Talk:English Benedictine Congregation

Untitled
The claim that the EBC (as an institution) is in 'moral continuity' with the mission of St Augustine begs the question about the extent of the influence of RB in this period, and is better ommitted. Although the 17th century EBC claims a link through Sigebert Buckley - the last survivor of the Marian Westminster Abbey - with the pre-reformation congregation this is a very technical legal claim, reflecting no continuity of life or practice. The 17th century EBC had more in common with the reformed Cassinese congregation than with the pre-reformation EBC. It can even be argued that the aggregation by Buckley of several Italian and Spanish monks into the EBC had to do with the desire to preserve a legal claim on monastic lands, should a future Catholic government of England ever be disposed to restore those properties. The detail about the President of the congregation has been updated to reflect the statements in the consitutions of the EBC. Lanspergius 15:41, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

"Missioners" or "Missionaries" In most contexts, the terms can probably be used interchangably (although "missioner" is a less common term). In this context, "missioner" is frequently employed as a quasi-technical term for a recusant Catholic priest sent from the continent to support the recusant Catholic communities of post-reformation England, over against the usage "missionary" which denotes a Christian evangelist in a non-Christian context. Lanspergius (talk) 08:56, 30 November 2007 (UTC)


 * I agree, this is the version of the term they use most regularly themselves, and which is used in the literature about the Congregation, so "missioners" should be retained. Robotforaday 16:58, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Pluscarden Abbey
Is there a reason that Pluscarden Abbey does not appear on the list of UK houses? --Tibetologist (talk) 15:03, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Scope of this article is the English congregation, so the nine monasteries and two nunneries listed in Category:Benedictine monasteries in Scotland are not covered (apart from Fort Augustus Abbey which has an English connection. --Wire723 (talk) 17:07, 13 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Pluscarden, Prinknash, Chilworth and Quarr are Benedictine abbeys in the United Kingdom (the latter three are in England), but have nothing to do with the EBC. The first three are in the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation, and the last in the Solesmes Congregation. I know for a fact that several monks of these abbeys have a very low opinion of the EBC, and don't wish to be associated with it in any way. Harryjohnsidney (talk) 08:35, 28 December 2021 (UTC)

Origin myth, sexual scandal and mistake in stats
I've elucidated the EBC's own story of its origins, with citations, because it puzzles general readers and is the object of ridicule among serious historians (I can personally vouch for the latter). In doing this I've removed the unreferenced allusion to a continuity of community activity among English Benedictines after the Dissolution, because I'm not aware of any evidence for this. Can anyone provide a citation?

The statistical membership table lists four novices, but adds these up to five. I've changed the latter to four; if a novice has been missed out, this obviously needs to be corrected instead.

There is a Wikipedia article on the sexual abuse scandal affecting the EBC, and I've included a template link because that article is subsidiary to this one as main. Harryjohnsidney (talk) 08:30, 28 December 2021 (UTC)