Belmont Abbey College - Spire Yearbook (Belmont, NC)

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Help of Christians Abbey grew and expanded. New students continued to arrive at St. Mary ' s door, and new novices continued to make their profession of vows to the order of St. Benedict, placing themselves under the patronage of Our Lady of Help. More buildings arose from the soil of the Abbey. A new school was founded in Florida - a mili- tary school placed under the patronage of St. Leo. The Abbey ' s grotto was built in 1891, and the cor- nerstone of the new Abbey church laid in 1892. In 1894, another new foundation was begun, this time in Bristol, Virginia, for homeless boys. By 1900 there were 59 in the monastic community and 120 enrolled in St. Mary ' s Col- lege. In 1900, on the morning of May 1 9, during the monas - tic office of Matins, a fire was discovered in the new west wing of the college. When Bishop Haid saw it, he threw up his hands and implored, O God, save my monastery! Mass was hur- riedly said in the Abbey Church, with all vestments and chalices standing packed for removal. During the sacrifice the wind reversed itseld, sparing the remain- der of the College and mon- astery. This setback was far from insurmountable, however, given the spirit of those in- volved. Before the year 1900 was over, a new building had taken the place of the burned one. Having survived its bap- tism of fire, the college exerted a new energy: St. Leo ' s Hall was begun in 1906, and a new foundation in Savannah, f W y Five

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•JC : • priory independent. A call was issued: Volunteers were des ired f rom St. Vincent ' s to transfer their vows to the new Abbey. Eight monks re- sponded immediately, and to these men was entrusted the duty of electing an abbot. On Bastille Day of 1885, the Reverend Leo Haid was elected the first Abbot of Mary Help Christians Ab- bey. Soon, two more monks joined them, and this Abbot and community of ten took possession of the college and Abbey of St. Mary. The college was reopened that September with an in- creased number of students. Abbot Leo was blessed the following month by the Bis- hop of Charleston in his cathedral there. The college expanded: an- other building was started and built from bricks made on the site. Many were the times that the monks and students were roused at midnight from a sound sleep to save the yet-undried bricks from a sudden down- pour. Throughout the rest of the nineteenth century, St. Mary ' s College and Mary Four •••• ••■■- ■•■•■-■ ■ ' •■»— ' y-f ' iwnMtmMM««

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Georgia, was established in 1902 - the Benedictine School. In 1910, the See in Rome created the Abbey a Nullius, and Bishop Haid be- came the Ordinary of eight counties living to the west of Belmont. About the same time, the popular name of Belmont Abbey College be- came prevalent, and in 1913, on Thanksgiving Day, the name was officially changed from St. Mary ' s College to Belmont Abbey College. The pioneer days ended, and Belmont Abbey and its college entered maturity. Having piloted his communi- ty from infancy to majority, Bishop Leo Haid died on July 24, 1924, after appointing Father Willibald Baugm- gartner as Prior. On August 20, 1924, the community elected Vincent Taylor as Abbot of Belmont. (Abbot Vincent had been or- dained at the hands of Bishop Leo. ) One of the first moves by Abbot Vincent was to launch a program of higher studies for the teachers at the Abbey college. Many on- campus courses were of- fered to the teachers, and other members of the com- munity were sent to gradu- ate schools. The old sub- academic studies were abolished and a junior col- lege set up. Shortly after the establishment of the new junior college, many of the old rules were abolished, and newer, more liberal ones took their place. V. .Sg BB Six