Rogersville monastery to shutter after over a century in operation
A monastery that has been a fixture in Rogersville, N.B., for over a century is shuttering later this year.
The Cistercian-Trappist Monastery of Our Lady of Calvary was a place where Roman Catholic monks worked in agriculture, in addition to their religious pursuits.
But there were 30 monks at one point and now there are three. The announcement to close was made earlier this month on the Archdiocese of Moncton's website.
For now, life at the monastery proceeds as usual.
"A commission has been formed to deal with the practicalities of closure," wrote Father Innocent Ugyeh. "We are still here though, living our monastic life until all issues regarding this closure are resolved."
Kevin Arsenault, a farmer and the MLA for Kent North, said the monastery was important to agricultural life in the region. He said he hopes the ownership of the site will stay in the community.
"I hope the monastery will be given back to the community, to continue to contribute to the community," said Arsenault.
Over a century
Rogersville Mayor Jimmy Bourque said the loss of the monastery is a blow to the region's agriculture heritage. "It played a major role in agriculture, for sure."
According to the order's website, the monastery was founded in 1902 when local priest Father Marcel‑François Richard invited monks from France to establish an order in the parish in Rogersville.
It has housed a sawmill, cement block factory and commercial-sized barns for dairy and poultry. The monastery had dairy cows until 2018.
Future in doubt
The Archdiocese of Moncton owns the property. Attempts to reach the archdiocese to discuss plans for the site were not successful.
Arsenault thinks the structures would make for a good agricultural college.
"I see there the perfect place for the first ever farm school," he said.
"We have no training in agriculture in New Brunswick and Kent County is one of the two only counties that doesn't have a … post-secondary institution."
Bourque said he'd like to see the site stay out of the hands of private developers.
"We would like to have the property, see if we can do something with it for the community, so we can preserve the site for its heritage," he said.
