Berne Abbey

One is that Fulcold, when hotly pressed in battle, made a vow to build an abbey, if, by throwing himself into the river Maas, his life might be preserved from the enemy.

Fulcold initially brought Augustinian canons from Rolduc Abbey to Berne to start the monastery, but was dissatisfied with their lack of discipline, and sent them back again.

He made another attempt at a foundation in 1134 with the newly established Premonstratensian Order, also called Norbertines after their founder Norbert of Xanten.

His wife, Bescela, also chose a religious life in Berne and later in the monastery of Altforst, a Norbertine nunnery linked to the abbey.

In comparison with the contemporaneous monastic foundations in Germany and Belgium, Berne Abbey was relatively late to acquire these parishes.

In 1285 Oudheusden, Elshout, Hedikhuizen, Vlijmen and Engelen were added to them, and in 1369 Bokhoven, in 1613 Lithoyen, in 1846 Haarsteeg, and in 1948 Middelrode.

The religious were not discouraged, and the abbot obtained a house at Vilvoorde, near Brussels, from which he directed the spiritual and temporal interests of his dispersed community.

The future of the community was provided for by the admission of postulants, who made their novitiate and continued their studies at Vilvoorde or in one of the Belgian abbeys.

But novices continued to be admitted, who had their time of probation and made their studies either at the house at Heeswijk or in some presbytery of the order.

King William I of the Netherlands confirmed the continued existence of the abbey in 1824, as did Pope Gregory XVI in 1832.

In 1857 the abbey was finally located in Heeswijk and in 1879 a new abbey church was built, which was enlarged in 1927 by architect Hendrik Willem Valk with money donated by farmers after the death of the peasant apostle Gerlacus van den Elsen, to whom on the outside wall the sculptor Joseph Cantre cut a cornerstone of his portrait as a tribute.

In 1893 the abbot was able to comply with the pressing request of Bishop Messmer of Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S., to send some priests whose special mission would be to minister to the spiritual needs of Belgian and Dutch settlers in his diocese.