Sermons to the Novices Regular

INTRODUCTION #|OR many years the Venerable Thomas a Kempis had charge of the young Religious at Mount St. Agnes. The office of training the Novices was with the Windes- heimers usually attached to the sub-priorship, at least in the early days of the Congregation, and a Novice-Master, as such, was not appointed. Twice Thomas was elected Sub- Prior of the Monastery on the Mount. We find him named as holding that post in 1429, in a list of the Brethren who went into exile rather than disobey a papal interdict laid upon the land.’ As a vacancy had occurred by the promotion of Brother Theodoric from Sub-Prior to Prior in 1425, it is reasonable to presume that our author was appointed at that date. During the period of exile in Frisia, three years 1 Vide ‘‘Chronicle of the Canons Regular of Mount St. Agnes,” c. xxii. Kegan Paul, 1906. xi INTRODUCTION or longer, the community would be more or less disorganized; moreover, during part of that time Thomas was posted by his superiors at Arnheim to aid his brother John 4 Kempis, who was failing in health and who died in 1432, assisted by Thomas to the end. Meanwhile another had been elected Sub-Prior of Mount St. Agnes. But in 1448 we find our Venerable Thomas chosen Sub-Prior again,’ and this time he seems to have remained in office for a long period: the next Sub-Prior mentioned is Henry Ruhorst, whose death is chronicled in 1458. The fact of our author’s close relations as Sub- Prior with the younger members of the Com- munity explains not only the present volume of sermons, but also the great proportion among his writings of treatises intended chiefly for youthful Religious, as “The Discipline of the Cloister,” ‘‘The Monk’s Alphabet,” ‘The Manual for Be- ginners,” etc. “‘ He composed various treatises for the edification of youth, unadorned and simple in style, but truly great in thought and efficacy,” says the unknown continuator of the “ Chronicles of Mount St.…