Z
zab
Guest
And thank you for the link to their website and the update!!! My daughter was showing some interest in visiting them along with her five children (and possibly some other homeschooling families).
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N
nunsense
Guest
I recently visited these nuns for 3 weeks and wrote about my experiences here
phatmass.com/phorum/topic/118816-our-lady-of-the-rock-benedictine-monastery/page__p__2382926#entry2382926
I am returning at the end of March to enter the community. They are faithful, loving, generous and kind. One of their elderly sisters died this past week and they are having her funeral this weekend. They celebrate the NO Mass but use Latin for the doxologies such as the Kyrie Eleison, Agnus Dei, Sanctus etc. They recite 8 hours of the Divine Office in Latin (using Gregorian chant for the major Offices like Lauds and Vespers) including Prime and get up early in the morning for Matins as well. They wear the traditional Benedictine habit. They have two guest houses on the property, and their chaplain used to live in one of them, but they currently do not have a resident priest.
Their legal problems over the land were settled nearly 30 years ago. The man who donated the land in the first place changed his mind later and wanted to take back half of the land to give to someone else, people who wanted to set up an activity next to the monastery that was totally inappropriate for their monastic life, and since this and the loss of land would also have affected their farm, they felt it necessary to hold him to the original agreement. It was an unfortunate experience for all concerned but their original agreement was upheld by the courts.
I don’t know the particulars of the building permits that were mentioned by an earlier poster, but I do know that one of the guest houses was already on the site and the other was a complete farmhouse that was bought and moved from another property because the owner of the land wanted to build a new residence. They also have many farm buildings that serve different purposes, but none of these could be considered a suitable dwelling place so I am not sure about that particular rumour.
It is always a shame when people repeat gossip and innuendo without supplying both sources and final outcomes because then reputations get tarnished. I know that I put off visiting these nuns for many years myself because I had read bits and pieces of controversy online, and never bothered to find out the truth of these situations. For anyone interested in a more comprehensive history of the Shaw Island Benedictines, a good read is the biography of Mother Benedicta, the foundress of Regina Laudis, because Our Lady of the Rock was founded by Regina Laudis and still maintains strong ties with that monastery, even to the sharing of nuns from time to time.
This is a beautiful monastery and they welcome guests to come stay with him and help out on the farm. There is a lovely blog post about one woman’s visit with them posted here… dodgingtheburn.blogspot.com/
I would be happy to answer any questions about OLotR as far as I know it from my short visit of 3 weeks and my talks with the nuns.
phatmass.com/phorum/topic/118816-our-lady-of-the-rock-benedictine-monastery/page__p__2382926#entry2382926
I am returning at the end of March to enter the community. They are faithful, loving, generous and kind. One of their elderly sisters died this past week and they are having her funeral this weekend. They celebrate the NO Mass but use Latin for the doxologies such as the Kyrie Eleison, Agnus Dei, Sanctus etc. They recite 8 hours of the Divine Office in Latin (using Gregorian chant for the major Offices like Lauds and Vespers) including Prime and get up early in the morning for Matins as well. They wear the traditional Benedictine habit. They have two guest houses on the property, and their chaplain used to live in one of them, but they currently do not have a resident priest.
Their legal problems over the land were settled nearly 30 years ago. The man who donated the land in the first place changed his mind later and wanted to take back half of the land to give to someone else, people who wanted to set up an activity next to the monastery that was totally inappropriate for their monastic life, and since this and the loss of land would also have affected their farm, they felt it necessary to hold him to the original agreement. It was an unfortunate experience for all concerned but their original agreement was upheld by the courts.
I don’t know the particulars of the building permits that were mentioned by an earlier poster, but I do know that one of the guest houses was already on the site and the other was a complete farmhouse that was bought and moved from another property because the owner of the land wanted to build a new residence. They also have many farm buildings that serve different purposes, but none of these could be considered a suitable dwelling place so I am not sure about that particular rumour.
It is always a shame when people repeat gossip and innuendo without supplying both sources and final outcomes because then reputations get tarnished. I know that I put off visiting these nuns for many years myself because I had read bits and pieces of controversy online, and never bothered to find out the truth of these situations. For anyone interested in a more comprehensive history of the Shaw Island Benedictines, a good read is the biography of Mother Benedicta, the foundress of Regina Laudis, because Our Lady of the Rock was founded by Regina Laudis and still maintains strong ties with that monastery, even to the sharing of nuns from time to time.
This is a beautiful monastery and they welcome guests to come stay with him and help out on the farm. There is a lovely blog post about one woman’s visit with them posted here… dodgingtheburn.blogspot.com/
I would be happy to answer any questions about OLotR as far as I know it from my short visit of 3 weeks and my talks with the nuns.
N
nunsense
Guest
monastery blog
islandlife-inamonastery.blogspot.com/
visitor blog - hartkeisonline.com/raw-milk/washington-states-most-prayerful-dairy-farm/
visitor blog - grandmere.typepad.com/
news story about them from 2002
seattlepi.com/news/article/Nuns-reach-out-for-recruits-to-island-haven-1102119.php
islandlife-inamonastery.blogspot.com/
visitor blog - hartkeisonline.com/raw-milk/washington-states-most-prayerful-dairy-farm/
visitor blog - grandmere.typepad.com/
news story about them from 2002
seattlepi.com/news/article/Nuns-reach-out-for-recruits-to-island-haven-1102119.php
C
corsair
Guest
Thank you Nunsense for the information. The wife and I are planning a short visit this early fall on one of our trips to visit a son who lives in BC. Be a great stop over and time to talk with the Nuns.
Do you know which Nun passed away? I’ll pray for her soul today and for the next week.
I’ll also pray for your vocation, while I’m at it.
Do you know which Nun passed away? I’ll pray for her soul today and for the next week.
I’ll also pray for your vocation, while I’m at it.
N
nunsense
Guest
The nun who died was Mother Martina. She was quite elderly and they were expecting it, but it is always hard to lose a loved one. She is in God’s hands now.Thank you Nunsense for the information. The wife and I are planning a short visit this early fall on one of our trips to visit a son who lives in BC. Be a great stop over and time to talk with the Nuns.
Do you know which Nun passed away? I’ll pray for her soul today and for the next week.
I’ll also pray for your vocation, while I’m at it.
If you intend to visit, be sure to email Mother Hildegard first because during the warm months, they usually have a lot of guests coming and going, and you want to make sure there is room in one of the guest houses. I understand there is also a ferry going to Sydney, BC during the summer months (I was there in winter when there are no ferries to Canada).
Thank you for your prayers for my vocation as well!
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