovered just behind the mountains &
few hundred yards TO the northeast,
where small stream WAS found, 5uai-
Gent to furnish water power for grist
mill and saw mil The land in the
valley behind the nouhta1n was richer
than that upon the slope facing the lake,
and soon it Was decided to abandon the
first dwelling and erect new one. This
has been done, but at great labor and
expense. The main building, which is a
substantial stone structure in the form
OF an l., stands cl Sc to the roadway,
just across the little stream, upon which
the little grlsJ and saw mill are located.
Some distance up the valley the water of
| the stream was turned into a wooden
sluiceway, through which it is brought
to the saw mill, the grist mill below be-.
ing run by the water which has turned
the power wheel of the saw mill. Thus
is water power economical Upon a
high knoll, to the left of the monastery,
shrine has been erected, which is
reached by two winding footpaths. There
are sixty three Trappists in the monas-
terry, twenty eight of whom are in holy
orders, and wear long. white hooded
cloaks, which cover them from head to
foot. The other monks, the ordinary
laborers, wear brown cloake, which are
removed when they are at work, the un-
der garments being of the same material.
The monks are of all ages, some being
boys between Is and 20 years old, others
men over 60. Besides the members Of
the order there are about fifty workmen
employed in the mills, the creamery, the
blacksmith shop, etc,
! The Trappist order is branch of the
Cistercian order, which was originally
established in Montague. in southern
France. in 144O. The monks are noted
for their great industry, their austere
habits and strict discipline. In the IF
teen b century the Montague monastery
was plundered during the war and the
monks dispersed. In 1914 the order was
revived by De Rance, godson of Cardi-
nal R.cLeieu, who was consecrated ab-
bot of La Trappe, in Seez cathedral, by
Oliver Plunkett, an Irish archbishop.
From the name of the monastery founded
by De Rance the order took the name Of
Trapp,sts. There is only one other
Treppist monastery in the Dominion, q
small one at Tracadie, Nova Scotia.
There are also small establishments at
dubuque, Iowa and Gethsemane, Ken