Benedictine Monastery

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I will be visiting a Benedictine monastery in August and was wondering if there is anything I should know before going?

Thanks
 
Benedictines are noted for their hospitality, so I’m sure they’ll make you feel welcome and answer any questions you have.

One of the things I love when visiting the monastery where I’m an Oblate is to join in praying the Divine Office. They’ll let you know what times they gather to pray and provide the texts you need.

Is there anything in particular you have questions about?
 
prayerchanges said:
I will be visiting a Benedictine monastery in August and was wondering if there is anything I should know before going?

Thanks
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Any chance you could say where, or at least give an indication of which congregation that monastery belongs to? Is is Trappist, Cistercian or Carthusian? They are all Benedictines.
 
Carthusians are not Benedictines. They don’t have the Benedictine Rule as the basis of their communities, but rather have their our statues. They operate quite differently from Benedictine communities, though certainly in a similar spirit of contemplation.

As for the OP, the most important thing to know - in my opinion - is a simple, easily repeatable prayer. During my time at a Trappist monastery I found the most powerful tool provided me by God was prayer of the heart - google it or check out Way of a Pilgrim if you’re not familiar with it. Try to quite your mind and heart as much as possible - it’s exceedingly difficult for those of us who live busier lives than our necessary (I know from experience), but there’s no substitute for it. 🙂 Prayers beads or a rosary can be infinitely useful to this end.
 
I will be going to St. Meinrad in Indiana. It’s a benedictine monastery and theology school. I also think I am going to visit a Trappist monastery later this year.
 
Prayerchanges, have you seen the videos by Br. Thomas, OSB? He is a monk at St. Meinrad’s and produced a 5 part video for persons interested in the Benedictine life. I’m not sure they have much information that you don’t already know, but the videos do offer interesting glimpses of life at St. Meinrad’s.

Part 1
tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=ee8b34289e88cae1bc9d

Part 2
tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=3aa659e910376f3cee29

Part 3
tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=42564c3127af424b9d7f

Part 4
tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=73b71bf7e353cf0001a9

Part 5
tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=217be7376ff523e7a4c2

St Meinrad’s periodically sponsors a vocation discernment week. Here is their flyer for the post-Christmas week. It has suggested readings and mentions clothes to bring and what to expect.
saintmeinrad.edu/files/A%20Monastic%20Observance.pdf
 
Your visits to monasteries as part of deciding whether to become a monk are different from the mostly weekend retreat- visits my wife and I make to our local monastery. But here are some observations:
  1. Before your visit, let the Holy Spirit give you a theme for your time at the monastery. You can read and study about your theme and it is great preparation. We do this now for all our retreats and the practice has two results. First, it seems our retreat begins before we actually arrive and tends to keep us closer to our time at the monastery after we leave. Second, what happens during the retreat is never what we expect based on our pre-retreat theme, but is always better.
  2. Start a journal for your visit, again you can begin it before you arrive.
  3. Arrive as early as you can for every divine office, spending the time in silence. Stay after the divine offices if you can, spending the time in silence. Don’t miss any divine office during the time you are there.
  4. Follow the singing/chanting of the monks. If they chant loudly, OK. But if they tend to chant with blended voices, remember you are not auditioning for singing the national anthem at a baseball game.
  5. You are a guest in the monks’ house, act like the guests in your house who receive your invitation to return.
  6. Smile, life is a joyful gift. 🙂
  7. Seek God.
 
Good luck on your visit. I went to seminary at a Benedictine monastery (not Meinrad) about 17 years ago as a candidate for my home diocese. I loved the praying of the divine office and the Benedictine spirituality of work and prayer. Unfortunately this particular seminary was very very liberal. I have since heard that it is better, but still has a ways to go. I ended up leaving and transferring to Lincoln.
Take this for what its worth (maybe nothing), but you can tell a lot about a community by simply observing three things:
  1. Do they have a love for Mary & the Rosary (and how many of the monks pray it daily);
  2. Do they have a love for the Eucharist (not just Mass, but do they have Exposition regularly and how many show up);
    and 3) Do they have a love for the Holy Father and the teachings of the Church. Unfortunately you likely won’t be able to discern this in just a weekend.
    But I wish you the best on your visit. I heard that Meinrad is a beautiful place.
 
Thank you very much for your posts, I will be taking them with me when I go on the 7th!
 
I just returned from spending a week at St. Meinrad’s for a workshop.

The comments on hospitality are dead on the mark. One of the Monks gave us a tour and it was simply wonderful. It is an extrememly beautiful and holy place.

Morning prayer is at 5:30 followed by daily Mass at 7:30. They pray evening prayer at 5:00 pm and night prayer at 7:00 pm. They chant the Liturgery of the Hours and the cantors are magnificant. The only thing that they ask is that you try to blend in with the chant during prayer so that everyone is praying as a community.

The Archabbey Church is 100 years old and has stain glass windows that were made in Germany in the early 1900’s.

So, I think you are in for an excellent spiritual experience. 👍
 
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