Monastery practices Archives

Reverence: The Image of God Respected

“The younger monks must respect their seniors, and the seniors must love their juniors.” —The Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 63 The monastery cemetery is a place of order. Four quadrants of seven rows each; nice neat rows of markers, each bearing a name and two dates; and in the middle, overlooking everything with

28Nov

Hope: The Confidence in Something Unseen

“Never lose hope in God’s mercy.” —The Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 4 At one point in the ceremony in which a monk makes his final profession, he chants this verse from the Psalms: “Uphold me, O Lord, according to your promise and I shall live. And do not confound me in my expectation.” Then he lays face down on the

19Sep

Grief: The Loss of Something Good

“Day by day remind yourself that you are going to die.” —The Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 4 Bell no. 5 tolls … One stroke for each year of profession … A monk has died. The toll of the bell is the way death is announced in the life of the monastery. The bell has scarcely finished tolling out the years before the

15Aug

Kindred Spirits

Excerpted from “Kindred Spirits,” written by Archabbot Justin DuVall, OSB Friends and guests who have taken part in the funeral of a monk at the abbey often walk away from the cemetery feeling at a loss for words. They have just peered down into an open grave where a plain poplar coffin marked with a

Monastery practices

Reverence: The Image of God Respected

Hope: The Confidence in Something Unseen

Grief: The Loss of Something Good

Kindred Spirits

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