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Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey, also known as Portglenone Abbey, is a
Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey, also known as Portglenone Abbey, is a Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
in Portglenone
Portglenone (from , meaning 'landing place of Eoghan's meadow') is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 8.5 miles (14 km) west of Ballymena. It had a population of 1,174 people in the 2011 Census. Portglen ...
, County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, founded in 1948 by the Cistercian community of Mount Melleray Abbey
Mount Melleray Abbey () is a Trappist monastery in Ireland, founded in 1833. It is situated on the slopes of the Knockmealdown Mountains, near Cappoquin, Diocese of Waterford. It closed in 2025.
History
The Cistercian order itself dates back ...
in County Waterford
County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...
. The monks bought Portglenone House, a country mansion built by the Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
Bishop Dr. Alexander who demolished the local castle. History records that Sir Roger Casement
Roger David Casement (; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during World War I. He worked for the Britis ...
often stayed in the house in the early years of the 20th century.
Despite opposition from local Protestants, the monastery succeeded in establishing itself in the locality and ran a dairy farm for many years. Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey was the first enclosed monastery of men to be established in Northern Ireland since the Reformation.
The monastery belongs to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (OCSO), also known as Trappists
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a Religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious o ...
, who follow the Rule of St Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by Benedict of Nursia, St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up ...
, but emphasise some of the more austere and penitential aspects of the Rule such as strict silence, abstention from meat, early rising and physical work.
In 1962, the community built a new monastery designed in a modern style by Padraig Ó Muireadhaigh, which was completed in 1971. The building has won several architectural awards. To establish continuity with the Order's past, stones from some of the pre-Reformation Irish Cistercian abbeys were incorporated in the church and cloisters.
Abbots
Abbots of the abbey have included:https://ocso.org/2024/01/26/bethlehem-6/ * 1948–1953 – Abbot Oliver Farrell * 1958–1977 – Abbot Aengus Dunphy (1921–2014); he was subsequently chaplain in Our Lady of Praise, Butende inMasaka
Masaka is a city in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region in Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District.
Location
Masaka is approximately to the south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara. The ...
, Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
from 1979–1991.
* 1977–2024 – Abbot Celsus Kelly
* 2024 – Aelred Magee ( Superior ad Nutum)
See also
* Abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland (County Antrim)Notes
References
External links
* {{coord, 54.873, -6.473, display=title, region:GB_scale:10000 Cistercian monasteries in Northern Ireland Christian organizations established in 1948 Buildings and structures in County Antrim Trappist monasteries in the United Kingdom Religion in County Antrim 1948 establishments in Northern Ireland