Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-09-18

The property contains a 25-room dwell
ing, which is to be remodeled for use as a
chapel; a dairy, two barns, bowling alleys
two cottages, two hay barracks and two
we'll houses. The land will be used in
part, it Is understood, for establishment OF
a model farm to be worked by the novi
tiates during their training periods.
A monastery will be erected on the
| grounds with quarters for housing 20 OF
| more novitiates. At present there are about
% Xaverian novitiates studying at the
university
The Xaverian Brotherhood is of Belgian
origin. having been founded at Bruges in
1847. What type of architecture will be
employed in construction of the monastery
has not yet been made public. however.
nor is information available as to the
amount of money to be expended.
Other orders which have recently ac-
quired new real estate holdings in or
around the District include the Josephite
Fathers. De La Selle Brotherhood. Sisters OF
Mercy. Paulists, Congregation of the Holy
Cross, Benedictines and the Bengalese
Fathers.
The movement to center Catholic edu-
catonal activities in Washington had its
inception in decision to discontinue the
training of novtiates in secular institutions.
In the past, it has been customary for the
novitiates to receive at least part Of their
training in such colleges and universities
as Yale, Harvard, Princeton aud others.
Under present plans, however, 1t is pro-
posed to make Catholic University the
universal and complete finishing school
and postgraduate institution for all orders
and brotherhoods in the United States.
giving the novitiate thorough and complete
instruction in every subject available in
any college or university, and complying
fully with all of the educational require
ments and recommendations of the Vatican.
Archbishop Curley has expressed desire
that every instructor in every Catholic in
stitution of learning be the holder of
academic degrees in the subject he teaches
and. while this pronunciamento was not
taken as mandatory, most of the orders of
the church have concurred with the sue-
gestion.
As result the various orders are pre-
pairing to increase very substantially the
number of novitiates they send to the
Catholic University here. AS this would.
obviously, tax the housing facilities of the
university far beyond its maximum capac-
ity, the orders are finding it necessary to
establish their own headquarters here.
Many of the orders will operate their
Washington training grounds very much as
separate. individual communities. Model
farms and diaries will be ope rated by the
novitiates to provide their own foodstuffs.
and each of the various units will thus be
conducted in such way that the students
may concentrate their time upon their
studies with minimum of distraction.
Years will be required before develop
ment of the Catholic religious educational
communities is completed. it is pointed
out, as each of the many orders is operating
independently of the others. and this fact
makes it impossible to know in advance
what the specific plans of each order may
be until representatives arrive here to
enter into negotiations for the acquisition
of land and property.
Because of the possible influence upon
property prices, names of the various Or
ders now negotiating for land are being
withheld until such time as the trans
actions have been completed and the pur
chases made. 1t is known definitely.
however, that at least two realtors here
expect soon to close deals with six orders
involving property valued at close to ST.
100000, and that other transactions also
are pending now.