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Saturday, October 8, 2011

Romanian Greek Catholic monastery moving to Wisconsin

(HRM) - A community of Eastern Catholic monks, Holy Resurrection Monastery, is moving to a new home in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The small community, currently consisting of five monks, is buying the former St. Mary's Convent (currently known as "Maria Haus") in the village of St. Nazianz, about 50 miles south of Green Bay.

The monastery belongs to the Romanian Greek Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton, OH, one of the four Byzantine Catholic jurisdictions in the United States. Bishop John Michael Botean of the Romanian Catholic Eparchy said, "I am delighted to give my blessing for this move. I have been praying for many years that our monastery find a permanent home where they can really thrive and grow."

Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay also expressed delight when learning of this planned move. "I know that the Catholic community of North Eastern Wisconsin will welcome our new monastic neighbors with joy. Their prayerful and hospitable presence will enrich us all. I encourage all Catholics to become better acquainted with the monks and with the rich heritage of the Christian East that they embody."

The monks' new home has a long and storied history in St. Nazianz. The village itself is named for one of the great Eastern Fathers of the Church, St. Gregory Nazianzen. "This name was in itself one of the great signs we felt the Lord was giving us," says the superior of Holy Resurrection, Abbot Nicholas Zachariadis. "How many towns in America are named after a Father of the Church, let alone of the Eastern Church?"