DEVOTIO MODERNA. – A movement of religious renewal that arose in the Low Countries in the second half of the 14th century and developed especially in that region and in western Germany until the 16th century, later spreading to various Catholic countries through the book *De Imitatione Christi*, which remains its most enduring and intimate expression. The term *Devotio Moderna* is also often used to refer to the three religious institutions that propagated this movement, and, in the strictest and most widespread sense, to the spiritual doctrine that characterizes II.
These three religious institutions generally trace their origins to the direct or indirect influence of Gerard Groote (q.v.), the great Dutch reformer who died in Deventer in 1384. As early as 1374, he had gathered in his father’s house some poor women who wished to serve God, and in 1379 he had established definitive statutes for the *Devotio Moderna* that they were to follow. Though remaining a layman, he devoted himself to preaching with such zeal and fervor that, despite many conversions, he incurred considerable hostility. The Bishop of Utrecht, who had initially favored him, eventually withdrew the ecclesiastical powers he had granted. Groote retired to his home in Deventer, where he devoted himself to prayer and study, surrounded by faithful disciples and friends who shared his ideas on religious reform, particularly Florent Radewijns. The rule he had given to the "Sisters of the Common Life" and the associated institutions differed greatly from those then in use. These sisters had no special habit, no vows, and no cloister. This was intended to allow them to engage in new forms of apostolate, particularly in the education of young girls. On his deathbed, Groote entrusted them to the care of his friends, who themselves wished to adopt a similar way of life. However, Groote guided them toward a more traditional path, urging them to embrace the Rule of St. Augustine, which Radewijns and his companions did in 1387 by founding the Windesheim monastery, which became the motherhouse of a flourishing congregation of canons inspired by the work of Ruusbroec at Groenendael. After Radewijns’ death in 1400, the "Brothers of the Common Life" were organized in turn and soon spread throughout the Low Countries, Germany, and France, everywhere sparking a profound religious revival. They lived a life of prayer and work in close union with Windesheim and the "Sisters of the Common Life," equally animated by the ideal derived from G. Groote. They faced many contradictions but never presented themselves as innovators; their sole aim was to deepen Christian life through prayer, study—especially of Holy Scripture, which they copied in great numbers—and work, in short, through the example of a fervent Christian life, without attacking or criticizing traditions, Scholasticism, or other forms of religious life then in use.
These three institutions survived, though with varying fortunes, until the French Revolution. The last two disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century; the first is still represented by the "English Ladies" of Bruges.
Often, *Devotio Moderna* refers to a form of spirituality closely aligned with this new way of religious life, in contrast to earlier forms. As noted by Fr. E. De Schapdrijver, this spirituality, as seen in Groote’s disciples, is by no means uniform or simple. Indeed, it draws from various existing movements of piety but adds a very distinctive element of its own. St. Augustine, St. Bernard, St. Bonaventure, Pseudo-Dionysius, Ruysbroeck, and others all exert their influence simultaneously; neither pure contemplation nor speculative thought is excluded from this form of spirituality.
Nevertheless, in the pamphlets and treatises published by the representatives of *Devotio Moderna*—Gerard of Zutphen, Gerlac Peters, Henry of Mende, John Vos of Huesden, and above all Thomas à Kempis—a spirituality emerges with such distinctive features: the predominant emphasis on practice, with methodical exercises concerning the various faculties of the soul and the habitual use of more or less ingenious means to facilitate prayer; the abandonment of lofty speculative problems in favor of direct struggle against the passions and sin; constant self-examination and introspection; ardent devotion to Jesus Christ, whom one seeks to imitate and unite as closely as possible to one’s life; and intense interior work, united with grace, to direct all faculties toward the service of God. Such are the characteristics of the most representative work of *Devotio Moderna*, *The Imitation of Christ*. In short, without claiming to revolutionize piety, *Devotio Moderna* strives to enliven all traditional observances with a personal and conscious interior life, demanding the utmost effort from the individual.
This explains why *Devotio Moderna* proved so effective for religious renewal wherever it took root, especially from the time it was adopted by the powerful personality of St. Ignatius and transmitted by him to his disciples in the form of the *Spiritual Exercises* (q.v.) and the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus. *Devotio Moderna* thus left its mark on all religious life from the 16th century onward and contributed significantly to securing the triumph of Catholicism over heresy.
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