D
Dale_M
Guest
As some of you know, the US cable channel TLC filmed two tv series about five lay people who go live in a monastery, living by its rules, for 40 days. Because these lay people don’t have vocations, the series doesn’t fully give a sense of what life is like for an aspirant. But the series do give an idea about life inside two specific monasteries.
The male version of The Monastery aired on TLC in October 2006 and the female version was slated to air in November. Its airing was repeatedly delayed until it was simply canceled.
The good news is that we can finally see the female version. Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey obtained the rights to sell DVD copies of the series which was filmed in their abbey.
You can order the DVDs by visiting
mississippiabbey.org/Home
Click on the link which says “DVDs” and when the webpage loads, click again on the photo of the DVD set - it is called “The Monastery: Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey”
Here is how liner notes in the 4-DVD set explains the series:
“THE MONASTERY” was the title for a television series presented in the UK and the USA between 2003 and 2007, focusing on four separate monasteries in those two nations. The program about Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey was withdrawn shortly before it aired, but because the four 45-minute segments were ready for viewing, we received permission to make them available to our friends in DVD format.
These four DVDS chronicle what happened when five laywomen came to our monastic community in January 2006, not be become Trappistine nuns, but to find deeper meaning or a new direction in their lives - within forty days.
The producers of THE MONASTERY invited us to open our monastery to women who did not share our calling or, for the most part, our faith. The decision to accept this invitation was not made easily. Prayer and dialogue over a period of many months preceded our final acceptance. As we sought to discern God’s call in this, several positive possible outcomes emerged: the opportunity to spread hope and the Good News of Christ to people who sometimes suffer profound discouragement, and to share with other women the joy of our community life and the practical “tools for living” in the Benedictine-Cistercian way.
A camera crew followed our five guests and us was we incorporated them into our daily prayer and work, and explained to the best of our ability the meaning of our vocation. Each guest met twice weekly with a sister who was her mentor, and also had daily classes about our life and faith. The forty days they lived with us became a journey which led to a deep mutual respect and love. It was not always easy going, but it was profoundly rewarding.
It is our hope that THE MONASTERY will bring something of the light and joy of Christ to longing hearts. To those who already know something of monasticism, it may give a rare glimpse into its inner workings.
The male version of The Monastery aired on TLC in October 2006 and the female version was slated to air in November. Its airing was repeatedly delayed until it was simply canceled.
The good news is that we can finally see the female version. Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey obtained the rights to sell DVD copies of the series which was filmed in their abbey.
You can order the DVDs by visiting
mississippiabbey.org/Home
Click on the link which says “DVDs” and when the webpage loads, click again on the photo of the DVD set - it is called “The Monastery: Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey”
Here is how liner notes in the 4-DVD set explains the series:
“THE MONASTERY” was the title for a television series presented in the UK and the USA between 2003 and 2007, focusing on four separate monasteries in those two nations. The program about Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey was withdrawn shortly before it aired, but because the four 45-minute segments were ready for viewing, we received permission to make them available to our friends in DVD format.
These four DVDS chronicle what happened when five laywomen came to our monastic community in January 2006, not be become Trappistine nuns, but to find deeper meaning or a new direction in their lives - within forty days.
The producers of THE MONASTERY invited us to open our monastery to women who did not share our calling or, for the most part, our faith. The decision to accept this invitation was not made easily. Prayer and dialogue over a period of many months preceded our final acceptance. As we sought to discern God’s call in this, several positive possible outcomes emerged: the opportunity to spread hope and the Good News of Christ to people who sometimes suffer profound discouragement, and to share with other women the joy of our community life and the practical “tools for living” in the Benedictine-Cistercian way.
A camera crew followed our five guests and us was we incorporated them into our daily prayer and work, and explained to the best of our ability the meaning of our vocation. Each guest met twice weekly with a sister who was her mentor, and also had daily classes about our life and faith. The forty days they lived with us became a journey which led to a deep mutual respect and love. It was not always easy going, but it was profoundly rewarding.
It is our hope that THE MONASTERY will bring something of the light and joy of Christ to longing hearts. To those who already know something of monasticism, it may give a rare glimpse into its inner workings.