Buckfast Abbey choristers to honour founding Abbot with pilgrimage to his German birthplace

In a heartfelt tribute to one of the most influential figures in its history, Buckfast Abbey is sending its young choristers on a special pilgrimage this July to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Abbot Anscar Vonier. The journey will take them from Devon to the Swabian region of south-west Germany, the rural birthplace of the visionary monk who played a defining role in restoring Buckfast as a centre of monastic life and worship in the early 20th century.

Born in 1875, Vonier felt the call to a monastic life as a teenager and left his small hometown in Swabia to join a fledgling Benedictine community at Buckfast Abbey, which was then undergoing a slow revival after centuries of disuse. The original Buckfast Abbey had been dissolved under Henry VIII during the Reformation in 1539 and lay in ruins for over 300 years.

In the decades that followed Vonier’s arrival, more than 30 other young men from Swabia joined him at Buckfast, forming the nucleus of a determined monastic community. Among them was Brother Adam, who would become world-renowned for his work breeding the Buckfast Bee, now prized globally for its gentle temperament and resilience. Together, this group laid the physical and spiritual foundations for what is now one of Britain’s most remarkable modern monastic sites.

As Abbot, Vonier spearheaded the construction of the new Abbey church, which was completed largely through the labour of the monks themselves. His legacy is still deeply felt at Buckfast, both in its architectural grandeur and its continuing role as a place of worship, education, and hospitality.

To honour his life and legacy, the Abbey choristers, aged 8 to 13 and drawn from schools across Devon, will travel to Vonier’s homeland to perform in his birthplace, at a former Benedictine monastery, and at a local pilgrimage shrine. The tour is part of the Abbey’s wider Jubilee celebrations, themed around being “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Abbot David Charlesworth, the current Abbot of Buckfast, reflected on the significance of the pilgrimage: “Abbot Vonier lived a life inspired by faith and hope in Christ, given physical form through the construction of our fine church. Now, in a Jubilee year centred on being ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, it is fitting that our own choristers embark on their own journey to reconnect the Abbey with the land from where so many young men set out to follow Christ.”

This musical journey of faith, heritage, and hope will not only pay homage to Buckfast’s remarkable past but also strengthen the bonds of friendship and faith that stretch across borders and generations; a living echo of Abbot Vonier’s bold vision.