Our community was founded in 1954 by four young monks from the Abbaye de la Pierre-qui-Vire (France), whose Prior was only 32 years old. The invitation came from the bishops of Madagascar, then a French colony. They settled in the mountains, on vast plots of land at an altitude of 1,500 m, a 45-minute walk from the first village.
The monastery remained very poor from the outset, in line with the founder of the Pierre-qui-Vire, Father Jean-Baptiste Muard. Recruitment was slow at first, as Catholics were unfamiliar with monastic life. Only the Benedictine sisters of Ambositra (Vanves Congregation) had been present since 1934, but they were 300 km from our monastery.
We became an independent monastery (sui juris) in 1993, joining the Province of Africa and Madagascar of our Benedictine Congregation of Subiaco-Mont-Cassin. There is no other male Benedictine monastery on the island.
Very quickly, the Prior forged links with the local population and launched an agricultural cooperative, specializing in the rearing of laying hens, which the monastery became the model for. Today, the entire Mahitsy region is known for its chicken coops, which supply the population of Tananarive. This is still our main source of income, along with the exploitation of our large forest and a small, well-frequented religious bookshop.
The people of the nearby villages have generously built their own churches, and the district became a parish last year, with 4 diocesan priests taking turns to serve these places of worship.
Our community numbers 25 brothers, a dozen of whom are in formation. For the past thirty years, we have maintained a theology studium on site, taught by the monks themselves, each according to his or her specialty. Studies last 5 years following temporary profession. The most gifted are sent to the Institut Catholique de Tananarive or to France to complete their studies. Our Malagasy monasteries (three Benedictine, one Cistercian and one Cistercian) have also set up a theology studium, which has around thirty students, all monks or nuns, and operates on a sessional basis in the island's monasteries. It is partly financed by AIM International, to whom we would like to express our thanks once again.
Two French brothers are still with us. The eldest is 93 but still very active. The second has been translating for AIM USA for twenty years. The Malagasy brothers have held all the important positions in the monastery for some twenty years.
Since the 70s, we have been emphasizing inculturation. The country's Episcopate asked us to create the first breviary in Malagasy. The repertoire (Ankalazao ny Tompo) is now widely used throughout the island. The entire service is sung in the local language.
Our community has always been concerned with helping the surrounding population. Either by supporting projects (livestock breeding, small businesses), or by helping families or young people directly, in particular to pay school fees or provide temporary work.
We also host a large number of retreats and recollections led by the brothers in a guesthouse that can accommodate around 30 people. Every day, we try to give glory to God and bear witness to Christ's love for everyone in one of the world's poorest countries.