Benedictine Monasteries

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domineutvideam said:
It’s in Canada but a thriving community (they also run both a minor [high school] and major [college] seminary):

Westminster Abbey

They have had several postulants enter each year for the past few years. Always a good sign. Lots of young faces there.

Their website doesn’t have too much information unfortunately.

This “vocations” video which has been very popular on Catholic blogs/forums was made at the seminary they run (shows some beautiful scenic shots from up at the Abbey):

Vocation Video
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I understand that the original poster said USA, but I want to put in a very strong word for this most wonderful monastery, which really just a few stone-throws on the other side of the border.

I attended their seminary for a year (until i was sent to another seminary by my bishop, who didn’t know how bad it was, but unfortunately I ended up finding out). Westminister Abbey/Seminary of Christ the King is almost like heaven on earth. Though it is not absolutely perfect, it is a peaceful, quiet, and refreshing place that is a must for anyone seeking the ideal retreat. And if you are pondering the monastic life or training for the priesthood, then the place is second to none. The monks are excellent teachers and the formation process is traditional and conservative, yet with a good measure of understanding and humanity.

I miss this place very much and still consider my time there to be the best year of my life. I hope to some day visit it again and bring my beautiful wife and daughters along to see just what I have been talking about for all of these years. Perhaps after my ordination to the diaconate (God willing) a few years down the road.
 
The Benedictines at Westminster Abbey have three new novices, a few making simple vows, and one making final profession in the next two weeks. All young guys. Deo Gratias! 🙂
 
I have been to Christ in the Desert in New Mexico and also to St Mary’s Monastery near Boston, both of which have already been mentioned. I plan to enter Christ in the Desert shortly after easter, depending on how fast i can get my passport renewed and how fast I can get an R-1 visa
 
Dunmoose said:
I have been to Christ in the Desert in New Mexico and also to St Mary’s Monastery near Boston, both of which have already been mentioned. I plan to enter Christ in the Desert shortly after easter, depending on how fast i can get my passport renewed and how fast I can get an R-1 visa
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A friend of mine just visited Christ in the Desert and said it was beautiful. It was mentioned in a PBS special about the religions in New Mexico. I’ve heard about it but have never visited. It’s in such a gorgeous part of the state. I wish you well on your journey.

There’s another one in New Mexico, near Pecos. (40 minutes away from Santa Fe) It’s also quite serene and in a lovely location in the mountains. Pecos Benedictine Community.
 
rosebudsal said:
A friend of mine just visited Christ in the Desert and said it was beautiful. It was mentioned in a PBS special about the religions in New Mexico. I’ve heard about it but have never visited. It’s in such a gorgeous part of the state. I wish you well on your journey.
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It was also the site of the American reality TV series “The Monastery” which aired on TLC last October/November. The monks came off as very patient, the abbot as wise. And yes, the monastery is in a beautiful setting.
 
Dale_M said:
It was also the site of the American reality TV series “The Monastery” which aired on TLC last October/November. The monks came off as very patient, the abbot as wise. And yes, the monastery is in a beautiful setting.
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Really? Who said TV wasn’t educational? I never did see that. I wonder if TLC will ever repeat it, I bet it was interesting.
 
Well, I go to a little school called Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina just outside of Charlotte, and as you probably guessed, there’s a Benedictine monastery on campus (or rather, there’s a campus on the monk’s property…)
The monks here are fantastic. All students and visitors are welcome to their Mass and prayer services each day. I usually wake up at 6:00am so I won’t have to wait for a shower later, and I get to hear the basilica bells (yes, we have a minor basilica too) ring for morning prayers. It’s a great way to start the day. I’m trying to convince my friends to go to Lauds/midday/Vespers with me because I’m to chicken to go alone, though one of the monks invited us at orientation.
The whole campus has a great feeling of the presence of God radiating from it, and as the monks are usually out and about as we’re on our way to classes, seeing these men every day reminds me that I am being taken care of very well. They really go out of their way to make one feel welcomed and loved.
 
I have to agree with an earlier poster about Conception Abbey. Attending the Easter liturgy at Conception, one feels a taste of heaven on Earth. It is beyond magnificent. They referenced the shootings at the abbey. I remember one of the two monks who was killed, because he was the guestmaster so long ago. One of the two survivors is now the director of oblates. I plan to visit the abbey, after twenty five years, this spring.
The other experience of Benedictine life I have had in the U.S. is at Mount Savior priory in Pine City, near Elmira, New York. It is about a seven hour drive from my home near Toronto, Ontario.
It is a small community. Members have come to it from all walks of life. Its prior was a M.A.S.H. doctor. One of its junior monks was a firefighter on 9/11. Unlike Conception, Mount Savior doesn’t have any external ministries such as parishes, schools, or hospitals. Like all Benedictine houses, it offers hospitality. Guests are encouraged to help the monks out with the chores.
Their liturgies are quite simple. Lauds is chanted accompanied by a guitar, and vespers is accompanied with a harp.
 
I would like to add that Christ the King Abbey in Culman, Alabama is a beautiful place to assit at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is newer, less than 20 yrs old, and was established by the present abbott after he left his monastery because he could no longer stomach the devastating changes of Vatican II.

I have not been there yet, but I have heard of Syon Abbey in Virginia. It is another traditional abbey that is faithful to the Church and what she taught till the changes in the 60’s.

They both have websites.

Joe
 
AngelicDoctor said:
That is interesting! I have grown up in the Chicago suburbs but I was born in Beech Grove, IN and baptized in near-by Our Lady of Greenwood parish in Greenwood, IN. I never knew that my place of birth had a monastery.
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bump

This monastery, which is updated and where the nuns don’t wear a full habit or head covering, had *four women *make final profession together in the last year or two! This is unusual for a so-called ‘updated’ order. They must be doing something right!
 
Re Trappist observance:

They rise at 3 AM or so every day, summer or winter. Observe the long fast from Elevation of the Cross thru to Easter, I think. Abstain all the time or most of the time (meat).

If you surf the websites, you’ll never see a fat Trappist. Well, hardly ever. not fat–maybe normal now and then. Almost all of them are thin.😉
 
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