Benedictine Monasteries

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AngelicDoctor

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Has anyone here visited any Benedictine monasteries/abbeys?
(either just brief visits, or extended discernment visits). Can anyone share their experience of a really othodox and sound Benedictine community in the U.S.???
 
Well, about 125 miles from Tama is the New Melleray Abbey in (the area of) Dubuque. Trappists follow the Rule of St. Benedict, and the abbey is really beautiful. Here’s their website.
 
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
 
Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana

That’s where I studied vestment making!

It is lovely!
 
I haven’t had a chance to visit any communities yet, but I am attracted by the simple life of the monks of Christ in the Desert in New Mexic (christdesert.org/)).

There is another smaller community in Mass stmarysmonastery.org. Both of these communities
are in the English Province of the Subiaco Congregation. As a result, unlike many Benedictine Communities, they don’t run schools or parishes. In other words they are an attempt to live the Benedictine Rule in its purest form (without adding the extra rules that the Trappists have).

Hope that helps.

–
Bill
 
mchale said:
In other words they are an attempt to live the Benedictine Rule in its purest form (without adding the extra rules that the Trappists have).
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Forgive my ignorance, but what “extra rules” do the Trappists have?
 
joeganshert said:
Forgive my ignorance, but what “extra rules” do the Trappists have?
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Well specifically, the biggest difference between the Benedictines and the Cistercians is that the latter (which includes the Trappists) are an actual order. Despite the OSB after the name of a Benedictine, the Benedictines are not an order per say, but rather a loose federation of abbeys. While abbeys might have smaller communities that they are in charge of, this is generally seen as a temporary situation until a community becomes independent. The ties between independent abbeys tend to be looser and while most abbeys join a congregation of abbeys (that generally share a particular style of living out the rule of St. Benedict), these associations are voluntary.

In contrast, Cistercians in general, and Trappists in particular have a much more organized heirarchy.

Also, the Trappists generally have added, via their constitutions, much stricter rules regarding silence and diet.

–
Bill
 
mchale said:
Well specifically, the biggest difference between the Benedictines and the Cistercians is that the latter (which includes the Trappists) are an actual order. Despite the OSB after the name of a Benedictine, the Benedictines are not an order per say, but rather a loose federation of abbeys. While abbeys might have smaller communities that they are in charge of, this is generally seen as a temporary situation until a community becomes independent. The ties between independent abbeys tend to be looser and while most abbeys join a congregation of abbeys (that generally share a particular style of living out the rule of St. Benedict), these associations are voluntary.

In contrast, Cistercians in general, and Trappists in particular have a much more organized heirarchy.

Also, the Trappists generally have added, via their constitutions, much stricter rules regarding silence and diet.

–
Bill
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Gotcha 👍
 
Clear Creek in Oklahoma is supposed to be really amazing. They use the Tridentine Mass and probably the old breviary. They have a website but I don’t know it offhand. A friend has been there several times though and her parents are moving up there to live nearby and raise sheep.
 
I agree that St. Meinrad in Indiana is a very holy place. It is attached to my diocese (the town church is in the Evansville Diocese and the Archabbey is cut out to be in the Indianapolis Diocese). It offers a great place for quiet reflection as well as many retreats given by the priest monks as well as brothers. I can not vouch for the quality of secular priest that they produce (some very very good, some very very bad…most in the middle), but everyone that I have met at the Archabbey itself appears vary faithful to the magisterium and the rule of St. Benedict.
 
To add to my earlier post, I guess it depends why you want to go to the Abbey. If you are studying for the secular priesthood, I would steer you to Mundeline (spelling is prob wrong). If you are going to live the rule, I would visit any and all that you could and talk with the Abbot to see if the community fits your needs. If you want a silent or led retreat, I would reccommend Meinrad.

If you want strict orthodoxy, I am afraid that you will find that most have been affected by the spirit of VII, some more than others.
 
FCEGM said:
I’ve heard good things about St. Louis Abbey in Missouri:

stlouisabbey.org/
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I have spent 5 days with this community… they are a very good community. They came over from England in the middle of the last century. A good mixture of ages among the monks. I would recommend them to anyone else consdering the Bennies.
 
NoPlaceLikeRome said:
Clear Creek in Oklahoma is supposed to be really amazing. They use the Tridentine Mass and probably the old breviary. They have a website but I don’t know it offhand. A friend has been there several times though and her parents are moving up there to live nearby and raise sheep.
Click to expand...
I think that their website is:
clearcreekmonks.org/

They do seem like a very good community (well, from the website anyways). I have gone to a few Traditional Latin masses (and would go to more if they are ever made more available here in central Iowa) and love the liturgy, but I do not think that I would smoothly fit into a Traditionalist community like this (that is, I have so little experience with the “old rite”, I would not even be able to serve a mass). Plus, with traditionalist groups, it is not just a matter of knowing the liturgy, there is also a unique culture–and I would be an outside to that (at least initially).
 
I am an oblate (layperson) of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, IN, a few minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. Although it is in the city, it has a park-light setting. Although I am male, our monastery of sisters accepts both male and female who choose to become oblates as well as those who are Catholic and Protestant, including ministers. Some of us live in another state, which is not necessarily a handicap. Most of the oblates at St. Meinrad Archabby, located in southern Indiana near the Ohio River and KY, for example, are from all over the US.

I have visited a number of other monasteries, both with sisters and monks. One way to get information is to go to osb.org/.
Besides basic information about a monastery, nearly all have an oblate newsletter, which can provide basic information about their individual oblate program, if that might be of interest to you.

Best wishes on your exploration…
jblair
 
jblair said:
I am an oblate (layperson) of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, IN, a few minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. Although it is in the city, it has a park-light setting. Although I am male, our monastery of sisters accepts both male and female who choose to become oblates as well as those who are Catholic and Protestant, including ministers. Some of us live in another state, which is not necessarily a handicap. Most of the oblates at St. Meinrad Archabby, located in southern Indiana near the Ohio River and KY, for example, are from all over the US.

I have visited a number of other monasteries, both with sisters and monks. One way to get information is to go to osb.org/.
Besides basic information about a monastery, nearly all have an oblate newsletter, which can provide basic information about their individual oblate program, if that might be of interest to you.

Best wishes on your exploration…
jblair
Click to expand...
When I was in the area with friends we visited St. Joseph Abbey.

neworleanschurches.com/stjossem/stjoesem.htm

It was absolutely beautiful and we spent a long time walking around and admiring all the paintings on the walls.
 
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