Leo Avery
Encyclopedia
Leo Avery, later to be the third Abbot of Quarr in modern times, was born 5 January 1938, in Wakefield
, Yorkshire
, England, and raised in Maidstone, Kent, England. After studies in Aeronautical Engineering at Southampton University, England, he entered the novitiate at Quarr Abbey
, on the nearby Isle of Wight
, in September 1960. He made profession on 8 September 1962, and in 1969 was ordained priest. Subsequently he studied for a licentiate in Biblical Studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute
in Rome. After his return he taught Scripture to the monks and served in many other capacities, often of a practical nature that reflected his early training as an engineer. In 1980 he became prior and upon the retirement of Abbot Aelred Sillem
in 1992, Dom Leo was elected to succeed him. He died after a short illness on 4 July 1996. He was succeeded as abbot by Dom Cuthbert Johnson
.
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England, and raised in Maidstone, Kent, England. After studies in Aeronautical Engineering at Southampton University, England, he entered the novitiate at Quarr Abbey
Quarr Abbey
Quarr Abbey is a monastery between the villages of Binstead and Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight in southern England. The name is pronounced as "Kor" . It belongs to the Order of St Benedict. The present imposing brick construction was completed in 1912. A community of about a dozen monks maintains...
, on the nearby Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, in September 1960. He made profession on 8 September 1962, and in 1969 was ordained priest. Subsequently he studied for a licentiate in Biblical Studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute
Pontifical Biblical Institute
The Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy is an institution of the Holy See run by the Jesuits that offers instruction at the university level...
in Rome. After his return he taught Scripture to the monks and served in many other capacities, often of a practical nature that reflected his early training as an engineer. In 1980 he became prior and upon the retirement of Abbot Aelred Sillem
Aelred Sillem
Aelred Sillem was second abbot of Quarr Abbey, on the Isle of Wight .Sillem was educated at Haileybury and Magdalen College, Oxford and received the habit at the Benedictine abbey of St Gregory, Downside, in 1929...
in 1992, Dom Leo was elected to succeed him. He died after a short illness on 4 July 1996. He was succeeded as abbot by Dom Cuthbert Johnson
Cuthbert Johnson
Cuthbert Johnson is a British musician, liturgist and former Benedictine abbot. He was the fourth Abbot of Quarr Abbey, he was born in County Durham, England. After studying with the Christian Brothers and the White Fathers, he entered Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight and made monastic profession...
.