Abbey of Pradines at Régny

Posted in Benedictines, Diocese of Lyon, Ecclesiastical province of Lyon

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The History of our Monastery

Our Abbey of Pradines at Régny was founded in the nineteenth century by Thérèse de Bavoz, a nun of the Abbey of St. Pierre, des Terreaux at Lyon. At the time of the Revolution, as she was not able to remain in Lyon, she left with a few companions and went to St. Agathe en Donzy in Forez in order to live an austere community life. Her strong faith allowed her to cope with many trials and pass through the revolutionary turmoil. She and a few Sisters went and settled in the dilapidated manor house of Pradines.
It was in 1814 that the community came to its full scope as a Benedictine community. Thérèse de Bavoz was to promote the renewal of monastic life in several monasteries in France which decided, in 1950, to form a Federation. In 1962, at the request of the Bishop of Bouake on the Ivory Coast, 7 nuns left Pradines to found the Monastery of the Good News.

The Monastery today

At present, our community of fifty or so Sisters, lives a life of work, prayer and fraternal life. After the Vatican Council, the community chose to sing the Offices in French. That entailed a great deal of work but also a very good collaboration with composers such as Fr. Godard, Fr. Rimaud and Fr. Dumas.
We make our living from the work of our printing press, especially notices for marriages, births, and ordinations, all of which keep us in touch with the great events in life.
We have a guest house with 27 rooms for groups or people who come alone. We are also involved in ecumenism as each year we have the joy of welcoming the Dombes Group for their work session. That is something very rich for us.