VONIER, ANSCAR. - Benedictine abbot, theologian, born in the world as Martin, on 11 Nov. 1875 at Ringschnait (Württemberg, Germany), died at Buckfast (England) on 26 Dec. 1938.

He spent his childhood at Rissegg; in 1889 he entered the College of the French Benedictines exiled at Buckfast (Devonshire), and later took the habit there (1893). Ordained priest (17 Dec. 1898), he earned a doctorate in philosophy at St. Anselm's (Rome) in 1900; prefect of students and procurator at Buckfast (1900-1905), he returned to Rome to teach philosophy at St. Anselm's (Oct. 1905). On 14 Sept. 1906 he was elected 2nd abbot of Buckfast, where from 1907 to 1932 he rebuilt the monastery and the ancient (12th century) splendid abbey church (dating back to c. 600), in the valley of the river Dart, suppressed in 1539, whose ruins had been bought in 1880 by the expelled monks of La Pierre-qui-vire; he endowed it with the magnificent "golden altar" (1931). A thinker, writer and highly esteemed preacher, he exercised great spiritual influence through his correspondence, his books, retreats for the clergy and laity, Sunday sermons, and the almost daily spiritual conferences to his monks. Worn out by tireless activity, he died on his return from a journey to Rome.

The 16 vols. (many of which were translated into French and German), profound and original, left by V. are: The human soul (1913), The personality of Christ (1914), The christian mind (1918), The divine Motherhood (1921), A key to the doctrine of the Eucharist (1925), The life of the world to come (1926), The art of Christ (1927), The Angels (1928), The new and eternal Covenant (1930), Death and Judgement (1930), Christ the King of glory (1932), Christianus (1933), The Victory of Christ (1934), The Spirit and the Bride (1935; Italian trans., Lo Spirito e la Sposa, Florence 1949), The People of God (1937), Sketches and studies in theology (1940). The ten principal books of V. were collected in 3 vols., from 1951 to 1953, by the present abbot of Buckfast Bruno Fehrenbacher, who shortened the text somewhat by suppressing repetitions.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: L. Bouyer, D. Anchaire V., in La vie spirituelle, June 1948; B. Borghini, Un grande scrittore e un grande abate: D. Anscario V., in Vita cristiana, 19 (1950), pp. 34-45; 224-31; B. Fehrenbacher, Foreword, to the Works of V., I, London 1951, pp. v-xii.

Antonino Romeo

@incollection{ec12_vonier_anscar, author = {Romeo, Antonino}, title = {Vonier, anscar}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {1624}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/vonier-anscar} }

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Vonier, Anscar

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