Benedictine Monks - any experiences?

[ThomasEugene]

have u been in a benedictine monastery? have u discerned with them? i am very interested in knowing your experiences. what i have observed online is that the monks can go out in secular clothes and do some excursions… how do they observe the rules? thank u very much!

thomas

 

[puzzleannie]

each Benedictine house is independent of all others, so you cannot judge discipline, manner of life, work and prayer in one house by your experience with another monastery. It is best to visit and discern with the community in which you would likely be admitted.

 

[anode]

have u been in a benedictine monastery? have u discerned with them? i am very interested in knowing your experiences. what i have observed online is that the monks can go out in secular clothes and do some excursions… how do they observe the rules? thank u very much!

thomas

Thomas, are you in the Philippines? They prob have Benedictines there. From your blog, I infer that you’re a student, and that you like to teach. The OSB have been teachers almost from the beginning. They have a structured life centering around the Divine Office and often–usually–are well-educated, and very often teach. Judging from your blog, I would predict that their form of religious life might appeal to you.

 

[ThomasEugene]

Thomas, are you in the Philippines? They prob have Benedictines there. From your blog, I infer that you’re a student, and that you like to teach. The OSB have been teachers almost from the beginning. They have a structured life centering around the Divine Office and often–usually–are well-educated, and very often teach. Judging from your blog, I would predict that their form of religious life might appeal to you.

thank u very much for replying and for reading my blog. yes we have a Benedictine monasteries. one is quite near, 4 hours by car. their life is appealing although i don’t feel i am called to their community. maybe i’ll just send u a message for that.
thank u very much and please pray for me. i am in contact with Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien, familiar with them?

to puzzleannie, thank u very much for the reply!

 

[jilly4ski]

I went to a Benedictine University, while it was pretty liberal (like most universities in the US) many of the monks wore their habit (at least to mass and evening prayer). They attended morning, afternoon, and evening prayer and a few attended compline (I don’t think it is required to be prayed in community. Some of the monks taught in the University, some worked in a woodworking shop were they make furniture for sale and use, the Bakery which sells bread, among other professions, in the monastery and the local area. The new president of the university was a professor of music (piano/organ).
saintjohnsabbey.org/

 

[Jesus_123]

+From the world famous St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama . . . which also is much involved in the education of the young . . .

****. . . :coffeeread: . . .
****The Divine Office

The Benedictine Monastic Office

The Divine Office is at the center of the Benedictine life. Through it the monk lifts heart and mind to Almighty God, uniting himself to his confreres, the Church and the entire world in offering God praise and thanks, in confessing his sins, and in calling on God for the needs of all people. The office punctuates the day of the monk, awakening his soul to make the entire day, indeed the whole of life, a gift of the self to God. Praying the hours puts the monk into the real world, sanctifying his whole life and assisting him toward his goal of unceasing prayer – Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus.

The Benedictine Office is a rich collection of prayer that is based on the Rule of St. Benedict. Historically it is distinct from the Roman Office, also called the Liturgy of the Hours, which, after the Second Vatican Council, was shaped in part to simplify and make more practical the prayer of the hours for the secular clergy, as well as the laity and religious who elect to use it. In 1966 the Breviarium Monasticum was the universal order of Divine Office for Benedictines. In that year the monks were given a period of time for liturgical experimentation, allowing each congregation or monastery to adapt the tradition for its particular use. To this day the Breviarium Monasticum remains “official” and the time of experimentation remains in effect, and no other universal office has been established for use by Benedictines. In that circumstance, communities are using various forms of the Divine Office, and a few communities have elected to take the new Roman Office (Liturgy of the Hours) as a convenient guideline because of its universal use among the secular clergy, but that is rare.

:compcoff: Link: stbernardabbey.com/default.asp?iId=LJILD

:compcoff: Link to the Holy Rule of St. Benedict: ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule2/files/rule2.html#prologue​

*In dedication to the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart . . . *

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Dear Lord+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy Mother+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy Mother Church+
. . . thank you Blessed St. Benedict+
. . . thank you Blessed St. Bernard of Clairvaux+
Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
​

 

[ThomasEugene]

thank u very much for the info. i’ll take time reading it. b the way are u familiar with the Missionary Benedictines of St. Ottilien?