and those who defended the status quo gave rise to factions within monastic communities. Casaretto began to long for a stricter degree of observance of the Rule than he had found in the various Cassinese monasteries in which he had stayed. Unlike other monastic reformers of the era, such as Dom Gueranger in France and the Wolter brothers in Germany, who based their reforms on the study of theology and history, however, he came to the conviction that a stricter asceticism necessarily meant a better monasticism. Due to his poor health, after his ordination as a priest he was advised to seek exclaustration (a temporary leave of absence to allow for discernment). Instead, he reluctantly accepted assignment to a parish in Pegli, near Genoa, which had been entrusted to the pastoral care of the Congregation, but was in danger of being seized by the cathedral chapter of the diocese. He did so, however, only on condition of being accompanied by a few of his brother monks. Furthermore, his stipulation was that they be allowed to follow an exact observance of the monastic life as laid down in the Rule of St. Benedict. To be revived in this was the practice of perpetual abstinence from meat and the celebration of Matins at 2:00 A.M. This was seen as an act of defiance in some quarters, but Casaretto had won the confidence of Pope Pius IX and King Charles Albert of Sardinia, normally opposed to monastic foundations which had not done much to recommend themselves previously in the King's model 19th-century state. His vision was fulfilled with the approval of a small monastic community in 1843. Casaretto set about transforming the parish house into a monastery, for which he enlisted the Master of novices of the Abbey of Subiaco as a companion, and soon recruited a small group of candidates to monastic life. Very shortly the community moved to more spacious quarters at the nearby former Charterhouse of San Giuliano d'Albaro, where in 1844 Casaretto was named an abbot by the Cassinese Congregation, which was impressed by the ability he had unexpectedly shown. Another monastery, the Abbey of Finale Ligure, which the Olivetan monks had found themselves unable to maintain, was transferred to Casaretto's authority. There he established a missionary college, dedicated to training monks to live overseas, especially in territories where the English language was spoken. This was a step away