*** PLEASE NOTE: There will be no public Masses here until the archdiocese decides that churches may reopen after the coronavirus crisis subsides. ***
Near the north-east boundary of the District of Columbia, twelve minutes by Metro from Union Station and twenty minutes from the Capitol, is a thriving Benedictine monastery. Here, we monks live the life of prayer established by our sixth- century founder St. Benedict and where we continue that life and the aspirations of our founder for the glory of God and the sanctification of our nation and world.
Within an urban oasis of 40 acres of secluded woodland surrounding the monastery, the usual sounds of a busy city are subdued. Here, too, stands our highly regarded middle school and high school, where the values of our patrons, St. Benedict and St. Anselm, are proclaimed among our youth as we prepare them for lives of service to God and their fellow human beings.
Some have referred to the abbey as “Washington’s best kept secret”; perhaps this is because monks are not naturally given to the more ostentatious ways of projecting themselves upon the surrounding world. Monasteries are primarily places of prayer and virtuous activity, and our evangelization is precisely through prayer, spiritual direction, and education. We cordially invite you to share our “secret.” We invite you to “come and see.”
Announcement: Monastic Immersion Weekend, May 1-3
We are pleased to announce that on the first weekend of May we will be holding a “Monastic Immersion Weekend” for men between the ages of 20 and 35 who would like to learn more about Benedictine life as a way in which they might be able to serve the Lord and the Church. Our program will begin in the late afternoon of that Friday and conclude in the early afternoon on Sunday. During the weekend, the participants will follow the regular schedule of the abbey, joining the monks in choir for Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as for all meals in the refectory. During the weekend there will be talks given by two of the monks and a third talk by a layman who is helping us organize the program.
In addition to scheduled periods for those talks and for liturgical services and meals, there will be opportunity for personal prayer, lectio divina (the prayerful reflection on Scripture or other religious texts), and speaking with one or another of the monks. There is no charge for the weekend at the abbey, although persons coming from a distance will be responsible for their own travel expenses.
We are limiting the number of participants to six, so it you wish to attend it will be important to let Abbot James Wiseman know in the very near future, for we expect this to fill up fast. Abbot James can be reached at this email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
