St stephen harding biography template

(d. ),

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St. Stephen Harding

Stephen Harding, an Englishman, was returning from a pilgrimage to Rome when he came upon a community of monks living an austere life in small huts in Molesme, France. Abandoning all thought of returning home, he decided to remain among them, under the leadership of their holy abbot, Robert. The community grew and prospered—so much, in fact, that several members of the monastery, including Stephen, Brother Alberic, and Abbot Robert, envisioned the idea of a new community, closer to the primitive spirit of the Benedictine Rule. With support from the archbishop of Lyons, they received permission to leave Molesme. Altogether, twenty monks set out, settling finally in a remote clearing in a forest in Cîteaux, where they established their new monastery. It was the foundation of the new Cistercian Order. 

When Robert, the first abbot, eventually returned to Molesme, Alberic succeeded him. Upon Alberic’s death some years later, Stephen became the third abbot of Cîteaux. In this role he truly shaped the Cistercian ideal of austerity and purity. Insisting on strict poverty, he forbade any form of pomp. He discouraged the patronage of wealthy lords and restored the reliance on manual labor. And yet the community nearly foundered for want of vocations. This cha

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Saint of the day: Stephen Harding

St. Stephen Harding was born in England and educated at Sherborne Abbey. When he had finished his studies, he visited the monastery at Molesme and met the abbot, Robert of Molesme, and the prior Alberic (both of whom later became saints). Stephen was impressed by their community and joined them.

After a few years there, the three men led 20 other monks to establish an austere monastery in Citeaux. Robert eventually returned to Molesme to resume his duties as abbot, and Alberic, who became abbot in his absence, died in Stephen was then elected as abbot.

Stephen established the famous “Charter of Charity,” which became the standard for Cistercian monasticism. Although very few men were joining the monastery at the time, and the monks there suffered from hunger and sickness, Stephen persevered. In , St. Bernard of Clairvaux joined the community, bringing with him 30 other companions. The next year, Stephen was able to found a colony at La Ferte.

By the time he died in , Stephen had established 13 monasteries, and by the end of the century, there were across Europe.